Max Dean (born June 29, 1949) is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist.
Life
Dean was born June 29, 1949, in Leeds, England. He immigrated to Canada with his family in 1952,
settling in Vancouver.
Work
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Dean did multimedia performances involving his body in conjunction with sound, photography and other media.
Dean`s ''Telephone Project'' (1982) was an installation that allowed up to 16 persons to talk on a telephone line.
Since the 1980s, Dean has become known for his installations that use robotics and electronics to achieve artistic effects.
His work ''As Yet Untitled'' (1992-1995) involves a robotic arm that presents generic family photos to the viewer, who must act to prevent the photo from being immediately shredded.
The piece received extensive press and critical coverage
and was acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Dean has collaborated extensively with
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Raffaello D'Andrea. Between 2003 and 2006
they collaborated with Canadian artist Matt Donovan to create the installation work ''Robotic Chair'', a chair that falls apart and puts itself back together again without human intervention.
Dean also collaborated with D'Andrea on the work ''The Table: Childhood'', which was included in the Arsenale section of the 2001
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
.
He is the subject of
Katherine Knight
Katherine Mary Knight (born 24 October 1955) is an Australian murderer and the first woman in the country's history to be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. She was convicted for the murder of her partner, John Charles Thomas Price, ...
's 2021 documentary film ''
Still Max''.
[Chris Hampton]
"When Max Dean was diagnosed with cancer, he did exactly what he always does: he made art out of it"
CBC Arts
CBC Arts (french: Radio-Canada Arts) is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's div ...
, May 6, 2021.
Collections
Dean's work is included in several museum collections, including the
National Gallery of Canada and the
Vancouver Art Gallery.
His piece ''As Yet Untitled'' is part of the permanent collection of the
Art Gallery of Ontario.
Awards
In 1997, Dean received the Jean A. Chalmers National Visual Arts Award from the
Ontario Arts Council
The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is a publicly-funded Canadian organization in the province of Ontario whose purpose is to foster the creation and production of art for the benefit of all Ontarians. Based in Toronto, OAC was founded in 1963 by On ...
.
In 2005, Dean received the Gershon Iskowitz prize from the
Art Gallery of Ontario.
In 2014, he was a recipient of the
Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts
The Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts are annual awards for achievements in visual and media arts in Canada. Up to eight awards are presented annually with the prize amount is $25,000
Created in 2000 by then Governor General Adrie ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Max
1949 births
Living people
Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners
Artists from Toronto