Dashiell Manley

Dashiell Manley is a Los Angeles-based artist whose creations span the domains of film, painting, sculpture, installation, and the digital landscape.

Biography of Dashiell Manley

Dashiell Manley was born in 1983 in Fontana, CA. He completed his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2011, preceded by obtaining his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from the California Institute of the Arts in 2007.

Recently, Dashiell Manley has showcased his solo exhibitions in various prestigious galleries around the world. In 2021, he presented his works at the Nino Mier Gallery in Brussels, Belgium. In 2020, his solo exhibitions were held at the Silverlens Gallery in Manila, Philippines, and the Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco, CA.

In both 2018 and 2016, Manley's captivating solo exhibitions graced the Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York, gaining recognition in the art world. Additionally, in 2016, he had the opportunity to exhibit at Stanford University's Cantor Arts Center in Stanford, CA, further cementing his reputation as a noteworthy artist.

Currently, the artist lives and works in Los Angeles, USA.

Dashiell Manley's Art Style

Through short, looped films, Manley skillfully blends the aesthetics of handmade dioramas, double-sided paintings, and stop-motion animations. These unique cinematic creations offer viewers an enchanting visual experience, blurring the boundaries between traditional art forms and the dynamic world of digital media.

Central to much of Manley's artistic journey is his fascination with time. His works serve as profound meditations on the passage of time, exploring how we perceive it and how it shapes the structure of narratives.

In his earlier artistic endeavors, Dashiell Manley focused on unraveling the intricacies of production systems as a means to comprehend and delve into the realm of daily news. However, a significant shift emerged when he started creating his Elegy series in 2016. With this new body of work, Manley veered away from analytical representations and delved into the realm of emotions and psychology, marking a departure from his previous approach.

In the Elegy series, Manley allowed himself to express more profound sentiments through his artistic gestures and movements on the canvas. He established a singular technique of sculpting the oil paint with a palette knife. This innovative method resulted in captivating and vibrant abstract canvases, replete with a rich interplay of colors and highly-textured surfaces.

"Model _______"

Comprising three expansive new triptychs and two individual paintings, the exhibition seamlessly continues Manley's fascination with language, repetition, meditation, and the element of play.

At the heart of the exhibit lies an imaginative linguistic game crafted by Manley, in which he delves into the accumulation of meaning. His process commences with writing out the alphabet, halting at the first word that springs to mind, and then continuing from the last letter of that word to uncover the subsequent word. This artistic experiment weaves a unique tapestry of words, evoking emotions and ideas that resonate with the audience.

In one compelling instance, this automatic exercise transforms into a poignant "letter to boomers," a powerful political rant that confronts the generational divide between millennials and boomers, showcasing Manley's capacity to infuse his art with contemporary social commentary.

The triptychs in the exhibition are a testament to Manley's skillful use of color. Composed of five to eight different hues, they form a seasonal palette that invokes the passage of time and space. 

The exhibition culminates with the final panels, which feature chalk paintings. Like the earlier alphabet game, these works emerge as automatic and spontaneous expressions, offering a refreshing departure from the meticulous calculatedness of the previous panels. With an air of freedom, they beckon the viewer to explore the unbounded realm of creativity.

In essence, "Model _______" delves into four interconnected understandings of the word. It navigates through the realms of thought, evoking ideals, exploring architectural and spatial models, and shedding light on the role of citizens within society.