Marking his first commissioned installation for an exterior site in London, Matt Franks, never shy of Bernini-like Baroque theatricality and dramatic comic-book humour, has created a sculpture of a giant white explosive cloud with smoke puffs bursting from its core.
Measuring 3 x 3.5m, "Fooooom!!! 2007" will dominate the Economist Plaza with playful bravado. Heralding a new development for Franks, who has until now primarily created indoor sculptures carved from Styrofoam, "Fooooom!!! 2007" has been reinforced with polymer plaster. Coated with a slick glistening finish of interference (car) paint, the cloud shimmers as it catches the light, enhancing its sugary kitsch quality reminiscent of fairground rides and carnival props.
Matts Franks' explains:
"I have intended to use the absurdity and playfulness of the imagery of the sculpture to reverberate against the relatively austere and colourless surroundings. "Fooooom!!! 2007" parodies and gently ridicules the notion of public sculpture whilst at the same time reaffirming the role of sculptures in public life and space. Braving the urban environment, the cloud echoes the transcendence and transience of city life and new ideas. It hints at the hidden anxieties of our inner dreams, fantasies and fears as we proceed with the mundane business of our daily lives. Within the context of the Economist Plaza, the cloud expresses a moment of inspiration and self-knowledge - a 'brainstorm'."
After graduating from Goldsmith's College with an MA Fine Art in 2000, British artist Matt Franks enjoyed early success with a solo show at Tate Britain's "Art Now" space (2002). Recent international touring exhibitions in 2006 include "Metropolis Rise: New Art from London", 2006 (Shanghai and Beijing) and "8x8x8, The Soap Factory Minneapolis (Minneapolis, London and New York), curated by Andréa Stanislav, Isha B??hling, and Patirica Healy McMeans. Matt Franks is represented by Houldsworth Gallery, London
For further information on The Economist Plaza exhibitions programme please visit:
www.contempart.org.uk/economist/index.htm
or contact Nour Wali, Projects Curator at the Contemporary Art Society, on 020 7831 1243 / nour@contempart.org.uk
For further information on Matt Franks please contact David Harris or Pippy Houldsworth at Houldsworth Gallery on 020 8969 6166 or gallery@houldsworth.co.uk
