Merlin Carpenter (born 1967) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

visual artist. Writing in

Frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

art critic Katie Sonnenborn stated that a recent exhibition "continued his nuanced critique of the condition of contemporary art-making," and that, "working within the framework of the gallery, he presented a suite of canvases that cast doubt on current systems of cultural reception and consumption."Katie Sonnenborn
"Merlin Carpenter,"

, Issue 97, March 2006

Artistic practice

After graduating from

Saint Martins School of Art Saint Martin's School of Art was an art college in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1854, initially under the aegis of the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. Saint Martin's became part of t ...

in 1989, Carpenter has gone on to exhibit in 29 solo shows, and 48 group shows between 1989 and 2007. Carpenter's paintings can be seen as deeply ambivalent. His style is heavily influenced by artists like

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a hor ...

and

Julian Schnabel Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is an American painter and filmmaker. In the 1980s, he received international attention for his "plate paintings" — with broken ceramic plates set onto large-scale paintings. Since the 1990s, he has been ...

. Carpenter promotes in his paintings what he calls the "de-subjectivation of the brush stroke", and with this is his exploration into what he has called "overdetermined imagery" such as fashion photography. In his art Carpenter also marks out the differences and parallels between art and non-artist luxury items.

The ''Poster Studio''

In 1994 Carpenter set up an experimental art space in London named "Poster Studio" with fellow artists Dan Mitchell and

Nils Norman Nils Norman (born 1966) is an artist living in London. He works across the disciplines of public art, architecture and urban planning. His projects challenge notions of the function of public art and the efficacy of mainstream urban planning and l ...

, among others. Its aim was to produce a critical analysis of the contemporary London art world. The poster studio disbanded in 1996.

Art writing

Carpenter writes articles for the periodical ''Texte zur Kunst'', as well as texts for catalogues and reviews..

Exhibitions

Exhibitions include ''The Opening'', Mitterrand+Sanz/Contemporary Art, Zurich (2007); ''Relax It's Only a Bad Cosima von Bonin Show'', Galerie Bleich-Rossi, Vienna (2007) and ''Sounds of War'', Galerie Edward Mitterrand, Geneva (2005) and ''Ballard in Narnia'' (with Richard Parry). In 2011, Carpenter made an exhibition of paintings at Simon Lee Gallery, titled Tate Café.

External links

Merlin Carpenter

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Merlin 1967 births Living people People from Pembury English contemporary artists