What inspires your work? 

Inspiration for my work is two-fold. On one side, I am interested in formal qualities such as colour, pattern, scale, texture and the presentation/experiencing of these elements. And on the other side, I am interested in the potential of readymade, everyday familiar items being utilised as or for Art. The introduction of the readymade is crucial because not only does it encourage me to observe objects and scenarios in which the aforementioned formal qualities exist in our everyday lives, it also introduces the subject of Ontology - the philosophical study of being, becoming, or existence - into my practice. Over the last few years, I have gravitated towards universally utilised symbols associated with standardised accident prevention. With a focus on appropriating the visual lexicon of safety markers, including caution stripes and barricade patterns, I engage in varying degrees of material manipulation to create work that utilises reconfiguration as a device to disrupt and expand upon pre-existing modes of existence. The deconstructive/reconstructive nature of my work not only results in a disruption of formal qualities - such as texture, colour, material, and scale - this approach also disturbs body-to-object interactions by altering the intended function of each readymade. In turn, both these elements provide a platform in which the consideration of past, current, and future interactions with the familiar comes into focus. 

Has living in Dallas influenced your work in any way? 

I currently live in a downtown Dallas apartment, and from my windows I can observe pedestrians and traffic as they navigate into and through the city. When I am the pedestrian or a part of traffic, though, I become acutely aware of existing as that which I have observed: my body in a built environment where a multitude of materials are presented side-by-side, some harmonising and some not but all functioning as parts of the whole experience. I believe this input has resulted in the body of work I am currently exploring, work in which perspective, physicality, materiality and components making a whole is at the forefront of generating my ideas. 

What type of advice would you offer young artists in the early stages of their careers? 

Gain as much first-hand experience as you can working for, or with professional artists. These can be local, or further afield. My current position as assistant to Gabriel Dawe began in Denmark 10 years ago. I had just finished my undergraduate degree (University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom) and wanted some “real life” experiences. I contacted artists of interest and offered to be their assistant. Denmark-based Ceramic artist, Christin Johansson offered me 3 months of assistantship with her during prep for a solo show in Stockholm, Sweden. This then led me to assisting Anders Ruhwald for 3 months during his time as artist-in-residence (ceramics department) at Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It was during this time I met my wife, and following a move from the United Kingdom to the United States I gained employment as an art preparator for SCAD Museum of Art. This role saw me assisting a whole host of artists, one of which was Gabriel. That time assisting numerous artists not only became the catalyst for future relationships, it also afforded me the opportunity to observe a multitude of creatives as they prepared for important moments in their careers. This insight is valuable because witnessing the individual creative needs of others, in turn encouraged me to both explore and appreciate my own creative requirements.  

about christopher paul dean

Christopher Paul Dean was born in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. Dean has an undergraduate degree in contemporary applied arts from the University of Hertfordshire (United Kingdom), and a masters degree in sculpture from Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2010, Dean has worked as an artist assistant at Folk Art School, Holbæk, Denmark; Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; artist Bojana Ginn, Atlanta; and United States Consulate, Monterrey, Mexico. Dean currently lives and works in Dallas,Texas, and is lead studio assistant to multimedia artist Gabriel Dawe.

Dean has been featured in various publications including: Artvoices Magazine, Studio Visit, Looking at Painting and 101 Contemporary Artists. Dean has exhibited in numerous cities including: London, New York, Dallas, multiple locations in Georgia. In 2017, Dean showed his work at UNTITLED art fair in Miami Beach.

cpdeanart.com/

@cpdean