co-curator International 2007-Present

The idea for Deadpan Exchange was hatched over Dim Sum in SF in 2006. Danish artist Heidi Petersen and I were both fans of Deadpan Humor and were drawn to art that embraced this aesthetic: Bas Jan Adar, Martha Rosler, early Yoko Ono and Dan Gram. We wanted to explore this idea through a series of international exhibitions, which also served as an excuse to bring diverse groups of artists together from different places in the world and begin a dialog that might not otherwise take place outside of formal institutions.

The series began in Copenhagen, Denmark in the summer of 2007 and has since been in Berlin (DR), San Francisco(US), Izmir(TR), Skopje (MK), Vilnius (LT), Preston (UK) and Mexico City.

With each show, 7 new artists are pulled into the exchange. The main premise of the Deadpan Exchange series is twofold. 1) The work must be deadpan. And 2) The work must be a reaction to the previous work. For example, seven American artists exhibit their work in Turkey. In turn, Seven Turkish artists will create reactions. The only communication between the artists must be through the work they create.

The Deadpan series has been an on again/off again project that Heidi and I have organized in our spare time. It has received small grants over the course of its life, which has allowed the artists to travel and meet one another. We are currently working on the final exhibition, which will take place in Copenhagen at some point in 2021 or 22.

The series has been supported generously by the Danish Arts Council, the Babro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, The University of Central Lancashire, and generous contributions from individual donors.

For more information visit: www.deadpanexchange.com