Richard Grayson (born 1958) is a British artist, writer and curator. His art practice encompasses installation, video, painting and performance. He investigates ways that narratives shape our understandings of the world. His art and curatorial practice focus on narrative and the visual arts, belief systems and material expression, and ways cultural practices allow translation between the subjective and social/political realms.
Career Grayson was a founder member of the Basement GroupThe Basement Group http://www.locusplus.org.uk/information/history (1979–1984) in Newcastle upon Tyne. The Basement group was an artists' collective that focused on experimental time-based and performance art practices. It has been described as "unique in this country [the United Kingdom] in combining two functions: it is an 'exhibiting society' for a group of six artists working in time-based media (mostly performance and video), and it has up to the present provided a venue for any performing artist wishing to present work [in Newcastle]."Arnolfini Brochure from http://www.rewind.ac.uk/documents/John%20Adams/JA024.pdf
Grayon's work has been exhibited at Matt's Gallery, London;His 2005 exhibit at Matt's Gallery was reviewed by Lillian Harris in The London Review in January 2005 SMART Project Space, Amsterdam; Art Unlimited at Art Basel 2005, Switzerland; Museum of Contemporary Art Australia; Artpace, San Antonio, TexasRichard Grayson at Artpace, San Antonio, Texas http://www.artpace.org/artists_and_curators/richard-grayson and included in the 17th Biennale of Sydney 2010,17th Biennale of Sydney 2010 http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/about-us/history/2010-2/ "THE BEAUTY OF DISTANCE: Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age" and ARSENALE 2012: The First Kyiv International Biennale of Contemporary Art 2012,ARSENALE 2012: The First Kyiv International Biennale of Contemporary Art 2012 http://arsenale2012.com/participants/ entitled "The Best of Times, The Worst of Times. Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art".
Key works include: "Messiah",Richard Grayson, "Messiah", 2004 at Matt's Gallery, London |http://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/grayson/exhibition-1.php 2004, "Intelligence",Richard Grayson, "Intelligence", 2005 at Matt's Gallery, London http://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/grayson/exhibition-2.php 2005, "Ghost Houses", 2004–2007, "The Golden Space City of God",Richard Grayson, "The Golden Space City of God", 2009 at Matt's Gallery, London http://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/grayson/exhibition-3.php 2009, "The Magpie Index",Richard Grayson, "The Magpie Index" 2012 at Matt's Gallery, London http://www.mattsgallery.org/artists/grayson/exhibition-4.php 2010, a video focusing on legendary singer-songwriter Roy Harper, "The Magic Mountain" 2013, "Possessions_inc", 20016-19 Richard Grayson, "Possessions_inc", 2016-19 online at Matt's Gallery, London https://possessions-inc.mattsgallery.org and "Weird Shit in Nature", 2024.Richard Grayson, "Weird Shit in Nature", 2024 at Matt's Gallery, London https://www.mattsgallery.org/exhibitions/weird-shit-in-nature
His critical writing has been published by Art Monthly, UK and Broadsheet,Broadsheet, published by Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia http://www.cacsa.org.au/?page_id=1369 Australia. He has written catalogue essays and monographs on Mark Wallinger, Roy Harper, Mike Nelson, Susan Hiller and Suzanne Treister.
Between 1992 and 1998, he was Director of the Experimental Art Foundation in Adelaide, Australia.
Grayson was artistic director of the 2002 Biennale of Sydney,2002 Biennale of Sydney http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/about-us/history/2002-2/ titled '(The World May Be) Fantastic', which investigated 'artists and practices using fictions, narratives, invented methodologies, hypotheses, subjective belief systems, modellings, fakes and experiments as a means to make works.'.2002 Biennale of Sydney catalogue (The World May Be) Fantastic Writing in Art in America in October 2002, Michael Duncan said of the exhibition that it "gave free rein to complex, often offbeat works predicated on alternate realities.Michael Duncan – Report From Sydney – Critical Essay Art in America, Oct 2002 Artists included: Mike Nelson, Chris Burden, Susan Hiller, Vito Acconci, Eleanor Antin, Henry Darger, Janet Cardiff and Rodney Graham. In an article in the Sydney Morning Herald from 17 May 2002, Bruce James describes the exhibition as "a hit".Why the Biennale is a bit of a miracle (The world may be) Fantastic: Sydney Biennale 2002 Reviewed by Bruce James. 17 May 2002. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/16/1021540474378.html
Grayson curated A Secret Service: Art, Compulsion, ConcealmentA Secret Service: Art, Compulsion, Concealment', Hayward Gallery Touring Exhibition 2006/7 http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/hayward-gallery-and-visual-arts/hayward-gallery-exhibitions/catalogues/a-secret-service-art-compulsion-concealment in 2006/7, a Hayward Gallery Touring Exhibition; This Will Not Happen Without You: (Basement to Locus + 1975-2007) in 2006–2007, Arts Council of England Touring exhibition, PolytechnicPolytechnic exhibition at Raven Row, London http://www.ravenrow.org/exhibition/polytechnic/ in 2010 for Raven Row, London, REVOLVER,'Revolver' exhibitions at Matt’s Gallery, London http://www.mattsgallery.org/revolver/revolver.php a series of co-collaborations with Robin Klassnik at Matt's Gallery, London in 2012 and Worlds in Collision,Adelaide International: Worlds in Collison exhibition http://www.adelaidefestival.com.au/2014/visual_arts/adelaide_international-worlds_in_collision the 3rd Adelaide International in 2014.
Grayson is currently a visiting lecturer at the Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford,Richard Grayson's profile at Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford http://www.rsa.ox.ac.uk/people/richard-grayson The Royal College of Art, London and holds the position of Bartlett Research Fellow at Newcastle University, UKRichard Grayson's profile at Newcastle University http://www.ncl.ac.uk/sacs/staff/profile/r.m.grayson
Writing - art catalogues
References
External links Richard Grayson official site Richard Grayson at Matt's Gallery, London Richard Grayson, SMART Project Space, Amsterdam Richard Grayson publications: Intelligence Artfacts.Net: Richard Grayson' international gallery guide for modern, contemporary and emerging art.