"armes de chine refers to a classic manual about weapons from ancient China. These objects, which once had a very specific and practical purpose, now several hundred years later seem completely abstract. Like a long lost slang…" Tal R
Victoria Miro Gallery will present the latest body of work by Danish artist Tal R. From 2005 to 2008, in his dynamic studio 'Palace', Tal R extended his practice to incorporate collaborations in dance, film, theatre, cabaret, music and fashion, and it is in this period of intense experimentation that the works presented in armes de chine have their roots.
Described varyingly (and not exhaustively) as "owls, sad penises, eggs, elegant guard women with buns, lost scouts, wrong fruits, melted minimal ice cream, sad fruits, junk and bottles, tombstones, embarrassed old uncles", the objects - whether sculptures, paintings, or works on paper - are installed as a field across the floor of the main gallery space, with no work presented on the walls. The effect is almost that of a group show, where pockets of activity allow for explorations of ideas and discursive possibilities, with no fixed hierarchies of medium or modes of looking. Always pushing a concept to its most deliriously unexpected realms, Tal R continues his associative investigations of colour, form, and meaning in armes de chine by transforming each work into a kind of "long lost slang" of it's own, honing his characteristically playful marriage of abstraction and representation into a new vocabulary for artistic production.
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Exhibition
Posted
January 28 2024
Tal R: Weather Report at Ravinen Kulturhus, Båstad, Sweden
New works (on view 3 February–26 May 2024) reflect on inner experiences of nature, climate, and landscape in this vivid exhibition by the Copenhagen-based artist. Båstad, Sweden -
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Exhibition
Posted
November 1 2023
Tal R & Mamma Andersson – About Hill travels to Museum More, Gorssel
On view from 11 November 2023 until 25 February 2024, the exhibition features work by Tal R and Mamma Andersson dialogue with works by Swedish artist Carl Frederik Hill (1849–1911). Gorssel, Netherlands -
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Exhibition
Posted
May 11 2023
Sculptures by Tal R on view in Venice
Over the summer months (18 May–27 August), three important bronze sculptures by Copenhagen-based artist Tal R will be on view in the canalside garden of Palazzo Experimental, Dorsoduro, Venice. Palazzo Experimental, Venice -
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Exhibition
Posted
October 14 2022
Tal R & Mamma Andersson – About Hill, at Kunsten, Denmark
For this exhibition (14 October 2022–10 April 2023) the artists have created a series of brand new works, all related to the great Swedish artist, Carl Fredrik Hill. Aalborg, Denmark -
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Exhibition
Posted
March 19 2022
Tal R features in Human Conditions of Clay on view at John Hansard Gallery
Curated by Deborah Smith, the exhibition (19 March–17 May 2022) highlights different ways contemporary artists use clay to understand what it means to be human. The artists use clay to explore diverse themes including history, current affairs, human behaviour, folklore and tradition. John Hansard Gallery, Southampton -
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Exhibition
Posted
January 15 2022
Tal R: The Wrong Side
This solo exhibition (15 January–1 May 2022) at Artipelag comprises 34 sculptures in plaster and bronze, and 100 drawings in charcoal and ink produced since 2018. Artipelag, Stockholm -
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Interview
Posted
January 20 2021
A Brush with… Tal R – the Art Newspaper Podcast
‘I'm not at all interested in the idea of learning outside of making a great painting. I'm not interested in the psychology, I'm not interested in being philosophical about it. I'm just interested in creating great new work. And whatever takes me there, I'll do it.’ Ben Luke, The Art Newspaper -
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Exhibition
Posted
June 18 2020
Tal R: Animals and People at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
The centrepiece of the exhibition (18 June 2020–17 January 2021) is a series of new bronze sculptures, which Tal R has been working on over the past few years. This is the first time the works have been presented together. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen -
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News story
Posted
February 26 2020
Selected works by Tal R are on view at Victoria Miro New York – Office
Paintings on view (until 25 April 2020) include a number of works featuring images of family and friends, such as Emma in drawing room, 2018, and still lifes of casually arranged everyday objects, such as Yellow monkey, 2019. 534 West 24th Street New York, NY 10011, USA -
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Exhibition
Posted
October 24 2019
Tal R: Men Who Can’t Sit on Horses at Magasin III, Jaffa
The exhibition (24 October 2019–27 March 2020) features a single painting – Natten (The Night) – commissioned especially for Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art. Magasin III, Jaffa -
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Exhibition
Posted
July 6 2019
Tal R: eventually all museums will be ships at Hastings Contemporary
An exhibition (6 July–13 October 2019) of new and recent paintings, sculptures and drawings by the Copenhagen-based artist marks the opening of Hastings Contemporary. Hastings Contemporary -
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Exhibition
Posted
April 13 2019
Hastings Contemporary’s inaugural exhibitions to include a presentation of works by Tal R
Exploring the rich tradition of painting in modern and contemporary art, Hastings Contemporary's inaugural exhibitions (from 6 July 2019) include a presentation of works by Tal R. Hastings -
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Preview
Posted
February 2 2019
Skye Sherwin writes about Tal R’s House Red in The Guardian
'The Danish painter evokes a sense of loss with a colourful palette and sharp geometric lines.' The Guardian Skye Sherwin -
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Exhibition
Posted
January 17 2019
Jonathan Meese, Daniel Richter, Tal R: The Men Who Fell from Earth at Espoo Museum of Modern Art
The exhibition (30 January–7 July 2019) features installations co-created by the three artist friends and colleagues, a video piece, as well as an overview of each artist’s recent work. EMMA, Espoo, Finland -
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Exhibition
Posted
October 5 2018
Tal R: The Minute at Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia
A major exhibition (5 October–16 November 2018) of paintings and drawings, including recent works, by the artist. University of the Arts, Philadelphia -
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Exhibition
Posted
May 11 2018
Tal R: this is not Detroit at MOCA Detroit
The intricate, multipart installation (11 May – 29 July 2018) manifests the artist’s fantasy of Detroit. Seven large-scale paintings, rendered in a rich and moody palate of blues, depict the artist’s vision of specific Detroit neighborhoods he has never visited. MOCA, Detroit -
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Preview
Posted
May 10 2018
Vogue writes about Tal R: this is not Detroit at MOCA Detroit
Detroit has always played an outsized role in the American imagination. It was Motown. It was rock n' roll. In its boom days it was Motor City, land of the American dream and the best of American manufacturing, an industry that enabled highways, suburbs, road trips, and our willful sprawl across the continent. Julia Felsenthal, Vogue -
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Channel
November 16 2017
Tal R in his own words
'It doesn't matter how conceptual a work is, it's still the idea that you're looking through a keyhole.' On the occasion of his exhibitions Academy of Tal R at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (until 21 January 2018), and Sexshops at Victoria Miro (until 20 December 2017), Tal R talks about his work in a video interview with Elephant. Film ©/courtesy Elephant -
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Review
Posted
November 15 2017
Frieze reviews Tal R: Academy of Tal R at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
'Figures are reticent: they walk away, turn their backs, sit at a remove and ebb beneath roughly applied tints.' Harry Thorne, Frieze -
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Exhibition
Posted
October 14 2017
Tal R: Academy of Tal R at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Touring from Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, the exhibition (14 October 2017 – 21 January 2018) features works from the mid-1990s to the present. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam -
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Interview
Posted
September 20 2017
Tal R talks to AnOther ahead of his exhibition, Sexshops
'These sorts of places are almost two-dimensional, because often the windows are blacked out… You only know if you enter – otherwise it is up to the imagination.' Holly Black, AnOther -
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Review
Posted
June 24 2017
The Quietus reviews Tal R: Academy of Tal R at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
"His paintings are often short bursts of intense optical energy that fizz on the canvas, visual zaps that do not appear to interrogate much of what has gone on before in art history." John Quin, The Quietus -
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Film
Posted
May 23 2017
Tal R: a film by Louisiana Channel
In the run up to his major exhibition, Academy of Tal R at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark, the artist was interviewed by Kasper Bech Dyg and Marc-Christoph Wagner, who spent six months with him while he was in the process of making his grand series of railcar paintings, Habakuk. Louisiana Channel -
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Exhibition
Posted
May 20 2017
Tal R: Academy of Tal R at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
The exhibition (20 May - 10 September 2017) is both an overview of his work from the past twenty years and a presentation of a series of new works. Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark -
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Exhibition
Posted
March 21 2017
Tal R in Luther and the Avantgarde
An exhibition (19 May - 17 September 2017) of international contemporary art exploring the spiritual figure of Luther and inspiring ideas of the Reformation. Wittenberg, Germany -
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Interview
Posted
September 14 2016
Tal R interviewed in Collectors Agenda
"For me, any studio is a precious place. I like to compare it to the brain." Michael Wuerges, Collectors Agenda -
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Gallery Exhibition
23 April - 30 May 2015
Tal R: Chimney school of sculpture
An exhibition of new work by the Copenhagen-based artist, accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, with essay by Tom Morton, view an online version. Tal R has often used the... Victoria Miro Gallery I -
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Gallery Exhibition
13 March - 17 April 2014
Tal R: Walk Towards Hare Hill
An exhibition of a cycle of distinctive plein air paintings by the Copenhagen-based artist. Walk towards Hare Hill comprises thirty-seven works created near the artist's summerhouse in northern Denmark, over... Victoria Miro Mayfair -
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Gallery Exhibition
12 October - 12 November 2011
Tal R: Science Fiction
Victoria Miro Gallery presents Science Fiction, an exhibition of new paintings by Tal R. The works in this exhibition mark a major development in the Danish artist's practice. Known for... Victoria Miro Gallery II -
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Gallery Exhibition
13 May - 23 June 2006
Tal R: Minus
The Victoria Miro Gallery presents Minus, an exhibition of new paintings and works on paper by Tal R. The Danish artist is best known for his exuberant and deceptively simple... Victoria Miro Gallery I -
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Gallery Exhibition
17 May - 14 June 2003
Tal R: Lords of Kolbojnik
'My art always finds its point of departure in contemporary life… I'd say that most of my works are about things I've picked up in all imaginable places other than... Victoria Miro Gallery I
