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Sean McGINNIS - Biography
English
Well known in the South West United States for his colorful spiral ceramic sculptures, Sean McGINNIS, on moving to Paris in 1997, came in contact with both new ideas and new materials. The resulting fusion of contemporary art thought, found object, and simple materials produced his latest and most stunning work: his installation/sculptures woven in space with common thread or cord and only held in place by the tension of the multitude of strings.
Working freelance at the dynamic and creative Casey Vidalenc Fashion House in Paris, he discovered string as a creative material, first sewing on clothes, then sewing on his own drawn and photographic work. The strings ended-up flying off the support and began filling rooms. And there, miles and miles of string and hours of labor going up and down ladders later, they form spheres, cones, intersecting wing shapes, or gothic arches, layers upon layers like three dimensional architectural drawings. In mind-boggling intricacy, the straight lines of taut strings sculpt floating forms. The thread is thin enough to not be easily seen, but the mass of repeated lines, though weightless and ephemeral, creates form. The effect is heightened by moving around the various forms, letting their myriad of lines cross and recross in never repeating patterns
Working with the lighting artist, Philippe Guyard, and the sound ambiance creator, Ludolabs, the experience becomes complete. Waves of soft light sweep across the installation merging with the electrically charged sound, that at times forms vague rhythms, at others floats purely abstract.Mr. McGINNIS’ work is the installations of Christo, the delicacy of Andy Goldsworthy, and the architecture of Gaudi all in one.
The artist has a strong preference for transforming "ordinary spaces" and is as comfortable weaving his creations in the pristine space of a modern gallery as he is in everyday living or industrial or outdoor spaces. He even "tags" his work in unused or neglected public spaces, doing impromptu graffiti with colored string, often where few or none will ever see them. The importance is the geste, the act, not the notoriety
He is passionate about using common materials, but doing so in a way that transforms them. Alchemy.
2012
Return to Massif de Sancy - Horizons - Rencontre "Arts Natures," this time in collaboration with artist Edline BIANCO, combing one of her monumental human forms sculpted with wire and suspended in the air by a "Sean" cord installation, above the 20m Queureuilh Falls near the town of Mont Dore. Installation viewable during construction in the beginning of June and after completion, through September.
2011
"Somewhere over the rainbow" was created in place at the Direktornhaus/Johanssen Gallery in Central Berlin. Filling the 30 meter long central corridor of the gallery, it is comprised of five different colored cones, which rake diagnally across the space and intersect with each other. Like five separate installations in one, it ccmbines the moire effect of his earlier work, but doubles and triples it with layering of its many forms. It took three weeks to install with between 3 and 5 assistants from the gallery, plus help from people who saw the work and became interested. Its title is a direct and a metaphoric reference to Mr. McGINNIS' upbrining in Kansas and his later adventures in the land of "OZ" (France? Germany?) and begs the question of what the meaning of home is. It's alternative title came to him in a dream while he was working on it "ad astera per asterum" (to the stars through difficulty) which happens to be the state motto of Kansas, thus adding another dimension to the various invoked imagery.
The year started with the intriguing exhibit entitled "Synergy of Art and Fashion" an exhibit for charity produced by Cara+ Co. of Moscow Russia and presented at the Hotel Meurice in February. In it as the artistic director, Sean used his string structures woven directly onto and in the 19th century architecture of the luxury hotel, to create a dynamic frame that not only supported the pieces animating them into life, but also created a dialog between the sculptural structure and the pieces of clothing (that were treated more as artistic material than they were fashion). The opening was a huge ritzy event and the daring combination of art and fashion were not only raved about but were also well covered in the press. A refreshing new look at the line between fashion and art.
2010
was dominated by the installation "cathedral" for the major landart venue of "Horizons - rencontres arts - nature " in the volcantic mountains of Cenral France, in the town of la Bourboule. An arch transcept of 9 meters high, 15 meters long and 7,5 meters wide was built using the framework of an ancient beechwood forest. The nef of the cathedral followed the mountain path and the visitor entered into/under the form. Although made of thick orange rope, the overall effect was faeric and fine like gothic tracery. It was in place for the entire summer and won the press award for their favorite piece in the exhibit. It was covered by several major news organisations.
2009
His monumental installations, "Crépuscule," for the Green Box Arts Festival in Green Mountain Falls, Colorado, USA and "Maelstrom" at the Hays Arts Center, Hays, Kansas, USA, were epic events. The Colorado piece created outdoors entirely in situ measured 26 feet (8m) in diameter with a supporting structure measuring 45 feet high (15m). It took three weeks, eight assistants and two cherry pickers to accomplish and it floats like magic in a clearing of pines:
a mandala, a fairie fire, a setting sun, an enormous dream catcher.The Kansas piece claimed a different and no less dramatic turn, by converting an entire gallery space into theatre. The huge whale-shape/cornucopia hung like a science specimen in a palpable almost aquatic light cast only from the overhead skylight. The room was painted entirely black, including the floor which allowed the walls to disappear and the form created its own space and proportions.
He ended the year at the MAC Paris New Talent exhibit. His second year being selected for this well known professional exhibit in Paris.
2008
The installation "Passage" at the Espace Culturel André Malraux in greater Paris was a breakthrough experience. Not only the largest endeavor up until then (12x5x5 mètres / 40x16x16 feet and 5 kms of string), but also poetic in its minutely repeated fineness. A contrast of overwhelming detail and spiderweb intricacy, a Herculean task. Those who saw it, from children to retired technicians, had their mouths wide open in awe and felt not only uplifted, but transported.
Sean was also selected show his work at the prestigeous MAC Paris (Manifestation d'art contemporain - découvreur de nouveau talent) new talent showcase in November.
2005
An important show at the Joyce Gallery (of Fashion and Art) in Palais Royal, Paris 2005, lead to several major private commissions and subsequent expositions in Paris
McGINNIS grew-up in the "Big Sky" country on the plains of Kansas. Both his parents are artists; his father, Darrell McGINNIS, a long-time and well respected ceramic sculptor and professor. Sean was painting and drawing at an early age and has a life long passion for minute labor-intensive creations. As a child and as an adolescent, he spent hours creating imaginary worlds and miniature alter-realities.
In 1987, he earned both a Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in Ceramic Sculpture and a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Art History from Fort Hays State University in Kansas, and a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in Ceramic Sculpture from The University of Arizona in 1989. His early sculptural work either tested the limits of material/technical skill or played with glimpses of alter-imagined-worlds. The spiral recurs in his work, which often draws from universal and simple geometric forms. A particularly memorable "installation" of clay, in Tucson, Arizona, at the avant-garde 830 Gallery, used raw wet clay, that had to be kept moist during the run of the show.
His master thesis work involved digging into the desert, creating archeological-like "rooms" and using the resulting clay-like material to build adobe walls around the subterranean space.
What ever the medium, there is always an element of performance, an extreme physicality, a use of "common" materials, enormous patience, and references to other worlds, perceptions or different size scales in his work.
He is destined to be seen weaving his mandalic spells in the Pompidou Centre, in Paris, in Bilbao, or in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. And we, who follow his work, are awaiting his next creation with bated breath.
You can keep up with his latest explorations at www.mcginnis.fr
or on his blog at : mcginnisfr
Samuel Angeson,
Galerie Nomade, Paris