Shane Bradford exhibited a body of paintings and 'dipped' objects for his solo show at England & Co gallery in west London that explore, distort and disrupt a narrative of art.

Central to Shane Bradford's paintings is a series of works exhibited in a row that the artist refers to as posters.  Read from left to right, the posters form a chronological commentary on the last one hundred years modernist thinking according to the artist, with each poster "campaign[ing] for its own agenda."

For his 'dipped' objects, Shane Bradford has taken a range of items, such as miniature toys and books, and subjected them to the process the artist is now recognised for.  As in the work illustrated, Towards a Definition of Pop, Bradford has repeatedly submerged the original book into gloss paint, allowing it to dry in-between to create entrails along the bottom that recall stalactites.  Often working with books on modern and post-modern art, Bradford's 'dipped' objects are as much physically submerged in paint as they are submerged in the history of art.  By submitting the objects to this process, Shane Bradford's process can almost be read as an act of iconoclasm in an attempt to mask the book's identity and disrupt its original use.

Selected works by Shane Bradford are on show at England & Co gallery until 1 May 2010 (216 Westbourne Grove, London, W11 2RH).

For read more about Shane Bradford and see the selection of works available to buy and borrow through ArtLab, please visit his artist's page.

Image: Shane Bradford, Towards a Definition of Pop (2009, 21x12.5x7cm, Paperback book and gloss paint), copyright and courtesy of the artist.