DAVID SALLE
David Salle’s paintings are immediately recognisable for their juxtaposition of contrasting visual elements that he appropriates from popular culture, spanning cartoon imagery, advertising, graffiti and the history of art. By combining seemingly unrelated images in diverse representational styles that seem to float past one another in virtual space, he plays with viewers’ aesthetic expectations and sense of perspective. Using cinematic techniques such as montage and superimposition, he creates a world of simultaneity and equilibrium that establishes dynamic and even absurd relationships. The artist reflects on the constant input of images and ideas from the media-dominated world, which become part of the collective consciousness and, in turn, influence our own sense of self.
TOM MCDONOUGH
Tom McDonough is an art historian, critic, and professor recognized for his expertise in modern and contemporary art, with a particular emphasis on the avant-garde movements of the 20th century. His scholarship delves into the relationships between art, politics, and social movements, especially within the context of postwar Europe. McDonough has extensively studied the Situationist International, an influential group of avant-garde artists, intellectuals, and political theorists active during the 1950s and 1960s.