Larry Achiampong on Mataio Austin Dean's Call-and-Response Art
Mataio Austin Dean, chosen by Larry Achiampong for Future Greats 2023, utilizes diverse techniques grounded in research and historical storytelling. His creations critically assess colonial legacies and labor rights, often reflecting his Guyanese background. Achiampong first met Dean in 2019 at the Slade School of Fine Art, impressed by his assured methodology. Dean's artistic approach features a 'call and response' dynamic: interrogating history and employing Marxist principles for liberatory practice. His outputs include intricate etchings, expansive drawings that merge historical and contemporary themes, and performances of traditional folksongs. Dean's work has been showcased in New Contemporaries (2021), with writings in The Socialist Review and UCL's The Poetry Shed, and his vocals featured in Achiampong's film Wayfinder (2022).
Key facts
- Mataio Austin Dean selected by Larry Achiampong for Future Greats 2023
- Achiampong first encountered Dean at Slade School of Fine Art in 2019
- Dean's work re-examines colonial histories and workers' rights
- Dean uses Marxism as a tool for emancipatory praxis
- Dean creates detailed etchings and large-scale drawings
- Dean performs centuries-old folksongs and child ballads
- Dean's work exhibited in New Contemporaries (2021)
- Dean's writing published in The Socialist Review and UCL's The Poetry Shed
- Dean's singing features in Larry Achiampong's film Wayfinder (2022)
Entities
Artists
- Mataio Austin Dean
- Larry Achiampong
Institutions
- Slade School of Fine Art
- New Contemporaries
- The Socialist Review
- UCL
- The Poetry Shed
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Essex