Press Information
The Golden Space City of God, Richard Grayson’s third exhibition at Matt’s
Gallery, is a large-scale video installation with sound featuring a new choral
work performed by a 26-piece choir. Within the gallery, theatre drapes and
plastic stacking chairs give the impression of a space linked to community
expression and exchange – a church or community hall – that speaks
of the formation of group identities and ideas of improvement and aspiration.
The Golden Space City of God score was composed by Leo Chadburn based on a
libretto by the artist – which appears as subtitles in the video work – abstracted
from a website associated with The Family, a community that developed from
the 1960s cult Children of God. It is based upon texts that give a detailed
prediction of events leading up to the end of the world, drawn from the Book
of Revelation and re-imagined through the languages and imagery of science
fiction. They describe the widespread economic and social unrest that will
spread across the globe following an oil crisis and the collapse of dollar-based
economies. Out of this chaos a world leader emerges, assisted by UFOs, who
establishes a worldwide government through his use of credit and barcode technologies,
pin numbers, UNESCO and the European Economic Community…
He builds a giant robot and Capitalism is abolished;
Jesus returns to Earth to fight against his empire and establish a kingdom
of the saved; A thousand years pass where survivors live in an ideal society based on an
agrarian economy of exchange, and the elect – who have been given new
supernatural indestructible bodies – rule over the rest of humankind,
using the power of invisibility to police them effectively;
The masses rise again only to be defeated by fire and plague and God descends
in the biggest space ship ever built, the Golden Space City, to take the elect
away to explore and colonise new planets and galaxies…
The Golden Space City of God was filmed at Say Si in San Antonio, Texas on
Saturday 14 March 2009 has been commissioned and produced by Artpace, San Antonio
and Matt’s Gallery, London.
To see work in progress for this exhibition click here
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Biography
Born 1958 Morecambe, England. Lives and works in London.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2014
The Golden Space City of God, Old School Room Project Space (OSR) West Coker, Somerset, UK
2012
The Magpie Index, Matt's Gallery, London;
Triumph (with Steve Wigg), Anne and Gordon Samstag Museum of Art, Adelaide, Australia
2011
The Objectivist Studio Alma Enterprises London;
The Golden Space City of God Southampton City At Gallery;
Richard Grayson KunstMuseum Des Kantons Thurgau Switzerland
2010
The Magpie Index. Baltic Gallery Newcastle upon Tyne;
Richard Grayson Yuill/Crowley Gallery Sydney Australia;
Richard Grayson: A Five Year Retrospective De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill
2009
The Golden Space City of God Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, New Zealand;
The Golden Space City of God. Matt’s Gallery London.
2006
Suspicious Fires, Yuill/Crowley Gallery, Sydney
2005
Intelligence, Matt’s Gallery, London
2004
Messiah, Matt’s Gallery, London and Yuill/Crowley Gallery, Sydney;
The Messiah, Kunstlerhaus Gethanien, Berlin
2002
A Diary, A History, A Walk up the Hill, Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide;
Ways the World Ends, Yuill/Crowley Gallery, Sydney
2000
Negative Space (things I don’t understand), Yuill/Crowley Gallery, Sydney
1999
1000 accidents/Ahistoryofreading, Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane;
Ahistoryofreading Artspace, Sydney
1998
A Famous Struggle/VariousThings Explained, Contemporary Art Centre, Adelaide
Selected Group Exhibitions
2013
HIS MASTER'S VOICE Von Stimme und Sprache/On Voice and Language, Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund, Germany;
Drawing Biennial, The Drawing Room, London, England
2012
The Best of Times the Worst of Times - Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art, Arsenale 2012 • The First Kyiv International Biennale of Contemporary Art, Kyiv, Ukraine;
Magpie Index, screening, Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, Scotland;
Ghosts Off The Shelf, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
2011
Ffilm 3, Oriel Gelf Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, Wales;
Seeing in the Dark, Circa Newcastle upon Tyne;
This is What I Do, Metro Arts Brisbane Australia;
Ffilm 3, Oriel Gelf Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea, Wales
2010 Sydney Biennial, Australia;
The Beauty of Distance, Film and Video, The Russian Club Gallery, London, England
2009
Curators Choice Tracy Williams Gallery New York USA ;
Choral Visual, Casa de la Cultura, Buenos Aires, Argentina;
International Artist in Residence: New Works 09.01. curated by Trevor Smith at Artpace, San Antonio, Texas
2008
Obscurum Obscurantis Tallin Arthoone, Estonia
2007
A Number of Worlds Resembling Our Own Smart Project Space, Amsterdam;
Navigations Per Forma Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin
2006
Happy Believers 7th Werkleitz Biennial, Halle Germany
2005
Art Unlimited Basel;
Project 3 CACSA Adelaide;
Electric Renaissance Culture-Centre Halle;
Gott sehen - Das Überirdische als Thema derZeitgenössischen Kunst Kunstmuseum des Kantons Thurgau, Kartause Ittingen, Switzerland
2004
Cartographies Performance Space, Sydney;
Planet B Magazin 4 Vorarlberger Kunstverein and Bregenzer Kunstverein, Bregenz
Selected Exhibitions as Curator
2014
Worlds in Collision, Adelaide International 2014, Australia
2012
REVOLVER, Matt's Gallery, London
2010
Polytechnic, Raven Row Gallery London
2007
Scary Movie Contemporary Art Centre, Adelaide
2006
This Will Not Happen Without You (Basement to Locus 1979 - 2007) (Arts Council touring exhibition) John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle and Belfast University;
A Secret Service (Hayward Gallery touring exhibition) Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill and The Whitworth Gallery, Manchester
2002
(The World May Be) Sydney Biennale, Fantastic Sydney, Australia
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Bibliography
Selected Articles and Publications
2012
The Best of Times the Worst of Times Rebirth and Apocalypse in Contemporary Art, David Elliot, Kiev Biennale catalogue;
What the Dickens?, Sam Sherman, Artforum;
Richard Grayson: The Magpie Index, Mark Prince, Art Monthly;
The Magpie Index, Sam Sherman, Artforum;
Roy Harper sings for the birds, Frances Morgan, BFI Sight & Sound
2011
Holy Objectionable Objectivists!, Polytechnic, Rachel Withers, Art Forum January;
Looking Back (pick of the year), Mike Sperlinger, Frieze Jan Feb;
Get away to Yesterday, Marcia E Vetrocq, Art in America Dec;
For The Untimely: Polytechnic, Denise Robinson, Camera Austria no 112;
Polytechnic, Art Papers (USA) Jan/Feb,
Don’t Miss: Polytechnic, Helen Sumpter, TimeOut 4-10 Nov;
2010
Polytechnic, Max Zoller, Art Monthly No 340 Oct;
Tips: Polytechnic, Alina Astrova, Kaleidoscope. Issue 08 Autumn;
Polytechnic Early British Video Art, Colin Perry, Sight and Sound;
Polytechnic, Francesca Gavin, Rough Version;
A Return to Content? Polytechnic at Raven Row, Melissa Gronlund, Rhizome 27 Oct;
Sculpture Center, Curator’s Notebook Polytechnic 22 Oct;
Polytechnic Where Art You? Helen Wilson blog;
Pieternel Vermoortel, Three Exhibitions in London, Metropolis M;
Polytechnic: come with us now on a journey to the 1970’s, Lauren Down, Snipe Oct;
Polytechnic, Nichola McCartney Spectator Arts Blog 17 Sept;
The Beauty of Distance: Songs of Survival in a precarious Age, David Elliot 17th Biennale of Sydney catalogue, Australia;
17th Biennale of Sydney, Peter Hill, Frieze Magazine 133 Sept;
Film and Video Russian Club, Sally O’Reilly, Art Monthly No 334 March;
Richard Grayson, Art Monthly, Pryle Behrman No 334 March;
2009
Picks of The Year: Visual Arts Golden Space City of God, Gabriel Coxhead Time Out London Christmas Edition;
ite, missa est, Boris Kremer, Broadsheet (Australia), Vol 38.3;
The Golden Space City of God at Matt’s Gallery, JJ Charlesworth, Time Out London No 2024, June 4th;
Credit Crunch Art, Waldemar Januszeck, Sunday Times 24 May.
2007
You Talking to Me? On curating Group Shows that Give you a Chance to Join the Group Ralph Rugoff, What Makes a Great Exhibition, Ed Paula Marincola, Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage;
A Secret Service, Sally O'Reilly, Art Monthly, May issue;
A Secret Service Peter Suchin, Frieze, issue 107;
Odd unnerving and utterly compelling, Kirsten Smith, The Guardian, January 27
2006
A Secret Service Robert Clark, The Guardian, September 16
2005
Modern Art: A Critical Introduction Pam Meecham & Julie Sheldon, Routledge;
Richard Grayson Gabriel Coxhead, Meta Papers;
Richard Grayson Martin Herbert, Time Out issue 63;
Messiah, Richard Grayson Peter Suchin, Art Monthly, February 2005 issue 28
2004
I am Good at Games Ed Boris Kremer essays by Ihor Holubiziky and Astrid Mania, Planet B Catalogue, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien;
2003
Ways of Saying; Reflections on the recent paintings of Maria Cruz and Richard Grayson Art and Australia, Vol 41, no 1
2002
In your dreams, HQ Magazine, May;
Why the Biennale is a bit of a miracle, Bruce James, Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May;
Fietta Jarque El capital siempre determina a las biendes, El Pais, 16 Feb;
Sydney apre la Biennale: la finzione a di scena, Flash Art (Italy), April/May; 2002 Biennale of Sydney, Simon Rees, Flash Art No 225 July/Sep;
Cuts and thrust, Michael Hutak, The Bulletin 16, April;
A Fabulous Mess, Michael Hutak, The Bulletin, 4 June;
As Good as a Wink, Benjamin Genocchio, The Weekend Australian 25 May; Tate Magazine, Issue 29, Summer;
Biennale of Sydney, Jeff Gibson, Artforum, Autumn;
Fantasic Sydney Biennale, Michael Benton, Art in America, November;
Biennale of Sydney, Sotiis Kyriacou, Contemporary, June;
Fabulous-Biennale, Hannah Fink, Art Monthly (Australia), No. 151
Selected Writing (articles and catalogue essays)
2008
A Number of Disappearances, catalogue essay, Mark Wallinger;
Traceurs To Trace, catalogue essay, Layla Curtis, Chelsea Space, Aargauer Kunsthaus Switzerland;
Door Window Draw, catalogue essay for exhibition of works by Anna Barriball at Gallery Bo Bierggaard, Copenhagen, Denmark;
Lindsay Seers, SMART Papers, SMART Project Space, Amsterdam, Netherlands;
Scary Movie, catalogue essay, Contemporary Art Centre SA, Australia;
Without You This Will Not Happen: (Basement to Locus 1979 to 2007), University of Sunderland Press
2006
Hexen 2039, Suzanne Treister, essay, Black Dog Publishing;
A Secret Service, Hayward Gallery
2005
Mike Nelson: Between a formula and a code, contributors Peter Eleey, Richard Grayson, Ralph Rugoff and Rob Tufnell, Turner Contemporary, Koenig Books
2004
Doubtiful: dans les plis du réel University of Rennes, catalogue essay; Qualified Survivors: A curriculum for artists, ed Paul Boneventura and Steven Farthing, Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, Oxford University
2003
Ideal States James Angus Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, catalogue essay
2002
Grasshopperworlds: The World May Be Fantastic catalogue essay, Sydney Biennale;
Mike Nelson: The Deliverance and the Patience catalogue essay for Peer Trust, 49th Venice Biennale
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