Brandon Vickerd
Ghost Rider
2015

Name: Ghost Rider
Brand: Brandon Vickerd
Price: 23000 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

The four life size figurative sculptures in Monuments of a Perfect Future are derived from low brow culture narratives, detailing stories of extra-terrestrial travel, heroic tales originating from science fiction, and mythology rooted in comic book narratives. Presenting a collision of high art materials (bronze, steel, wood) with pop culture imagery, this body of sculpture examines the division between high art and popular culture. This series of new sculptures originate from research conducted while attending San Diego Comic-Con (2013) as well as deriving inspiration from the master figurative sculptors Augustus Rodin and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. Monumentality speaks in the language of absolutes; the exhibition Monuments of a Perfect Future subverts the idea of absolutes through undermining monumental motifs with irony, humor and pathos. Ultimately, these works examine the tragic failure of the characters represented, as well as the failed myth of unending progress promised by modernism and technological advancement. Brandon Vickerd is a Toronto based sculptor and Professor of Visual Arts at York University. He received his BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (1999) and his MFA from the University of Victoria (2001). In the past several years his exhibited projects have been diverse in form and content, including site specific interventions, public performances and object based sculpture. Projects such as Dance of the Cranes (Toronto, 2009) and Dance of the Cranes, Requiem for Architecture (Brooklyn, 2012) are community based projects outside the gallery that seek to transform the cityscape into a stage for performance. These performances consist of choreographed dances executed by high-rise construction cranes perched upon condo developments while viewers watch from the street bellow. Public works such as Satellite and Northern Satellite are similar attempts to engage the public in a discourse about our conflicting ways of understanding landscape. In gallery exhibitions he engages the audience through employing the language of monumental figurative sculpture subverting dominant cultural narratives by creating monuments to popular culture characters (Dead Astronaut, Chrome Ghost). Purposely diverse, his work is an examination of sculpture as a catalyst for critical thought, enriching the audience’s engagement with the physical world through the creation of spectacle. He has received numerous awards and grants from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Arts Council.

Creator:

Brandon Vickerd (1977, Canadian)

Creation Year:

2015

Dimensions:

Height: 80 in (203.2 cm)Width: 30 in (76.2 cm)Depth: 24 in (60.96 cm)

Medium:

Metal,Fiberglass,Automotive Paint

Movement & Style:

Contemporary

Period:

21st Century

Condition:

Gallery Location:

Montreal, CA

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU476441032

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Brandon Vickerd

Brandon Vickerd is a Hamilton based artist and Professor of Sculpture at York University, where he also serves as Chair of the Department of Visual Arts and Art History. He received his BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (1999) and his MFA from the University of Victoria (2001). Purposely diverse, his studio work straddles the line between high and low culture, acting as a catalyst for critical thought and addressing the failed promise of a modernist future predicated on boundless scientific advancement. Whether through craftsmanship, the creation of spectacle, or humor, the goal of his work is to provoke the viewer into questioning the dominate myth of progress ingrained in Western world views. Vickerd has extensive experience in large scale public art projects that seek to engage a diverse audience. A recent public performance Dance of the Cranes (Edmonton AB and Washington DC ) consisted of a choreographed dance performed by multiple high-rise construction cranes perched on top of buildings in the respective downtown cores. Staged for Nuit Blanche Edmonton and Capitol Fringe in Washington DC, these projects were the culmination of a collaborative partnership with the crane operators and developers that operated on the site. These projects are an example of collaborating with non-arts professionals to develop a project that was meaningful to both the participants and the audience. The resulting performances created the sensation that the entire city became a stage for performance, effectively immersing the audience within the spectacle. Most recently Vickerd was awarded a commission for a permanent installation by the Edmonton Arts Council. The sculpture, entitled Wildlife, consists of two bronze figures that appear to be citizens leisurely going about their day. However, upon inspection the figures reveal themselves to be composed of squirrels, raccoons, foxes, owls, and other animals working together to appear human. Humorously referencing cartoon clichés, this sculpture invites a thoughtful reflection on our relationship to nature. Wild Life challenges viewers’ perceptions by making a seemingly mundane scene extraordinary: an average-looking person morphs into a conglomeration of animals that is both shocking and intriguing and reveals the extraordinary possibilities beneath the mundane we take for granted. Vickerd has received numerous awards and grants from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Arts Council.