Equation 7a

Photography; Inkjet Print, 2011

From the series 'Equations'

The photographs titled Equations are exploratory images of the De Lagrange Mathematical Model’s in the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. The models date to 1872 and were used as visual aids for teaching the descriptive geometry of Engineering. Many of the existing models are now worn and damaged. The coloured strings and brass armatures that were intended to offer a linear representation of geometric structure have become unintended representations of knot theory and complexity. Equations is a visual exploration into obsolescence, topology, non-linear structure and complexity. In topology, the study of mathematical knots has provided vital insight to the study and theory of complex structures and systems.

For the past eight years, I have been working in archives and museums. To augment my artwork, I have actively pursued interdisciplinary associations and collaborations. Artifacts significant to systems of language and inscription, mathematical models, and obsolete computers have guided these explorations.

Equation 7a

Photography; Inkjet Print, 2011

These editions are printed with archival pigment inks on a matte Fine Art paper. The ink and paper combination have a display permanence rating of 150+ years.

Print Size: We never change the aspect ratio or crop the original image. Each image is sized to maximally fill the selected dimension. All of our prints have a minimum border of a 1/4 of an inch to allow for framing.

All our editions are supervised by the artist and are accompanied by a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. Our prints are made with the greatest attention to quality and a concern for permanence. (Learn more about Print Permanence in the FAQ.)

Robert Bean

b. 1954, Canada

Short Bio

Robert Bean is an artist, writer and teacher living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Born in Saskatchewan, he moved to Nova Scotia in 1976 to pursue a career in contemporary art and education. He obtained a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD University) in 1978, and an MA in Cultural Studies from the University of Leeds, England in 1999. He is currently a Professor at NSCAD University. Bean has exhibited his work in solo and group exhibitions in Canada, the United States, Europe, South America and New Zealand.

Website

• www.robertbean.ca
• www.obsolescence.ca

Education

• MA in Cultural Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, England, UK 1999
• BFA, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 1978
• BA, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada 1976

Selected Public Collections

• Nova Scotia Art Bank 2006
• The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia 2005
• The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa 2004
• The Canada Council Art Bank 2000
• The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia 2000

Selected Solo Exhibitions

• Metamorphosis, Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Ontario. Curated by Scott McLeod. January 2007
• verbatim, Akau Inc., Toronto, Ontario. Curated by Cheryl Sourkes. January 2006
• LAPSUS, Dalhousie University Art Gallery. Halifax, Nova Scotia. January 2005
• FORGET GIVING, VU. Centre de Diffusion et de Production de la Photographie. Quebec, Quebec. May 2002
• POLITICAL PHOTOGRAPHS, The Anna Leonowens Gallery, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Halifax, NS, October 2001
• SCREE, I-Land Gallery, Toronto. January 2001 & Gallery YHZ, Halifax, Nova Scotia. October 2001

Selected Group Exhibitions

• .txt, The Anna Leonowens Gallery. NSCAD University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Robert Bean, David Clark, Michelle Gay, Michael Maranda, Jillian Mcdonald, Luke Murphy, Marcin Ramocki, Ilan Sandler. May 27 – June 7, 2008.
• Excision Twenty+3 Gallery, Manchester, UK. Works by Robert Bean, Michelle Bellemare and Michael Maranda. Curated by Cheryl Sourkes. February 2008
• New Acquisitions in the Nova Scotia Art Bank Unveiled, The Mary E. Black Gallery, Halifax, N.S. April 2006
• CFAT Media Train,VertexList Gallery. Brooklyn, New York. November 2005
• DISQUIET, Modern Fuel Gallery, Kingston, Ontario. Curator: Christof Migone. Works by Robert Bean, Dave Dyment, Afshin Matlabi, Diane Morin, Matt Rogalsky, USSA (Steve Bates & Jake Moore). August 24 – September 24, 2005
• Nice to Meet You, Hyundai Art Gallery, Ulsan, Korea. May, 2004
• Before the Land, Behind the Camera, The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa, Ontario
• MESSAGE: Sent and Received, Saw Gallery, Ottawa, Ontario. January 1991
• Fact or Fiction: Some Points of View in Contemporary Nova Scotian Photography, The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax. March 1990

Selected Publications

• “Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests and Honorary Degree”. Exhibition essay and catalogue. The Centre for Art Tapes, Halifax, Nova Scotia. October 2008
• “Waiting for the Past”. Catalogue essay for the exhibition “Apertura” by Cora Cluett and Scott Conarroe. The Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, Ontario. July 2008
• “Verbatim”, “Folds/Etudes”, “Artifacts of Research”. The Canadian Review of Art Education. Volume 34, 2007. Pp. 58-87
• “h I def’InI( )n” [High Definition]. Feature article. Blackflash, Vol. 25.1, October 2007
• “In the Flesh”. Exhibition essay and catalogue, The Center for Art Tapes, Halifax, Nova Scotia. October 2007

Selected Awards

• Arts Award - Travel Grant. The Canada Council for the Arts. Visual Arts. February 2008
• Nova Scotia Arts Council Grant. March 2007
• SSHRC Research/Creation Grant (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council). March 2007

Robert Bean

Full Resume

Download (PDF)

Selected Bibliography and Reviews

• Leah Sandals, “Playing Against Typewriters”. The National Post, February 1, 2007
• Peter Goddard, “Voice of the Lost and Discarded”. The Toronto Star, February 1, 2007
• Gary Michael Dault, “Robert Bean at Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art”. The Globe and Mail, February 10, 2007
• Leah Sandals, “Image and Inscription: An Anthology of Contemporary Canadian Photography, Edited by Robert Bean”. Border Crossings, Vol. 25, No. 3. Issue No. 99, Arts Manitoba Publications Inc., August 2006. p. 130
• Gerald McMaster, “Image and Inscription: An Anthology of Contemporary Canadian Photography, Edited by Robert Bean”. Prefix Photo, Number 13. Prefix Institute of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Ontario. May 2006. p. 87
• Gary Michael Dault, “Ribbons of ink-stained memory”. The Globe and Mail, January 7, 2006
• “LAPSUS”. ,Exhibition Catalogue. Dalhousie University Art Gallery, Catalogue Essay by Susan Gibson-Garvey. January, 2005
• PRIMER: The New Document. Canadian Art Magazine. Volume 17, No. 2. Summer 2000
• Robin Metcalfe. “Robert Bean - Table Land”. Arts Atlantic #57. Winter 1997
• Peter Dykhuis. "Robert Bean - Table Land". Parachute #85. January 1997
• EVA. electronic visual arts journal. Vol. 1 Number 3. Fall 1995

Recent Presentations and Conferences

• Symposium. “Obsolescence and the Culture of Human Invention”. NSCAD University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Symposium organized by Robert Bean and Ilan Sandler in conjunction with a Research/Creation project sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. May 2008
• Lecture: “Technology, Art, Obsolescence and Language”, University of Salford, Manchester, UK. February 2008
• CBC Radio Interview: CBC Sunday Edition - Michael Enright. “Film vs. Digital”, Robert Bean and Joan Schwartz. Broadcast date: May 13, 2007
• “Landscape, Photography and Documentary Fictions”. Panel Discussion on the work of Isabelle Hayeur, Edward Burtynsky and Carl Zimmerman. Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery November 2006