JONATHAN ALLEN
Jonathan
Allen CV
Born 1966, UK
Jonathan
Allen is a London-based artist and writer whose variform practice
has featured in many exhibitions and publications in the UK and internationally
since the early 1990’s. Allen's work addresses the figuring of agency, the facticity of the image, and most recently the
various magics at play within secular modernity. His current interests
include camouflage trees, public libraries, para-diplomacy,
the poetics the
crazy golf, and the recent terratorialization of Southern Spain by the
Smurfs.
He is currently a researcher at the Contemporary Art Research Centre,
Kingston University London.
Education
1988-89
MA Fine Art, Chelsea School of Art, London
1985-88 BA Fine Art, Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham
Solo
Exhibitions
2007-8 Kalanag David Risley Gallery, London, UK
2006 Tommy Angel David Risley Gallery, London, UK
1998 Feint Deutsche Bank Lobby Gallery, New York, USA
1998 Second Truths Site Gallery Sheffield, UK
1997 The Float in the Sight of Things, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull,
UK
1993 Hot Air Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield, UK
1991 Landscapes of Risk Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield, UK
Selected
Group Exhibitions
2013
The Great Bamboozle, Camden Art Centre, fundraiser >
Drawing 2013 - The Drawing Room, London >
2012
Accidental Purpose Quad, Derby
Adventureland Golf, Nova Arts Festival, Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool
>
The Ancient Order of Illusion, Banner Repeater, London
2011
The Anti-Library Space Studios, London, curated by Paul Pieroni
A Future Pump House, Pump House Gallery, London
Outrageous Fortune Hayward Gallery Touring exhibition, FocalPoint
Gallery, curated by Andrew Hunt >
Drawing 2011 - The Drawing Room, London >
2010
Magic Show - Hayward Touring Exhibition [various UK venues] artist
and co-curator >
Party - group exhibition, New Art Gallery Walsall, Walsall
The Big Rip-Off Camden Art Centre, London, with Scott Penrose
[curated by Sally O’Reilly]
>
2009
Wunderkammer with Sirene Opern Theater, curated by Brigitte Felderer
, Vienna, Austria
Shortness - A very short conference and a very long dinner, Tate
Modern Symposia
Drawing 2009 - The Drawing Room, London >
2008
The Great Transformation - Art & Tactical Magic,
Frankfurter Kunstverein, Germany, & MARCO, Spain >
The Director’s Apartment British School at Rome >
2007
Bobby Reader performance for Implicasphere, Cornerhouse, Manchester,
UK
Citadel FrontRoom: Killing Room, David Risley Gallery, UK >
Harry Smith Anthology Remixed Alt Gallery, Newcastle,
UK
Dictionary of War, Sophiensaele, Berlin, Germany
/seconds issue 4, www.slashseconds.org
Drawing 2007 The Drawing Room, London
2006
1st Singapore Biennale exhibition and performance, Singapore
Scarecrow Averoff-Evangelos Museum, Metsova, Greece
Tommy Angel performance, for ‘Keep the Faith’, Tate
Britain, London, UK
Smoke and Mirrors macarts & VIVID, Birmingham, UK
Circus group exhibition, Three Colts Gallery, London, UK
Archive in the Making International Festival, Van Abbe Museum,
Eindhoven
Objects in Waiting group exhibition, End Gallery Sheffield
2005
Variety De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, UK >
So You’re Afraid Of What? Centrefold, Redux Gallery, London,
UK
Tommy Angel performance, for Alias Encounters, Woodchester Mansion,
Gloucs.
Tommy Angel performance for Duckie, Vauxhall Tavern, London
2004
Non-Human David Risley Gallery, group exhibition, London, UK
Mesmer group exhibition, temporarycontemporary, London, UK
Tommy Angel performance [in assoc with Hayward Gallery for ‘Eyes,
Lies, & Illusions’] London, UK
2002
Con Art Site Gallery, Sheffield, Glynn Vivian Gallery, UK
A Night of Performance Magic Lantern Theatre, Sheffield, UK
1998
Quirk Serge Sorokko Gallery New York, USA
1988
Inside/Outside, Nottinghham Castle Museum
>
Selected Writing
2013 Where No Trickery Abounds, Cabinet iss. 49[forthcoming]
2013 All Done For Kindness, commissioned text for The Magic of the State, Lisson Gallery, London & Beirut Gallery, Cairo
2013 Animalisms File Note #77[Serena Korda]Camden
Art Centre
2013 Jubrique ♥ Cabinet, Cabinet issue 48: TREES
2013 Song of the Open Road at 132 centimeters, Aarchitecture issue 18, Architectural Association.
2013 Strategic Arborealism Cabinet issue 48: TREES
2012
Curiosity & Method:Ten Years of Cabinet, contributor >
2012 23 Components for a Book RCA London, contributor >
2012 Pitufo Blues Cabinet Magazine, NY issue 45: 24 HOURS
2011 Fishli & Weiss, Microtate - Tate Etc magazine
2010 Pop Art Cabinet Magazine, NY, issue 38: BUBBLES
2009 From Bosch to Blackpool catalogue essay, Magic Show,
Hayward Gallery Touring show [co-curator]
2009 Mark of Integrity Cabinet issue 33: DECEPTION
2008 MADE UP Liverpool Biennial International 08 exhibition,
catalogue essay
2008 The Great Transformation - Art & Tactical Magic, Franfurter
Kunstverein, Germany, catalogue essay
2007 Deceptionists at War Cabinet issue 26: MAGIC
[guest-editor] >
Look Stupid Festival Steirischer Herbst catalogue, Graz, Austria
Dictionary of War [Worterbuch des Krieges], Merve Verlag Berlin (2008)
2006 Sleight of Light Cabinet issue 24: SHADOWS
2004 Gospel Magic Contemporary Magazine, October issue 68
1998 The Bristol Art Library Annabel Other, catalogue essay
1993 Artefacts of Time Andrew Sneddon, catalogue essay
Curatorial | Editorial
2009/10 Magic Show - Hayward Touring Exhibition [five UK venues]
co-curator with Sally O’Reilly >
2007 Cabinet magazine, NY issue 26: MAGIC, guest-editor >
2008-present Associate curator, Magic Circle Museum, London
2002 Con Art Site Gallery, Sheffield & Glyn Vivian, Swansea,
project initiator and curatorial contributor
Residencies and Awards
2012-2015 AHRC Research Grant, Contemporary Art Research Centre, Kingston
University
2007-8 Arts Council England Helen Chadwick Fellowship at Oxford University
and the British School at Rome
2004/5/6 Arts Council England Individual Artists Award
2004 Artsadmin Research Bursary
1999-09 Oppenheim-John Downes Memorial Trust Grant
1998 Photo98 Year of Photography & Electronic Image Award
1995 Elephant Trust Award
1991-93 Henry Moore Fellowship
www.jonathanallen.info
