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Dans ma pratique de l’art, l’in-tention est importante mais j’use aussi d’un certain bricolage scien- tifique. Tout mon travail concerne la transformation et la manipula-tion de matériaux traditionnels, ainsi que l’exploration de maté-riaux non traditionnels. mon tra-vail tente à la fois de mettre en parallèle la notion d’accident et de contrôle afin de donner une permanence à l’éphémère.

Smoke Screens

Le principe de Smoke Screens consiste à créer des images en captant de la fumée sur papier, en guise de preuve de la transfor-mation et de la préservation de l’éphémère. Le mouvement de la fumée est encouragé et découra-gé à la fois avant de se fixer en un état final. Lors de ce processus, je brûle des fiches de présenta-tion de cours d’histoire de l’art et des fiches de mon œuvre, impré-gnant ainsi chaque image d’une histoire à la fois riche et person-nelle.

The Struggles

The Struggles sont les débris d’animaux en peluche qui restent après que ceux-ci aient été four-

rés de porcelaine et mis au four. Ils incarnent l’action de créma-tion, de préservation, et de trans-formation du sujet, du concept et du matériel. Le titre, The Struggles, rappelle une marque commer-ciale familière et réfère au par-cours de l’œuvre depuis un objet trouvé jusqu’à son existence en temps qu’œuvre d’art. “Struggle”, qui signifie ’’lutte’’, évoque l’histoire nostalgique de l’animal en peluche. Ultimement, son passé doit être mis de côté afin d’accepter son nouvel état de fusion avec la porcelaine. La porcelaine est une substance froide, dure mais fragile à la fois. C’est un matériau qui suggère l’élégance et la préciosité. Sa manipulation étant déconseillée, son exposition sur un piédestal évoque de nouvelles narrations au-delà des souvenirs de l’en-fance. Dans The Struggles les animaux apparaissent souvent en train d’imiter d’autres animaux. Ironi-quement, un animal qui apparait en tant que lui-même dans ce contexte contribue au question-nement de son identité et de son motif.

In my practice, making art is as much about directing intent as it is about scientific tinkering. All of my diverse work is linked by the transformation and manipu-lation of traditional materials and the exploration of non-traditional ones. The loss of an original and the use of elaborate processes are inherent to the creation of the smokes, paintings, and porcelain series. The work intends to both balance accident with control and give permanence to the ephemeral.

Smoke Screens

Smoke screens consist of images that are created by capturing smoke on paper as evidence of a transformation and preservation of the ephemeral. The smoke’s inherent flow is encouraged and discouraged before committing it to it’s final fixed state. During the process, 35mm slides from art history courses and slides of my artwork are burned infusing each image with a broad and personal history.

The Struggles

The Struggles are the remnants of stuffed animals after being in-

fused with porcelain slip and fired. They embody the acts of crema-tion, preservation, and transfor-mation in subject, concept, and material. The name, Struggles, sounds like a familiar brand name and references the stuffed ani-mal’s path from found object to art object.

As a Struggle, the stuffed ani-mal’s nostalgic history is at once referenced and confronted. Ulti-mately its past must be set aside in order to accept its new state as a porcelain Struggle. Porcelain is a cold, hard, and fragile material that suggests elegance and pre-ciousness. While handling is for-bidden, placing it on a pedestal evokes new narratives beyond childhood memories.

In the Struggles, animals appear whole or in part, often presented impersonating other animals or employing guises. Ironically, an animal appearing as itself in this context contributes to the ques-tioning of its identity and motive.

robtarbell

2Galerie mx - 333 Viger O. montréal H2Z 0A1 - 514.315.8900 - art@galeriemx.com

Expositions individuEllEs / solos Exhibitions

2012 Bird-Like Things and Things Like Trees, Les Yeux du monde, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2011 Vitreous Humor, Krause Gallery, New York (États-Unis)

2010 Follies of the Wise, Hunt Gallery, mary Baldwin College, Staunton (États-Unis)

2010 Ride, Reynolds Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2010 Heads or Tails, The Art Registry Group, Washington (États-Unis)

2009 Meet the Struggles & Smoke Rings, Decorazon Gallery, Dallas (États-Unis)

2009 Diagnostics, Smoyer Gallery, Roanoke College, Roanoke (États-Unis)

2009 Smoke Rings, Gallery Imperato, Baltimore (États-Unis)

2009 New Work, Krause Gallery, Atlanta (États-Unis)

2009 Rosewood Gallery, Kettering (États-Unis)

2008 No Mirrors, Les Yeux du monde, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2008 The Struggles Play Nice, Second Street Gallery, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2007 New Struggles, ADA Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2007 Replacements, Art6 Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2006 Birding, North Gallery, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2005 Freefalling, Kirsten Bowen Gallery, Columbus (États-Unis)

2004 Bird by Bird by Bird, Gallery 111, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

Expositions collEctivEs / Group Exhibitions

2012 Deviations From Comfort, National Council for Education of Ceramic Arts, Seattle Design Center, Seattle (États-Unis)

2011 Let There Be Light, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2011 Affordable Art Fair London Battersea, Londres (Angleterre)

2011 Black & White, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco (États-Unis)

2011 Anniversary Show, Krause Gallery, New York (États-Unis)

2011 New Waves, Contemporary Art Center of Virginia, Virginia Beach (États-Unis)

2010 Fire Works, Hunterdon Art museum, Clinton (États-Unis)

2010 Affordable Art Fair, New York (États-Unis)

2010 Medium & Mystery, Les Yeux du monde, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2010 Isolation, Hemphill - Carrol Square Gallery, Washington (États-Unis)

2010 In the Beginning, Chroma Projects, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2009 Art of Play, Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Francisco, California (États-Unis)

2009 Aqua Art miami, Krause Gallery & Les Yeux du monde, miami (États-Unis)

2009 Creatures Great & Small, Eagle Art Gallery, murray State University, murray (États-Unis)

2009 Sweet Summertime, Reynolds Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2009 Affordable Art Fair, New York (États-Unis)

2009 Juried Exhibition, Brenda Taylor Gallery, New York (États-Unis)

2008 Washington Project for the Arts Art Auction, The Katzen Center for the Arts at American University, Washington (États-Unis)

2008 Black & White, Krause Gallery, Atlanta (États-Unis)

2008 Biennial 2008, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News (États-Unis)

2008 Small Works, Krause Gallery, Atlanta (États-Unis)

2008 International Exhibitions at xian, Lian Bao Lou Gallery, Bejing (Chine)

2008 Art Registry 2008, Chase Contemporary Art, Washington (États-Unis)

2008 17th San Angelo National Ceramics Competition, Washington (États-Unis)

2008 Interrogating Beauty, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington (États-Unis)

2008 Zelli Porcelain Award, Zelli Porcelain, Londres (Angleterre)

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Expositions collEctivEs / Group Exhibitions (suite)

2007 Salon Selectives 2, ADA Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2008 Extremely Superficial, Dangenart Gallery, Nashville (États-Unis)

2008 Let There Be Light, Piedmont Virginia Community College, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2008 Yongsanh International Art Exhibition, Daegu Cultural Arts Center, Daegu (Corée du Sud)

2008 Loyola National Works on Paper, Crown Center Gallery, Loyola University, Chicago (États-Unis)

2008 Emerging & Established, Les Yeux du monde, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2008 Yongsanh International Art Exhibition, Chungpah Gallery, Sook myung University, Seoul City (Corée)

2008 Artificum of Humanitas, Traveling Exhibition: Shang-Shang Gallery, Bejing, China; Seoul Hae-Tae Gallery, Seoul (Corée)

2008 Anonymous III, Washington Project for the Arts, Flashpoint Gallery, Washington (États-Unis)

2008 Radius 250, Artspace Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2008 31st Bradley International Print & Drawing Exhibition, Bradley University Gallery, Peoria (États-Unis)

2008 Art Auction a la Mode, 1708 Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2008 Drawing No Conclusions: Survey of Contemporary Drawing, Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids (États-Unis)

2006 Silent Night, 1708 Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2006 SCOPE: miami, miami (États-Unis)

2006 ART 212 Contemporary Art Fair, New York (États-Unis)

2006 Biennial 2006, Peninsula Fine Arts Center, Newport News (États-Unis)

2006 SCOPE: Hamptons, Hampton (États-Unis)

2006 Group Show, ADA Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2006 Do Not Fold, Bend, Spindle or mutilate, Visual Arts Center, Washington Pavilion of Arts & Science, Sioux Falls (États-Unis)

2006 montpelier Center for Arts & Education, montpelier (États-Unis)

2006 1708 Gallery Goes West, Capital One Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2006 Ten Reasons to Collect Art, Art Auction, 1708 Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2005 Small Works, 1708 Gallery, Richmond (États-Unis)

2005 14th Annual New Images Exhibtion, New Image Gallery, James madison University, Harrisonburg (États-Unis)

2004 Gallery Artists, LYdm, Les Yeux du monde, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2003 Art In Place, Juried National Public Sculpture Exhibition, Charlottesville (États-Unis)

2003 3rd Photo & Digital Image Biennial, Wellington Gray Art Gallery, East Carolina University, Greenville (États-Unis)

récompEnsEs / awards

2010 Résidence, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, moulin à Nef, Auvillar (France)

2010 Résidence, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Amherst (États-Unis)

2010 Résidence, Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest (États-Unis)

2010 Artiste à résidence, Weir Farm Art Center, Wilton (États-Unis)

2009 Résidence, Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Amherst (États-Unis)

2007 Voyage professionnel artistique, Virginia museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (États-Unis)

2007 Semi-Finaliste, Trawick Prize, Bethesda (États-Unis)

2007 mention d’honneur, Loyola Works on Paper, Loyola University, Chicago (États-Unis)

2007 Purchase Award, 31st Bradley International Print & Drawing Exhibition, Bradley University, Peoria (États-Unis)

2006 Drawing Award, Peninsula Fine Art Center: Biennial, Newport News (États-Unis)

4Galerie mx - 333 Viger O. montréal H2Z 0A1 - 514.315.8900 - art@galeriemx.com

rEvuEs dE prEssE / prEss rEviEw

2012 Yoo, Alice. “Ghostly Circus” my modern metropolis, January 17, 2012. http://www.mymodernmet.com

2011 Lark Books. Lark Studio Series: Ceramic Sculptures. Asheville, NC: Lark Books, 2011.

2011 International Drawing Annual 5. Edited by J.Franz. Cincinnati, OH: manifest Press, 2010.

2010 Brennan, Coogan. “Checking in with Rob Tarbell” C-Ville, October 19, 2010.

2010 Parsons, Laura. “Ethereal Material” The Hook, September 30, 2010.

2010 mike Dullin. “Smoke and Mirrors” Style Weekly, July 7, 2010.

2009 Jon Brezeale. “Rob Tarbell at Decorazon” Dallas Fine Art Examiner, December 31, 2009. www.examiner.com

2009 Cox, Bird. “Struggle Not” Brick Weekly, November 26 - December 2, 2009.

2009 Rebecca Barnabi. “Tarbell’s Struggles.” Richmond Art Gallery Examiner, December 11, 2009. www.examiner.com

2009 Studio Visit. Edited by Steven T. Zevitas. Vol 8. Boston, mA: The Open Studios Press, 2009.

2009 Jones, Rob. “Sneak Peek: Rob Tarbell.” artPark, September 9, 2009. http://www.artpark.typepad.com

2009 Seibert, Lauren. “Smoke Signals.” Baltimore Style, September - October, 2009.

2009 Yalkut, Yalkut. “Dual Perspectives.” Dayton City Paper, January 28, 2009.

2009 Dillon, Pamela. “Visions from Fire and Earth.” Dayton Daily News, January 11, 2009.

2009 Tourtillott, Suzanne. 500 Ceramic Sculptures. Juried by Glen R Brown. Asheville: Lark Books, 2009.

2008 Scalin, Noah. Skulls. Asheville: Lark Books, 2008.

2008 Parsons, Laura. “Split Personalities, Artists Switch Hit at PVCC” The Hook, July 31, 2008.

2008 Sommer Shallet, Karen. “Scene in DC.” DC, may 2008.

2008 Fitzgerald, Brendan. “And Now for Something Completely Different.” C-Ville Weekly, may 27, 2008. (cover)

2008 Parsons, Laura. “Smoke and Mirrors.” The Hook, April 24, 2008.

2008 Yenke, Sara. “Struggles and Smokes.” C-Ville Weekly, April 22, 2008.

2008 Roberts-Pullen, Paulette. “Peep Show.” Style Weekly, April 16, 2008.

2008 Strickler, Whitney. “The Smokes.” Art Park Blog, http://artpark.typepad.com/artblog, April 15, 2008.

2008 Parsons, Laura. “Crispy Critters, Tarbell Smiles Through Struggles.” The Hook, February 7, 2008.

2008 Nieman Culpepper, Carrie. “Ones to Watch: Emerging Local Artists to Collect Before It’s Too Late.” R-Home magazine, February 2008.

2008 Latter, Ruth. “Kim Puts New Face on Second Street.” The Daily Progress, February 14, 2008.

2008 Campello, Lenny. Daily Campello Art News. http://dcartnews.blogspot.com (accessed January 2008).

2008 Studio Visit. Edited by Steven T. Zevitas. Vol 1. Boston, mA: The Open Studios Press, 2008.

2007 mauer, David A. “Some Enchanted Evening.” The Daily Progress, December 13, 2007.

2007 Kenyon, Theo Jean. “Paper Creations.” Peoria Journal Star, march 4, 2007.

2007 Proctor, Roy. “Smoke Signals.” Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 18, 2007.

2007 Hershey, Greg. “Smoke’em If You Got’em.” Brick Weekly, February 1, 2007.

2007 Latter, Ruth. “Piedmont Is Really Driven by Altars.” The Daily Progress, February 1, 2007..

2007 Parsons, Laura. “Praiseworthy, PVCC Offers Artful Altars.” The Hook, January 25, 2007.

2006 National Drawing Annual, 2006. Edited by Jason Franz. Cincinnati, OH: manifest Creative Research Gallery–manifest Press, 2006.

2006 Latter, Ruth. “Piedmont Soars as New Year Opens.” The Daily Progress, September 7, 2006.

2006 Parsons, Laura. “Creative Evolution: Watching Two Artists Push Forward.” The Hook, September 21, 2006.

2006 Sherman, Linda. “Culture Vulture” editorial cartoon, The Hook, may 25, 2006.

2005 Latter, Ruth. “Drawn into the Surprises of Motherhood” Daily Progress, November 10, 2005.

2005 Latter, Ruth. “Experiments Open Impressive Paper Trail.” Daily Progress, January 27, 2005.

2004 Parsons, Laura. “Flight Lines: Rob Tarbell Takes Off.” The Hook, November 5, 2004.

2004 Fain, Paul. “Here Comes the Sun.” C-Ville Weekly, October 26, 2004.

2003 Stuart, Courteney. “Art in Face.” The Hook, December 11, 2003.

Formation / Education

mFA Drawing & Painting, University of Tennessee, Knoxville (États-Unis)

BFA Painting & Graphic Design, Auburn University, Auburn (États-Unis)

5Galerie mx - 333 Viger O. montréal H2Z 0A1 - 514.315.8900 - art@galeriemx.com