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Almine Rech

Brent Wadden The Decline

Apr 23 — May 24, 2014 | Brussels

Inquire about the exhibition: inquiries@alminerech.com

Brent Wadden takes “The Decline of Western Civilization” as inspiration for “The Decline,” his first exhibition in Brussels’s Almine Rech Gallery. The Canadian-born and Berlin-based artist’s new paintings from his ongoing “Alignment” series embody the counterculture rejectionist spirit documented by Penelope Spheeris for her 1981 chronicle of Los Angeles’s punk scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s.  Spheeris, however, recorded a subculture dedicated to destruction.  By contrast, Wadden’s resistance takes shape through renewal, revision and attention to sustainability.

The punk rock movement and Wadden’s form of anti-consumerist creativity share rejection for immediate, cheap and disposable commodity culture. An often overlooked aspect of the punk aesthetic was a visual emphasis on reusing discarded goods and prolonging the life span of ephemeral material. Wadden weaves tactically rough geometric abstract tapestries constructed from second-hand synthetic and natural textiles. He sources his material from today’s cyber and real world last stop shops, such as eBay, Craigslist and thrift-stores.[…]

Press release

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Selected artworks

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT, 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT, 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    101,8 x 86,4 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    101,8 x 86,4 x 4,4 cm

    Detail

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    101,8 x 71,5 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT, 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT, 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    56,6 x 61,6 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    257,4 x 218 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    218 x 257,4 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    218 x 257,4 x 4,4 cm

    Detail

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    272,3 x 187,8 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    242,7 x 193 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    257,5 x 197,9 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    182,7 x 183,1 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT , 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT , 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    202,9 x 187,6 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT, 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT, 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    207,6 x 188 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT, 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT, 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    207,6 x 187,9 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT, 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT, 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    207,6 x 187,9 x 4,4 cm

  • Brent Wadden,                                      TBT, 2014

    Brent Wadden TBT, 2014

    Handwoven fibers, wool, cotton and acrylic on canvas
    207,6 x 187,9 x 4,4 cm