Richard Bartle
Born 1967 in Rotherham, England.
Currently living and working as an artist in Sheffield,England.
Founder member and manager of Bloc Studios, Sheffield.
Former Director and Curator – Bloc Projects.
Former Director – Sheffield Contemporary Arts Forum.
Recent exhibitions include Bloc Assembly, Bloc Projects (2016 ); Deities at the bottom of the garden, 20/21 Gallery (2012); Blasphemy, Irish Museum of Contemporary Art, Dublin (2010), Jihlava Film Festival, Czech Republic (2010); Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival, Shorlisted ‘New Visions Award’, (2009); Pan-demonium, AC Institute, New York (2009); V22 presents: The Sculpture Show, London (2009).
Powwow | UK 2007 | Digital Video | 6 min 4s
Powwow was created for the Sheffield Pavilion at the 2009 Istanbul Biennial. The work is assembled from 196 cells, each one representing a different nation state. It catalogues, in chronological order, the world leaders of the entire period of George Bush Jr.’s term in office, using an acrylic transferring process overlaying Bush’s image. The result is a build-up, reflecting the transient nature of political power. Powwowreferences the North American Indian word, describing a meeting between great warriors – often used to describe peace talks. The soundtrack is the preamble to the declaration of human rights read out simultaneously in the seven primary languages of the United Nations.