After working for many years on sound projects, Berlin-based Ivan Seal (born 1973, England) began painting small-scale, crypto-narrative still lifes from his imagination. The juicy paint-handling and enigmatic subject matter turned my head at Frieze last month.
According to the artist, his work is a �hand-eye parasite that grows and grows�, likening it to �The Aristocrats� joke comedians only tell to fellow professionals whose aim is not the punch-line but a middle so filthy it can barely be told; to the visions experienced in the comedown of a trip when one�s eyes and synapses see multiple realities; and to puzzles to which there are no wrong answers only a myriad of solutions. Paint is many things in his work; but it is also just paint, laid on a canvas, as bold, dumb and brilliant as that permits.(via RaebervonStenglin)
And plenty of collectors like his work, too. According to The Art Newspaper, Carl Freedman Gallery (London) sold fifteen of his paintings at the fair.
Let’s hope a local gallery invites Seal to have a solo show in the near.
Related posts:
Regaining relevance: Writing critically about art fair art (May 8, 2012)
Worst of Frieze: Anselm Reyle @ CFA Berlin (May 16, 2012)
Frieze highlights: Fredrik Vaerslev’s all-over paintings (May 23, 2012)
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