Having once worked in the advertising industry, Danielle Dean is fascinated by the ways in which capitalism, consumerism and commercialism inform our construction of identity in the contemporary moment. The artist understands the role of marketing, technology and media in shaping our desires, acting as instruments for our subjugation and oppression, and concurrently operating as potential tools for resistance and emancipation. Dean, who was born in Alabama to an English mother and Nigerian father, recognises the multiplicity of cultural and familial, intergenerational influences on our conception of self. Through painting, sculpture, video and performance, the artist simultaneously pieces together installations encompassing intricate, theatre prop-like assemblages, while stripping back the many layers of identity accumulated by contemporary beings.
Written by Goldsmiths CCA ...
