CHRISTIAN MIEVESEROSION

Christian MievesRecent Paintings 2003-2012Christian Mieves is an artist and academic based in the North East of England. He co-organized the 2009 Revisiting the Beach conference at Newcastle University (http://conferences.ncl.ac.uk/beachconference/). He holds a Ph.D. in Fine Art and an MFA from Newcastle University (UK), both funded by the AHRC (Arts and Human-ities ResearchCouncil). His paintings have been shown at exhibitions in Germany, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom. He has written on issues of exoticism, cannibalism, heterotopias and the beach in the work of Dana Schutz and the trope of fragmentation in Luc Tuymans.

For more information please visit: http://www.mieves.info/

Recent Exhibitions (Selection)2013 Galerie der Stadt Mainz, Mainz, Germany (Solo, forthcoming).2012 St Cuthbert’s Society, Durham University, 16 Nov-15 Dec 2012 (Solo).2012 Duckett & Jeffreys Gallery, 02 Nov - 24 Nov 2012 (Solo). 2011 Constantine Gallery, Middlesbrough, 10 Nov-16 Dec 2011 (Solo). 2010 Xunta de Galicia, Lugo, Spain, Sept 2010 (Solo).2010 Myles Meehan Gallery, Darlington, UK, 4 June-30 July 2010 (Solo). 2009 South Square Gallery, Bradford, UK, 7-29 Nov 2009 (Solo).2009 Ex-Libris Gallery, Newcastle University, UK, 3-17 July 2009.2009 Long Gallery, Newcastle University, UK, 28 April-4 May 2009 (Solo).2008 Claustro de Sor Juana, Mexico City, Mexico, 3-29 March 2008 (Solo).2008 ArtSway, Sway, UK, 6 Dec 2008 - 15 Feb 2009.2008 Phoenix Gallery, Exeter, UK, 18 Sept-5 Nov 2008.2008 University Gallery, Northumbria University, UK, Newcastle, 30 Aug-13 Sept 2008.2008 Lloyd Gill Gallery, Weston-Super-Mare, UK, 25 Jan-22 Feb 2008.2007 St Aidan’s College, Durham University, Durham, UK, 26 Nov-16 Dec 2007 (Solo).2007 Red Wire, Liverpool, UK, 17 Nov-30 Nov 2007.2006 The Gallery, Gateshead, UK, edddd14 July-25 Aug 2006 (Solo).2005 Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, UK, 2-18 Sept 2005.2004 School of Architecture, Newcastle University, UK, May 2004 (Solo) 2003 Kunstverein Walpodenstrasse, Mainz, Germany, Sept 2003. (Solo).2001 Kunstverein (Artist Association) Dreieich, Frankfurt, Germany, May 2001.2000 Kunstverein Eisenturm (Artist Association), Mainz, Germany, Jan 2000.

Contact:Christian Mievese-mail mievi@gmx.deWebsite http://www.mieves.info

National Geographies (2003-7)

The series of works in this section deals with a range of issues reflected across my work more broadly: the depiction of exotic other-spaces; the function of the beholder in relation to exotic space; critical revaluation of constructions of otherness. The paint-ings, mostly on wood panels, are inspired by photographs from National Geographic magazine. A structural constant across this group of paintings is the positioning of two figures in different spaces or landscapes, standing as proxies for the beholder(s) of the paintings.

Cover: Mother and son, 2012, oil on canvas, 35 x 24 cmp. 3: Play 1, 2011, oil on board, 25,5 x 19 cmp. 5: Pekah, 2005, gloss on panel, 100 x 110 cm

Left: Untitled, 2005, gloss on panel, 50 x 70 cmSchoolboys 2, 2005, gloss on panel, 50 x 70 cm

Schoolboys, 2004, gloss on panel, 120 x 240 cm

Más Dramas(2007-8)

This section explores the ambiguity of the site of the beach. Paintings such as más dramas (2008) or Shipwreck (2008) ex-plore the ambiguous and often contradic-tory meanings of the beach, weakening the boundaries between individuals and objects. Source material for paintings in this sec-tion includes holiday brochures, newspaper cut-outs and movie stills. The often contra-dictory meanings of these images, worked through in my paintings, point not only to diverse and conflicted interpretations of the beach, but also to the beach as a place where oppositional processes (for example, depositing and eroding) can be represented.

Previous page: Maheno, 2008, oil on canvas, 30 x 45 cm

más dramas, 2008, oil on aluminium, 21 x 29 cm

previous page: Shipwreck 3, 2008, oil on canvas, 30 x 45 cm

left:Kauai, 2008, oil on canvas, 30 x 45 cm

Shipwreck, 2008, oil on canvas, 195 x 160 cm

next page:Shipwreck 4, 2008, oil on canvas, 30 x 45 cm

grumi di merci (2008-10)

The body of work in this section explores some of the ways in which it becomes pos-sible to create after devastating destruction. Paintings such as grumi di merci 1 (2008) and grumi di merci 2 (2008) deal with as-pects of the beach in relation to its ephem-eral character of creation and destruction. I show how categories such as creation/de-struction can become conflated or confused. Since creation is by definition an essential part of the artistic work, the artworks and the materials used in this group (ceramic tiles, that can be re-arranged) question not only the extent to which it is possible to critique creativity from within the artistic process, but also ask to what extent destruc-tion is a necessary part of the creative pro-cess. I was also interested here in interrogating how the beach (in relation to narratives such as Robinson Crusoe, for example) can serve as a model for disturbing the creation/destruction relation.

left:grumi di merci 1, 2008, oil on ceramic tiles, 195 x 90 cm

grumi di merci 2, 2008, oil on ceramic tiles, 195 x 90 cm

left: Shore 2, 2011, oil on canvas, 30 x 45 cm

Más dramas 2, 2010, oil on canvas, 120 x 250 cm

Break 2,2011, oil on board, 38 x 30 cm.

Erosion2010-2012

In his most recent work Christian Mieves focuses on the idea of erosion more broad-ly, extending the scope onto city environs, art historical images and found, arbitrary objects. In his paintings the idea of shifting and depositing of pigments and image-frag-ments becomes a key concern. This allows him to explore the conceptual resonances of some of his earlier work and to develop a new trajectory for his artistic practice. For the purposes of this project, erosion is defined as that set of processes by which surfaces are worn, thinned or marked. It will be observed both on a formal ‘paint-erly’ level (the breaking up of the image surface), and more broadly in the decaying or disappearance of the object.

Woman, 2012, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm

Mother and son, 2012, oil on canvas, 35 x 24 cm

left: Messenger, 2012, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 cm

Kinder 1, 2011, oil on board, 19 x 25,5 cm

Group 1, 2011, oil on board, 19 x 25,5 cm

Object 1, 2011, oil on board, 19 x 25,5 cm

Christian MievesErosion

(2003-2012)

Contact:Christian MievesTelephone 0191 209 19 35Mobile 07979 55 73 70e-mail mievi@gmx.deWebsite http://www.mieves.info