Dan Rees's Critical Irony at Nomas Foundation in Rome

Dan Rees's exhibition 'Road Back To Relevance' at Nomas Foundation in Rome runs until June 10, 2016. The Welsh artist (born 1982 in Swansea) uses irony to challenge viewers, blending playful and serious elements. Works include algae transformed into cool products via ad campaigns, a domestic tank for algae cultivation, a video recalling Welsh solidarity with Nicaraguan workers during Thatcher's era, and two empty aluminum billboards that function as kinetic minimalist sculptures. Paintings feature abstract plasticine clouds and decorative patterns inspired by Artex, a kitsch ceiling material once disdained by the upper class but now reproduced as expensive artworks. The show critiques capitalism, social equity, and digital clicktivism versus past activism.