Dee Ferris

Dee Ferris, born 27 december 1973 in Paulton, Somerset, is a British painter.

Work

Dee Ferris makes paintings with the grand ambition to embody the ideal of a Romantic escapist geography, both physical and emotional. Her canvasses mainly take the form of fantasy landscapes transformed from an unforgivably clichéd perfection into works that resolve the tensions between the desire for an unattainable romantic high and its intersection with reality. Ferris’s paintings are often foggy yet glistening compositions that obscure as much as they reveal, giving them the feel of a half-remembered dream. The barely visible, mannequin-esque figures that populate her landscapes are emblematic of the awkwardness suffered in experiencing emotions so overused they feel fake – Ferris’s work eases the ensuing emotional disruption caused by a life full of fictional happy endings and knee-jerk responses to utopian advertising scenarios. Ferris handles paint in a way that allows for the beauty of such scenes to shine through the mist of hyper-reality – her fractured, shimmering surfaces re-aestheticise hackneyed imagery as a something its okay to love with all sincerity.

Education

1992-1995 Christ's College, Cambridge University, Cambridge
2000-2002 Royal College of Art, London

Solo Exhibitions

Taru Nasu Gallery, Tokyo (2007) - Peep Show
Corvi-Mora, London (2006) - Dream Of A Thousand Suburbs
Corvi-Mora, London (2004)

Group Exhibitions

"The music of the future". Gasworks, London (curated by Laurence Kavanagh) 2005
"Ein Ding von Schönheit ein Glück auf immer", Corvi-Mora, London 2005
"Can Buildings Curate", Architectural Association, London 2005
"The Triumph of Painting", Saatchi Gallery, London (cat) 2005
"Expander", Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens, London (cat) (2004)
"Sugar Hiccup", Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo (2004)
"The Futurians", Taro Nasu Gallery, Tokyo (cat) (2004)
"Art of the Garden", Tate Britain, London (cat) (2004)
"Other Times", City Gallery Prague, Prague (cat) (2004)
"Concert In The Egg", The Ship, London (2004)
"I want! I want!", Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art, Sunderland; The Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne (2003)
"The Peripheries Become the Centre", Prague Biennale, Prague (cat) (2003)
"Natura/Nature", Galleria d'Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi, Piacenza (cat) (2003)
"The Progressive Future", Platform, London (2003)
Wilkinson Gallery, London (2003)
"Dirty Pictures", The Approach, London (2003)
"Exploring Landscape: Eight Views from Britain", Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York (2003)
"Paint", FA Projects, London (2002)
"Fame and Promise", 14 Wharf Roaf, London (2002)
"The Only Way Forward", Neon Gallery, London (2002)
"The Show 2002", Royal College of Art, London (2002)
"All This May Someday Be Yours", Royal College of Art, London (2001)
Painting Interim Show, Royal College of Art, London (2001)

Selected Bibliography

Martin Coomer, "Ein Ding Schönheit ist ein Glück auf immer", Time Out, November 23- 30, p.44 (2005)
Studio Voice, October, p.41 (2005)
Neil Mulholland, "Expander", Frieze, January/February, p.125 (2005)
Mustafa Hulusi, "Expander", pp.26-27 (2004)
Alasdair Duncan, "The Futurians", Taro Nasu Gallery, pp.14-17 (2004)
Brett Rogers], "Other Times", The British Council, pp.37-38 (2004)
Roy Exley, "Dee Ferris", Flash Art, November - December, p.72 (2004)
JJ Charlesworth, "Fever", Flash Art, November - December, pp.84-87 (2004)
Matt Price, "Mixed Paint", Flash Art, November - December, p.91 (2004)
Dan Smith, "Dee Ferris", Art Review, November, p.143 (2004)
Fudge, vol.15, September (2004)
JJ Charlesworth, "on art's permissive society", Modern Painters, Autumn, pp.74-76 (2004)
Nick Hackworth, "Artist's Project", Quintessentially, Autumn, p. 51 (2004)
Melissa Nix, "Postmodern is passé", The Daily Yomiuri, July 29, p.18 (2004)
Usuki Naoko, "The Futurians", What's New 09, ART iT, p.18 (2004)
Shumon Basar, "Hayzee Fantayzee", Tank, Volume 3, Issue 10, pp.76-79 (2004)
JJ Charlesworth, "I Want! I Want!", Art Monthly, October, pp.33-35 (2003)
Rose Aidin, "Dogs and Doigs", Art News, Summer, p.128 (2003)
Alfred Hickling, "I Want! I Want!", The Guardian, August 27 (2003)
Lucy Barnett, "Journeying to imaginary places", Metro, August 27 (2003)
"I Want! I Want!", The Guardian Guide, August 16-22, p.34 (2003)
Michael Wilson, "Exploring Landscape: Eight Views from Britain", Art Monthly, March, pp.32-34 (2003)
Martha Schwendener, "Critics Picks", Artforum, February (2003)
Roberta Smith, "Exploring Landscape", The New York Times, February 14, B43 (2003)
"ArtGraduate", ArtReview, June, Volume LIII, p.22 (2002)
Stephanie King, "Home is where the heart is", Time Out, 29 May - 5 June, p.32 (2002)
"100 Reviews", Arnatt, Bickers, Charlesworth, Collings, Gillick, Walter König Publications, p.43 (2002)