Adel Abdessemed
Encyclopedia
Adel Abdessemed is a conceptual artist who lives and works in Paris
, France. He is represented by David Zwirner
, New York and Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv
.
Abdessemed attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Algiers
, Algeria
from 1987 to 1994. Due to political unrest in Algeria, he moved to Lyon
, France
in 1994. He continued his fine arts education at the École des Beaux-Arts
in Lyon, before completing his studies in Paris
, France in 2000. The following year, he enrolled at the International Studio Program at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in New York.
, New York (2009), Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg, Germany (2009), Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy (2009), MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2008), The Common Guild, Glasgow, Scotland (2008), Magasin-Centre National d’ Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France (2008), San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California (2008), P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York (2007), Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2006 and 2007), Liberia Borges Institute for Contemporary Art, Guangzhou, China (2007), La Criée centre d’art contemporain, Rennes, France (2006), Fonds régional d'art contemporain d'Île-de-France-Le Plateau, Paris, France (2006), Fondation Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Genéve, Geneva, Switzerland (2004), and Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland (2001).
He will be included in group exhibitions at the Kunstmuseum Luzern, Lucerne, Switzerland and the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia in 2010. His work has been shown internationally in group exhibitions at prominent venues including Musée Maillol, Paris, France (2010), Académie de France à Rome, Rome, Italy (2010), BAIBAKOV art projects, Moscow, Russia (2010),The Studio Museum in Harlem
, New York (2008 and 2009), The Power Plant
, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (2009), Centre Georges Pompidou
, Paris, France (2008) as well as at various biennials including the Havana Biennial
(2009), the Arts in Marrakech International Biennale
(2009), the Venice Biennale
(2003 and 2007), the Lyon Biennial (2007), the Istanbul Biennial
(2007), and the São Paulo Biennial (2006).
Abdessemed is criticized by animal rights activists who say the animal cruelty depicted in his artwork has been inflicted for the sake of the exhibits. His video "Usine" shows video of pit bulls, roosters and other animals trapped in a pen ripping each other apart. His media exhibit "Don't Trust Me," which was supposed to be viewed at the San Francisco Art Institute, shows horses and other animals as they are slaughtered for consumption in Mexico. Protests and death threats caused the exhibit to be cancelled 5 days after opening day.
Addessemed's artwork was a principal factor in the creation of the Humanitarian Art Ordinance, written by a San Francisco attorney Christine Garcia and passed in March 2009 by the Greater Valley Glen Council in Southern California. The motion was subsequently referred to the Los Angeles City Council for further consideration. The ordinance says artwork should be deemed illegal when the artist has caused, created or contributed to the crime of animal abuse for the purpose of his or her creation of the media or exhibit.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France. He is represented by David Zwirner
David Zwirner
David Zwirner is a gallerist and art dealer and owner of the David Zwirner Gallery in New York City. In 2010 Zwirner was listed at number four in the ArtReview annual "Power 100" list.-Early Life:...
, New York and Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
Abdessemed attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
from 1987 to 1994. Due to political unrest in Algeria, he moved to Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1994. He continued his fine arts education at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Lyon, before completing his studies in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France in 2000. The following year, he enrolled at the International Studio Program at the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in New York.
Work
Within a wide range of media (drawing, video, photography, performance, and installation), Abdessemed transforms everyday materials and images into unexpected, charged, and sometimes shocking artistic declarations. He pulls freely from myriad sources- personal, social, and political- to create a visual language that is simultaneously rich and economical, sensitive and controversial, radical and mundane. Many situations created by Abdessemed are based on singular and deliberate actions, or, as he calls them, acts, which are testified, more than documented, with videos and photographs, and are often later juxtaposed with a sculptural remainder from the action itself.Exhibitions
Abdessemed is the subject of a solo exhibition at the Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art, London, England in the fall of 2010. Other major solo exhibitions include David ZwirnerDavid Zwirner
David Zwirner is a gallerist and art dealer and owner of the David Zwirner Gallery in New York City. In 2010 Zwirner was listed at number four in the ArtReview annual "Power 100" list.-Early Life:...
, New York (2009), Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg, Germany (2009), Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy (2009), MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2008), The Common Guild, Glasgow, Scotland (2008), Magasin-Centre National d’ Art Contemporain, Grenoble, France (2008), San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, California (2008), P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York (2007), Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel (2006 and 2007), Liberia Borges Institute for Contemporary Art, Guangzhou, China (2007), La Criée centre d’art contemporain, Rennes, France (2006), Fonds régional d'art contemporain d'Île-de-France-Le Plateau, Paris, France (2006), Fondation Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Genéve, Geneva, Switzerland (2004), and Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland (2001).
He will be included in group exhibitions at the Kunstmuseum Luzern, Lucerne, Switzerland and the Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia in 2010. His work has been shown internationally in group exhibitions at prominent venues including Musée Maillol, Paris, France (2010), Académie de France à Rome, Rome, Italy (2010), BAIBAKOV art projects, Moscow, Russia (2010),The Studio Museum in Harlem
Studio Museum in Harlem
The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American contemporary art museum in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, New York. It was founded in 1968 as the first such museum in the U.S. devoted to the art of African-Americans, specializing in 19th and 20th century work as well work of artists of...
, New York (2008 and 2009), The Power Plant
The Power Plant
The Power Plant is one of Canada’s leading public galleries devoted to contemporary art, located in Toronto, Ontario at Harbourfront Centre. As a non-collecting art gallery, The Power Plant has presented new and recent work by numerous Canadian artists along with their international peers.Over its...
, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (2009), Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais...
, Paris, France (2008) as well as at various biennials including the Havana Biennial
Havana biennial
The Havana Biennial Art Exhibition takes place in Havana every two years, and principally aims at promoting the « Third World » contemporary art...
(2009), the Arts in Marrakech International Biennale
Arts in Marrakech Festival
The AiM International Biennale first took place in September 2005 It was set up by Vanessa Branson and Abel Damoussi. It is the first major Trilingual festival in North Africa.. It focuses on cutting-edge contemporary Visual art, Literature and Film...
(2009), the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
(2003 and 2007), the Lyon Biennial (2007), the Istanbul Biennial
Istanbul Biennial
The International Istanbul Biennial is a contemporary art exhibition, held every two years in Istanbul, Turkey, since 1987. The biennial is organised by the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. The Biennial aims to create a meeting point in İstanbul in the field of visual arts between artists...
(2007), and the São Paulo Biennial (2006).
Abdessemed is criticized by animal rights activists who say the animal cruelty depicted in his artwork has been inflicted for the sake of the exhibits. His video "Usine" shows video of pit bulls, roosters and other animals trapped in a pen ripping each other apart. His media exhibit "Don't Trust Me," which was supposed to be viewed at the San Francisco Art Institute, shows horses and other animals as they are slaughtered for consumption in Mexico. Protests and death threats caused the exhibit to be cancelled 5 days after opening day.
Addessemed's artwork was a principal factor in the creation of the Humanitarian Art Ordinance, written by a San Francisco attorney Christine Garcia and passed in March 2009 by the Greater Valley Glen Council in Southern California. The motion was subsequently referred to the Los Angeles City Council for further consideration. The ordinance says artwork should be deemed illegal when the artist has caused, created or contributed to the crime of animal abuse for the purpose of his or her creation of the media or exhibit.
External links
- Adel Abdessemed at David Zwirner
- Selected Press at David Zwirner
- Adel Abdessemed at Dvir Gallery
- Adel Abdessemed on Artnet
- Saltz: Adel Abdessemed's Fighting-Animal Video Sparks Art-World Uproar
- Animal Spirits by Ben Davis
- Humanitarian Art Ordinance as passed by the Greater Valley Glen Council
- Adel Abdessemed: Situation and Practice at MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, Winter 2008-2009
- Situation and Practice exhibition catalogue published by MIT
- Boston Globe review of Abdessemed's Situation and Practice, 2008
- Adel Abdessemed: Dead or Alive at PS1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, Winter 2007-2008
- Dead or Alive exhibition catalogue published by PS1
- Abdessemed at 52nd Venice Biennale, 2007
- Adel Abdessemed: Dead or Alive, The New York Times
- Show's cancellation a rare case of artists advocating censorship San Francisco Chronicle
- Animal Rights Activists Fail to Close Italian Art Exhibition The Art Newspaper
- Exhibition review of Adel Abdessemed: RIO at David Zwirner, New York Artnet Magazine review by Ben Davis
- Exhibition review of Adel Abdessemed: RIO at David Zwirner, New York The New York
- http://www.fundacionnmac.org/english/coleccion.php?id=103 [Adel Abdessemed at NMAC Foundation_Cádiz_Spain]
- Adel Abdessemed