Matt O'dell
Encyclopedia
Matt O'dell is a British artist
. Born in Bedford, and currently living in London, he graduated from the MA Fine Art course at Goldsmiths College
in 2002.
O'dell's work focuses upon such subjects as disaster sites, conspiracy theories, and religious cults. He constructs miniature versions of specific sites or buildings where significant events have taken place. He uses simple materials with little detailing, creating a distance from the real event, leaving it to the viewer’s own imagination to fill in the missing information, referring to the elusiveness of real understanding in a media saturated environment.
Upon completing a BA Fine Art course at Wimbledon School of Art in 1998, O'dell's work was included in the exhibition Richard Wentworth’s Thinking Aloud at Camden Arts Centre
. In 2000, he was included in the group exhibition A Shot in the Head - Summer Show at Lisson Gallery
. In 2001 he was shortlisted for the 2001 Beck’s Futures 2 - Student Film and Video Prize at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, which toured to Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh; Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, and Sotheby’s, New York.
O'dell was selected for New Contemporaries 2002, which toured to Static, Liverpool and Barbican Gallery, London. He exhibited two works based on aeroplane crash sites, these being the Concorde disaster in France, and the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103
, in Lockerbie, Scotland.
Recent works point towards individuals and groups who, having rejected 'accepted' ideas, have attempted to forge their own belief systems. These groups are notably found at the source of conspiracy theories, or in various sects that propose a new spiritual paradigm.
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. Born in Bedford, and currently living in London, he graduated from the MA Fine Art course at Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
in 2002.
O'dell's work focuses upon such subjects as disaster sites, conspiracy theories, and religious cults. He constructs miniature versions of specific sites or buildings where significant events have taken place. He uses simple materials with little detailing, creating a distance from the real event, leaving it to the viewer’s own imagination to fill in the missing information, referring to the elusiveness of real understanding in a media saturated environment.
Upon completing a BA Fine Art course at Wimbledon School of Art in 1998, O'dell's work was included in the exhibition Richard Wentworth’s Thinking Aloud at Camden Arts Centre
Camden Arts Centre
Camden Arts Centre is a contemporary visual art gallery, dedicated to engaging living artists from across the world. Positioning the artist at the centre of the programme, Camden Arts Centre strives to involve the public in the ideas and work of today's artists.The exhibition and education...
. In 2000, he was included in the group exhibition A Shot in the Head - Summer Show at Lisson Gallery
Lisson Gallery
The Lisson Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in Bell Street, Lisson Grove, London, founded by Nicholas Logsdail in 1967. The gallery represents such artists as Ai Weiwei, John Latham, Sol LeWitt, Robert Mangold, Jonathan Monk, Julian Opie, Richard Wentworth and Turner Prize winners Anish Kapoor...
. In 2001 he was shortlisted for the 2001 Beck’s Futures 2 - Student Film and Video Prize at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, which toured to Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh; Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool; Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, and Sotheby’s, New York.
O'dell was selected for New Contemporaries 2002, which toured to Static, Liverpool and Barbican Gallery, London. He exhibited two works based on aeroplane crash sites, these being the Concorde disaster in France, and the wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103
Pan Am Flight 103 was Pan American World Airways' third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London Heathrow Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport...
, in Lockerbie, Scotland.
Recent works point towards individuals and groups who, having rejected 'accepted' ideas, have attempted to forge their own belief systems. These groups are notably found at the source of conspiracy theories, or in various sects that propose a new spiritual paradigm.