Souvenirs Brad Downey

Brad Downey creates his art using the objects of everyday life: from the commonplace, utilitarian materials of the cityscape to the trivial items of daily existence. By re-arranging these materials into novel, inventive, and incisive new forms, Downey not only detaches them from their original context but also forms artworks that are exhilarating and sublime.

One example of Downey’s art is Self-Contradiction, a work wherein a padlock has its matching key threaded through its shackle. The key is inserted into the wall, as if into an invisible door lock. In this position, the padlock – which is etched with the word “magic” – can never be opened again.

Souvenirs is Brad Downey’s first exhibition with Ruttkowski;68 gallery. With his techniques of détournement and re-contextualization, Downey reinterprets banal objects to create revelatory artworks. These act as ‘souvenirs’: they recall their past as well as triggering fresh emotional and intellectual associations.

• Request available artworks