Cake contemporary arts is pleased to present

From the Transcontinental…

Stephen Brandes’ practice explores visual language (often interplayed with word) as a vehicle for storytelling, employing a range of styles and materials, from monumental drawings on flooring vinyl to digitally designed posters and collages.

Grounded in European traditions of absurdism and satire, Stephen Brandes presents an uncanny portrait of Europe, where familiar places are hybridized or reinvented and chronologies are ambiguous. The ‘travelogue’ has become a central motif in his recent work, allowing for sub-plots and departures, fed by personal observation, invention and references to poignant episodes in modern European history.

The opening reception is on Friday 24th August from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. The exhibition runs to the 28th September 2012.

On the preview evening, Cake will be running a return bus service from Dublin @ 6:30 pm to Cake.

Stephen Brandes was born in Wolverhampton, UK in 1966 and now lives and works in Cork after moving to Ireland in 1993. He represented Ireland at the Venice Biennale 2005 as part of ‘Ireland at Venice’, and has shown in numerous exhibitions both in Ireland and internationally.
Solo projects include: A Grand Tour of the Invisible North, Galerie Robert Drees, Hannover, Germany, 2009; Walpurgisnacht, Rubicon Gallery, Dublin, 2008; Why Travel? Right Here is Fantastic!, Ardbia Gallery, Galway, 2007; Chutzparadiso, West Cork Arts Centre, 2006; Klutz Paradiso, RHA Gallagher Gallery, Dublin, 2006; Ways of Escape, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin, 2004. Group exhibitions include: Girl Power and Boyhood, Kunsthallen Brandts, Odense, Denmark, 2006; Cross the Line, Conrads Gallery, Düsseldorf, Germany, 2006; ‘live’, Interim.Projekte, Frankfurt, Germany, 2005; Permaculture, Project, Dublin, 2003; Necessary Journeys, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin, 2003; ‘The Retreat’, City Limits, Melbourne, Australia, 2004.

Public collections include the Irish Museum of Modern Art, An Chomhairle Ealaíon /The Arts Council, AIB Bank and Crawford Gallery, Cork.

Brandes has also worked on several curatorial projects, most notably Superbia, commissioned by Breaking Ground in Ballymun, Dublin, 2003 and with artists Mick O’Shea and Irene Murphy formed the absurdist culinary performance group, The Domestic Godless.He is represented by Rubicon Gallery, Dublin.