His Story - Her Story

22nd June 2011

It’s difficult to define a typical Andrew Cooper work by the way it looks, but the thought behind it and the exceptionally high quality of the execution is a trademark of his practice. Cooper’s explores processes and techniques that can deliver the vision for any particular project, frequently going in new and exciting directions.
In this exhibition Cooper’s adds two new installations: Dis-Location and No-Where, to We Are History, originally shown in New York. He creates multi-stranded stories, imaginary histories and some surprises with his use of blown-up negatives, suspended and projected through glass. To this he adds multiple screens, subverted audio that contradicts the images it accompanies, and even CCTV footage of the audience as they pass through the work.
For We Are History Cooper used old family photographs, found in a biscuit tin. Unclear what, or who the people in the pictures were, he set about creating their stories, leaving space for viewers to add their own imaginary narratives to these hazy personas. The ghostly images, with the accompanying sounds, often from unexpected and disorientating directions, begin to create their own narratives, through the prism of the viewer’s own memories and experience. Cooper is happy for audiences to add their own interpretation as they move through his installations.
This theme of dialogue continues with No-Where, in which the sound contradicts the vision and sets up a conversation between the photographic protagonists and the audience in an increasingly hypnotic to-and-fro of repeated words and layerings of meaning.

Dis-Location is the realisation of Cooper’s ambition to make his work more interactive and to draw the viewer in - for the work to become more complex and simultaneously more basic and visceral. Here, through the use of some techno wizardry (Preva-Lite glass), the screens when activated become opaque as the image appears and then switch to their translucent state, creating ghost images of the viewers and incorporating them into the action.

These works, though seemingly different from each other, seem to be natural stopping off points on a journey as the artist continues to reflect, assess and assimilate the themes, motifs and techniques that he has been developing throughout his career.

Trained at the Royal College of Art, Cooper worked with Eduard Paolozzi, Pentagram Design and EPR Architects before returning to Wales to work from his studio at tactileBosch in Llandaf. Over the years he has received numerous awards and commissions including the University of Glamorgan Purchase Prize and an Arts Council of Wales Creative Wales Award.  He has undertaken many commissions for the public and private sector and was invited to exhibit at the Kingston Sculpture Biennial in New York.

Andrew Cooper has earned a great deal of admiration and respect for his ability to work across many media and processes, to deliver projects that reflect his intensely empathetic take on humanity and the world around him.  

Emma Geliot 2011

Photographs of Andrew Cooper creating the video imagery by Pete Telfer

NEWPORT MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY EXHIBITIONS
PRESS RELEASE

“dis-location”

dis-location: an exhibition of video and installation by Andrew Cooper at Newport Museum and Art Gallery, brings together three works by the Cardiff based artist for his largest and most prestigious exhibition so far.

Multi-media solo exhibition by renowned Cardiff based sculptor Andrew Cooper.  dis-location will premier 3 new works : now-here, we are history and the title piece which is described as “intentionally ambiguous and open to individual interpretation”.  Coopers work for this exhibition takes some “new departures, marking an experimental shift into video and installation” says Andrew.  The work combines visual and auditory elements some of which are activated by the viewer upon entering the space.  Working with a multi disciplinary team of collaborators the artist will implement a radical gallery transformation for dis-location.  It features a number of technical innovations specifically developed to enable Andrew to exploit the creative possibilities in Privalite glass.  He has worked closely with and received support from the French company Saint-Gobain –  manufacturers of Quantum Glass.

Newport Museum and Art Gallery is delighted to be hosting what will be the artists’ largest and most high profile UK solo exhibition to date.   He describes the body of work for this exhibition as his most important so far and so it seems fitting for Andrew to be showing it in a major public space here in his home country of Wales after so many successful international exhibitions.  In recent times Andrew has started to be recognized as a significant British and international artist – for example being awarded a major Creative Wales award from the Arts Council of Wales to develop his practice.  dis-location shows will follow in Dublin and France in 2012.

Andrew Cooper profile

Follow this link to the artists external website.

There will be a preview on Friday 24 June between 6.30 and 8.30pm at Newport Museum and Art Gallery.  The exhibition will be opened by Emma Geliot, deputy editor of Blown magazine.  We extend a warm invitation to all members of the public to attend this opening event.  For all enquiries please call the Museum and Art Gallery on 01633 656656.

The exhibition opens Saturday 25^th June and runs until Saturday 10th September 2011. 

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