Max Dean | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | June 29, 1949
Nationality | Canadian |
Occupation | Artist |
Notable work | The Table: Childhood Robotic Chair |
Max Dean (born June 29, 1949) is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist.[2][3][4]
Dean was born June 29, 1949, in Leeds, England. He immigrated to Canada with his family in 1952,[5] settling in Vancouver.[1]
In the late 1970s and 1980s, Dean did multimedia performances involving his body in conjunction with sound, photography and other media.[6][7][8] Dean`s Telephone Project (1982) was an installation that allowed up to 16 persons to talk on a telephone line.[9]
Since the 1980s, Dean has become known for his installations that use robotics and electronics to achieve artistic effects.[10] His work As Yet Untitled (1992-1995) involves a robotic arm that presents generic family photos to the viewer, who must act to prevent the photo from being immediately shredded.[11][12][13][14] The piece received extensive press and critical coverage[15][16][17][18][19] and was acquired by the Art Gallery of Ontario.[20]
Dean has collaborated extensively with Cornell University professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Raffaello D'Andrea. Between 2003 and 2006[21] they collaborated with Canadian artist Matt Donovan to create the installation work Robotic Chair, a chair that falls apart and puts itself back together again without human intervention.[22][23][24] Dean also collaborated with D'Andrea on the work The Table: Childhood, which was included in the Arsenale section of the 2001 Venice Biennale.[2][25][26]
He is the subject of Katherine Knight's 2021 documentary film Still Max.[27]
Dean's work is included in several museum collections, including the National Gallery of Canada[2] and the Vancouver Art Gallery.[28] His piece As Yet Untitled is part of the permanent collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario.[20]
In 1997, Dean received the Jean A. Chalmers National Visual Arts Award from the Ontario Arts Council.[29] In 2005, Dean received the Gershon Iskowitz prize from the Art Gallery of Ontario.[5][30] In 2014, he was a recipient of the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts.[3]