Brad Downey
area: Media Art
Key Facts
nationality
USAarea
Media Artresidence
Berlinrecommending institution
STREET ART PASSAGE VIENNAtime period
March 2010 - April 2010Education:
2003- 2005
Slade School of Art - MFA Painting - London, UK
1998-2003
Pratt Institute - BFA Film - Brooklyn, NY
Solo Shows/ Einzelausstellungen:
2013
The Floor, the Table and the Wall, Kulturzentrum Marstall am Schloss Ahrensburg, Germany
2011
Shallow, Kunstverein Bucholz, Germany
2011
We Are Begining, Cuadro, Dubai, UAE
2010
I Forget What I Wanted To Say, DieAusstellungsstrasse, Vienna, Austria
2009
Broken Horizon, Reinking Projekte, Hamburg, Germany
2009
An Honest Thief, Stolenspace, London, England
Group Shows/ Gruppenausstellungen (Auswahl):
2012
Bios, Concepts Of Life in Contemporary Sculpture, Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin, Germany
reKOLLECT, Kunstraum Kreuzberg Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
Street Smart, Kulturehuset, Stockholm, Sweden
Stuck On The City, Galerie hlavního města Prahy, Prague, Czech Republic
2011
Bits + Pieces, Artitude Kunstverein, Berlin, Germany
Farbe Im Fluss, Museum für Moderne Kunst, Weserburg, Germany
Kunstkorperlich, Korperkunslich 3, Bodies, Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche, Osnabruck, Germany
Walk This Way- KOES, Museum Of Art In The Public Space, Koege, Denmark
Do Not Think, Awangarda Gallery at BWA, Wroclaw,Breslau, Poland
Meanwhile In Deepest East Anglia Thunderbirds Were Go, Von Der Heyt Museum, Wuppertal, Germany
Wilde Zeichen, Kunsthalle Krems Forum Frohner, Krems, Austria
What is Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Roskilde, Denmark
I Don't Need Your Money Honey All I Need Is Love, Traffic Gallery, Dubai, UAE
2010
Hacking the City, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany
Street as Studio, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria
Sub-Glob 2, Örebro, Konsthall, Örebro, Sweden
Gestures, Museum of Contemporary Art Roskilde, Denmark
2009
Backjumps volume 4 #1, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
Urban Art, Museum for Moderne Kunst, Weserburg, Germany
2008
Call It What You Like, Kunstcentret Silkeborg Bad, Denmark
Fresh Air Smells Funny, Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche, Osnabruck, Germany
2007
It’s the Thought That Counts, Backjumps Volume 3, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien , Berlin, Germany
Adaptation, Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen, Scotland
2006
Anti Climb Fence, Seven Seven gallery, London, England
2005
Our Work Makes Us Free, Backjumps volume 2, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
Fresh Milk, Milk Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2004
Santa's Ghetto, Laz, Inc., London, England
2003
The Beauty is the Act, Urban art info, Backumps volume 1, Berlin, Germany
Public Projects (Commissioned)/ Öffentlichkeit Projekt (Auftrag):
2012
Portrait of My Father, Flux Projects, Atlanta, USA
Bike Nettelbeckplatz, Wedding Walls, Berlin, Germany
2010
Operation Beton, KUNSTHALLE Wien, Vienna, Austria
General 21 the Star Destroyer, (in collaboration with Erik Tidemann), Storaas Festival, Sroraas, Norway
The Beginning and the End, Dockville Festival, Hamburg, Germany
2009
McDowney, ARTotale, Lephana University, Urban Art Project, Luneburg, Germany
The Bi-Product of The Process, (in collaboration with Erik Tidemann), Storaas Festival, Storaas, Norway
The Sleeping Policeman, Art-Boom Festival - Krakow, Poland
2008
Bench Marks, Rubbish, and Apple Tree, Names Fest, Prague, Czech Republic
2007
Long Weight, Ashford O Temporary Artworks for the Tour de France and received a SEEDA Arts Plus award, Ashford, England
Ladder Stick Up, Peacock Visual Arts – Aberdeen, Scotland
2006
3 Site Specific Works, Conjunction, London, Birmingham, Stoke on Trent, England
A Rose With A Thorn In Its Side, Rottenrow Workshop and Dragon Bar, London England
2005
The Rules Of Space, (ICA) Institute of Contemporary Art London- London, England
2004
American Paranoia, (in collaboration with Tahu Deans), Lummus Park- Miami, Florida
Awards, Grants, Residencies/ Förderungen:
2013
Kulturstiftung Stormarn
2011
10th Internationaler Syrlin-Kunstpreis
2011
Oxylane Foundation, Artist in Residence, Berlin Germany
2010
Museum Quartier 21, Artist in Residence and Stipendium, Vienna Austria
2008
Goethe Institute, Amsterdam, project production grant/ Residency
2007
SEEDA Arts Plus award, project production grant/ Residency
2006
Anita Shapolsky Foundation, project development award/ Residency
2002
Toy Shop Collective, Evolutionare Zellen award from Neue Gesellschaft fur Bildende Kunst, Berlin, Germany, Grant
School of Visual Art, Post Production Grant
Public Collections/Sammlungen:
Von der Heydt-Collection
Museum Contemporary Art, Roskilde
The Reinking Collection
The Farook Foundation
The Samawi Collection
The Teuchtler Collection
Never having been to Vienna I was initially just curious to explore the city. It is always a great pleasure for me to explore urban spaces. The city was a cold during my stay, but, I still managed to make a decent investigation. My first impression of Vienna was linked heavily to how I sense Paris, although the city streets are strikingly similar to Krakow; concentric circles, traffic rings. Like Paris, the facades of the buildings have an untouchable quality. Something self important and permanent about the surfaces. Giving an un-inviting feeling for a outsider. It felt like walking around a giant Museum.
I became very intrigued by a small Roman site located directly in front of Michaelerplatz. Here I made a video using a rope and a magnet to steal European union coins from the ancient Roman site.
I managed to meet a few interesting people one being Leopald Kessler. I always respected his work and was happy to have the opportunity to meet him. I also met Raymond Pettibon, who I admired immensely since I was a teenager.
I was soon introduced to Philipp Teuchtler, a local Viennese art collector who was infamous around town for having stolen many Items from the street. I decided to make a work which would dialogue with his strange collection. I found many objects in his home which had no definitive author. I chose 12 of these un-authored works and signed them. Giving my artistic credibility to bits of throwaways living in Phillips home. This series "Words Are Poison" were archived in a catalogue produced by the Street art passage with additional support from Kunsthalle Wien, and Michalis Pichler.
My stay in Vienna was extremely productive. Not only in the production of new works and documentation, but also in the friendships and professional relationships I was able to build. Throughout my stay I was treated with respect and understanding. The accommodation was spacious and comfortable with good access to public transportation. It was also nice to be so close to many of the major institutions and museums.