DEXTER DYMOKE
DAVID BESTUE & MARC VIVES
LIZI SANCHEZ

Proteo

17 MARCH – 1 MAY 2011

VIEW WORKS

“The feeling we have in front of an artwork is one of relational entity. Nothing in this entity would touch us if we did not perceive, even vaguely, that the artwork itself had built numerous and complex ties with its “outside”: the weight of the history surrounding it and the energies passing through, the destiny of the individual who produced it and the resonance that this artwork finds in our own destiny, the silence it imposes on us or the speech it urges us to produce. But nothing would maintain us in this position long enough if the work itself, at any given point, wasn’t also contributing to untying this web of relationships…This entity - this ball of relationships - is there for you to decide to take a point of view and to pull in one of its numerous threads towards you (1).”

Drawing its essence on this reflexion of the notion of artefact, Proteo (2) echoes the tradition of Found object: a practice initiated by the ready-made, the Dada and surrealist movements which have resonated throughout the history of art. Redefining sculpture as a practice based on assemblage and combination leads us to formulate improvised narratives and rethink the notion of reassignment. Through the mediums of sculpture, collage and performance video, the exhibition offers different approaches to the way metaphorical dialogues and other mental resonances question our conventions of behaviour and consciousness. Creators of unexpected logic, “free association” and other alternative juxtapositions, the artists in this exhibition emphasize the act of exploration in a number of artistic practices and interrogate the notions of limit, intensity and hierarchy between low and high culture.

Dexter Dymoke’s practice is characterized by a process of research and observation and explores the correlations and tensions between objects, materials and their engagement in space. In this way, his three-dimensional compositions and sculptural installations invite us to rethink the notion of “use” in an exploration of that which is overlooked in order to entice and reassign elements of their functionality. This instinctive and material-oriented process leads the viewer onto a mental journey during which metaphors and other improvised narratives smoothly intertwine towards non-paradigmatic states. Defined by a strong feeling of material recognition, Dymoke’s work drives us towards unstated territories where he explores and reinvents a poetry devised for these found objects.

David Bestué & Marc Vives ’ work is based essentially on the elaboration of “actions” which take place in public or private spaces and transcribed into video-installations. Lead by a non-hierarchical approach, this duo of artists is united by a strong intuition and sense of humour. They continually reference popular and high culture which they use to highlight, with a hint of irony, the antagonist relationship between art, our daily life and our conventions of behaviour. 
While the video “Proteo” shows a running figure repeatedly transforming from a man, to a horse, to a bike, and back to a man in a low-tech and humorous aesthetic; “Estado de Cambio” invites the viewer on the surreal journey of a malleable shape made of modelling clay – these activities are encouraged by a series of micro-actions sequenced and ordered by a low intensity narrative.

Lizi Sanchez’s sculptural practice is developed through the use of diverse materials ranging from the ones found in hardware to haberdashery stores while her collages exploit the richness and diversity of magazines. Characterised by a meticulous construction, Sanchez¹s work is defined by a preciousness that confronts the rigorous with the decorative and the frivolous additional detail. Her photomontages, constructed through mass-produced and luxury goods imagery, evoke the idea of fragmentation and multiplicity within modern life and are characterised by a dynamic movement and swinging rhythm challenging the achievement of perfect states of equilibrium. True representations of the whimsical nature of these materials, these surreal whirlwinds offer the viewer a playful relation to our surroundings.

(1) Translated from « Resonances du Readymade: Duchamp entre avant-garde et tradition », Thierry de Duve, Editions Jacqueline Chambon, Paris, 1989, p.7.
(2) In Greek Mythology “Proteo” is an early sea-God who can tell the future. “Proteo” is at the origin of the adjective “protean” used to define elements of a mutable, flexible and versatile nature.

Dexter Dymoke lives and works in London, UK.
Exhibitions include Rapidform Sculpture, Sackler Centre, V&A museum, London (2010); 'Architect', installation for Festival of Architecture, Canary Wharf, London (2010); 'Bench', Friends of Battersea Park Annual Sculpture Award, Battersea  Park, London (2010); RCA Group show, Weiβensee Kunsthochschule, Berlin (2009); Creekside Open, (selected by Jenni Lomax), APT Gallery, Deptford, London (2009).

David Bestué & Marc Vives live and work in Barcelona, Spain.
Exhibitions include Carte Blanche à Bestué-Vives, Galerie Crèvecoeur, Paris (2010) (SOLO SHOW); El Angel Exterminador, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (2010) ; Cisnes y Ratas, Centro de Arte 2 de Mayo, Móstoles, Spain (2009) (SOLO SHOW) ; La Confirmación, Centre d'Art Santa Mònica, Barcelona; Centro de Arte 2 de Mayo, Madrid (2009) (SOLO SHOW) ; Making Worlds, 53rd Venice Biennale. D. Birnbaum, Venezia, Italy (2009).

Lizi Sanchez lives and works in London, UK.
Exhibitions includeUtopia Ltd., Wexford Art Centre, Wexford-Ireland (2011); Mirror Pelt, Weissfaktor, Berlin, Germany (2010) (SOLO SHOW); Studio Voltaire Members Show, selected by Jennifer Higgie and Rebecca Warren, London-UK (2010); Journeyman's Heirs, Duckett and Jeffreys, Malton, UK  (SOLO SHOW); PurePeru, a selection of Peruvian Artist working in the UK, Peruvian Embassy, London-UK (2009).

For inquiries regarding availability of works and prices, or additional information about the artist, please contact the gallery. 

Installation view, Proteo

Installation view, Proteo

Installation view, DAVID BESTUE & MARC VIVES

DEXTER DYMOKE
“Good Fall”, 2010
Aluminium, fluorescent tube, cloth
118 x 122 x 8 cm

DEXTER DYMOKE
“Lost Content”, 2011
Found material, steel, aluminium, wood, fabric, varnish
167 x 234 x 60 cm

DEXTER DYMOKE
“Untitled”, 2011
Aluminium, fluorescent tube, cloth
164 x 24 x 17 cm

DEXTER DYMOKE
“Headland”, 2010
Wood, chipboard, aluminium
174 x 120 x 82 cm

DEXTER DYMOKE
“The End”, 2010
Bronze
16 x 12 x 10 cm

DEXTER DYMOKE
Ages and Ages, 2011
Bronze
23 x 17 x 14 cm

LIZI SANCHEZ
“Sky Garden”, 2008
Magazine collage
38 x 39 cm

LIZI SANCHEZ
" Sun-Kissed Escape", 2008
Magazine collage
39 x 34 cm

LIZI SANCHEZ
“Untitled”, 2010
Magazine collage
32 x 35.5 cm

LIZI SANCHEZ
“From the series Flappers and Philosophers III”, 2011
Magazine collage
41 x 44 cm

LIZI SANCHEZ
“From the series Flappers and Philosophers II”, 2011
Magazine collage
39 x 46 cm

LIZI SANCHEZ
“Beautiful Beast ” 2010
Magazine collage
29 x 29 cm

LIZI SANCHEZ
“Woman with Earring Composition” 2010
Magazine collage
29 x 29 cm

DAVID BESTUE & MARC VIVES
“Proteo”, 2009
Video / Double projection
3min

DAVID BESTUE & MARC VIVES
“Estados de Cambio”, 2009
Video
6min