MALACHI FARRELL: DUCK And COVER !

About

Born in 1970 in Ireland and raised in France, Farrell has cultivated a dual Irish-French identity that influences his art. Farrell began his career at the École des Beaux Arts de Rouen in 1987 and then went on to be mentored by French artist Daniel Buren at the Institut Supérieur des Hautes Études. He then continued his education at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam, where he developed a unique visual rhetoric derived from the punk and industrial culture he witnessed during his adolescence.

Farrell’s oeuvre is best translated as Gesamkunstwerk: a comprehensive method of creating art through a synthesis of elements. At the Crypt Gallery, Farrell’s large-scale kinetic installations explore the synergy between light, sound, and movement. Each mechanical installation is robotic in nature, offering an operatic performance that encompasses music, theatre, and the visual arts. To aid in the narration of his dramatic installations, Farrell seeks to form a connection between the viewer and his works. He uses familiar and found materials to create sophisticated technology, ultimately provoking the viewer to identify with the works and become part of the theatrical adventure.

Farrell’s installations are not simply theatrical spectacles; rather, they are archival works that document modern history. In combining his personal identity with that of global politics, and satire with farce, Farrell creates compelling installations that engage with topics of race, war, and brutality. The strong emotional charge of his works encourage the viewer to participate in a contemporary dialogue, stressing the viewer’s personal duty of compassion in society. By reflecting on the past by means of the present, he establishes a visual rhetoric that does not merely moralise, but rather is a space for reflection left open for interpretation by the viewer.

Now, Malachi Farrell’s artworks are being re-contextualised at the Crypt Gallery – a space with an intense and dark history that served as a source of inspiration for Farrell. The space, which was used as an air raid shelter during both World Wars, is redefined as the stage for Farrell’s eight larger-than-life machine installations. The interaction of the historical space and Farrell’s contemporary installations gives the exhibition a dual historical identity: one that commemorates the 70th anniversary of the World War II and another that documents the present day.

Malachi Farrell – Exhibition History
Farrell’s work is housed in major collections throughout France, including the Centre Georges Pompidou, Museum of Contemporary Art of Val de Marne, Paris (MACVAL), and The National Foundation of Contemporary Art and Museum of Contemporary Art, Marseille. His solo exhibitions include Galerie des Enfants at Centre Georges Pompidou, No Money No Honey at Nathalie Serroussi Gallery, Paris, and FIART Performance at Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris. He has participated in various group shows at ARP Museum, Germany, Donwahi Foundation for Contemporary Art, Abidjan, and the Grand Palais, Paris.

Watch videos of Malachi Farrell's work on the Duck & Cover YouTube channel HERE

About the Curators
Duck and Cover! is curated by three graduates of the Master of Letters in Modern and Contemporary Art programme at Christie’s Education London: Michael Bouhanna of France, Alexandra Mteini of Lebanon and Nivedita Poddar of India. Having followed the remarkable development of Malachi Farrell’s work in France, they are delighted to curate his first British show and look forward to the witnessing the impact of his explosive and provocative installations on a London audience.

Malachi Farrell: Duck and Cover!
The Crypt Gallery St Pancras Church, Euston Road London NW1 2BA

Dates: 18 September-3 October 2015 

Tel: +3361849460 Mobile: 07592 520881

Email: malachifarrell.duckandcover@gmail.com

Nearest tube: Euston, Euston Square

No wheelchair access

Open: Monday to Saturday from 11am to 7pm

Website: www.duck-and-cover.wix.com/london 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MalachiFarrellLondon

Price: Free entrance

Video Link:  Duck and Cover YouTube Channel

PRIVATE VIEW September 17 6pm-9pm REGISTER HERE FOR THE PRIVATE VIEW

Artist’s Talks:
September 17th 5pm followed by Private View
September 18th 11am
September 19th 11am

Further press Information and images are available from Nivedita Poddar niveditapoddar@hotmail.com 07592 520881