With his unmistakable version of contemporary Surrealism, as comical as it is otherworldly, Marcel Dzama is one of Canada's most internationally successful artists.
As with most of Dzama's work, this image offers visual information with no clear explanation of what is occurring. While the figures, creatures, and elements of this scene are arranged in a singular grouping, different storylines are unfolding simultaneously.
Hooded figures stand at the edges of the gathering, armed with weapons and intense stares. Their spotted costumes add an undertone of playful whimsy to their darker actions. A woman with a root-like crown stands beside a top-hatted man at the rear of the scene, staring in shock at what unfolds before them. A dog steps out of its den, walking away from the chaos.
Despite the shrouded meaning behind the scene, Dzama has managed to orchestrate a visually balanced image. While the sense of a curious incompleteness may seem limiting, it's truly one of the most compelling aspects of Dzama's oeuvre. Evoking the same effects as incomplete storyboards or figurative Rorschach tests, his carefully composed images invite viewers to engage imaginatively--encouraging the weaving together of the "befores" and "afters" that surround the "nows" that each piece offers.
Born in Winnipeg in 1974, Dzama would begin exhibiting internationally just a year after graduating from the University of Manitoba with early champions of his work including Jim Carrey and Nicholas Cage. In the 1990's, as one of the founding members of the Royal Art Lodge, Dzama contributed to the renaissance of figurative art and simultaneously put Winnipeg on the map as a center for Canadian creativity.
Dzama's work can be found in a host of prestigious public and private collections including Paris' Centre Georges Pompidou, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the MoMA, Le Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. He is particularly favored by celebrity collectors including Brad Pitt, Jim Carrey and Steve Martin.
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"What the Prophecy Failed to Mention"
Canada, 2011
Ink and mixed-media on paper
Signed in pencil, lower right
Titled in pencil "was die Prophezeiung nicht erwähnt" face
14"H & 11"W (sheet)
18"H 15"W (framed)
Very good condition.
Provenance: Purdy Hicks Gallery, London
Bibliography: Reproduced on pp. 162, Sower of Discord, Abrams
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