It's so hard to tell who's going to love you the best

About

Pippy Houldsworth is delighted to present a show of new works It's so hard to tell who's going to love you the best by Matt Franks, whose first solo exhibition Transcendent Plastic Infinite at Tate Britain's Art Now space in 2002 brought him to prominence in the UK. At Houldsworth, Franks will display his latest body of work comprising a series of hybrid sculptures developed from his typically mock baroque aesthetic.
The exhibition title is borrowed from a folk song by Karen Dalton, reflecting the artist's ongoing tumultuous love affair with his work. The anxiety which underlies the process of making is founded on the desire for success. Yet, no matter the planning, there is always an element of improvisation, putting the artist's association with the work beyond his control. As with any relationship there can be no certainty of the outcome.
References to modernism are prevalent in the works in their theatrical posturing. Despite this, Franks opts for materials that deny the works the monumentality of their modernist predecessors, instead preferring styrofoam, mdf, plastic and yak hair. Similarly the development of the surface contradicts archetypal sculpture. The materials themselves, which are soft and rich, belong to luxury goods and interior design. The surface texture therefore disputes the autonomy of the art object whilst raising questions of taste.
Matt Franks graduated from Goldsmiths College with an MA in Fine Art in 2000 and is currently Head of Sculpture at Camberwell College of Arts. Since his show at Tate Britain Franks has been part of numerous important international exhibitions including Tailsliding, a British Council international touring exhibition 2001-03; Into My World: New British Sculpture at the Aldrich Museum, Connecticut in 2004; Metropolis Rise: New Art from London, ICA London, Diaf06 Beijing and Shanghai in 2006; and 8x8x8, LON/MSP/NYC, The Soap Factory, Minneapolis 2006.
Franks' first public installation for an exterior site, Fooooom!!! 2007, a three metre high white exploding cloud, commissioned by the Contemporary Art Society was on show at the Economist Plaza in 2007 and toured to Blickachsen 6 at Galerie Scheffel, Bad Homburg, Germany, courtesy of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
The gallery is open 10 to 6 Wednesday to Friday, Saturday 10.30 to 1.00, or by appointment. Please contact Charlotte Perman or Pippy Houldsworth for further information on +44 (0)20 8969 6166.