Michael Dean: Stamen Papers at Fondazione Giuliani in Rome

Michael Dean (Newcastle upon Tyne, 1977), a finalist for the upcoming Turner Prize, presents 'Stamen Papers' at Fondazione Giuliani in Rome until July 22, 2016. The exhibition features a large concrete work incorporating ten years of his writings, and the main gallery is left empty to make the viewer the protagonist. Dean discusses his focus on language and writing as central to his practice, comparing words to pollen that propagate through air. He notes that his visual elements, like kalashnikov silhouettes, come from urban environments. Dean is working on a public sculpture in New York in front of the municipal government building, which he describes as a 'strange broken plant,' and another public piece for Art Basel's Art Parcours in Basel, made from elements sized to each member of his family. He emphasizes the tension between freedom and control in his work and the challenges of public art, where political agendas often prioritize comfort and perfection.