Technical Proops is interfacing with art

By Lauren Wallis - Thursday 26th 2007f April 2007


Dan Proops

Not many people can say that their first art exhibition was displayed before they were old enough to see a 15 certificate film, but Dan Proops is certainly a cut above the rest.

The Jewish artist, 34, from Fulham discussed his early ideas with his father, and ambled along the Kings Road in a quest to get his work recognised. “I didn’t know much about the art world then,” he admits, “but I knew that the Kings Road was a trendy road following the early 80s, post-punk kind of era. The curators in one of the galleries took a shine to my work and before I knew it I had made £400 – a lot of money for a 14-year-old boy!”

The grandson of former Daily Mirror Agony Aunt Marjorie Proops, he developed a taste for a diverse range of artwork, becoming particularly inspired by shock elements. “There is an obsession with originality and shock,” he explained. “Everyone tries to be original, but there ends up being a lot of derivative work. If you think about it, all objects e.g. a synagogue have been designed and are then drawn and copied. I have taken this one step further and used pixels and censorship to give a new meaning to pre-existing works of art.

“People in the press are interested by shock elements, by censorship and draw attention to things using such means. The way stories enter the press is through controversy, and my work is a discussion of that controversy. Every bit of work is censorship in itself; when you paint something, you choose what to show and what not to show. This is part of the creative process and is a form of censorship in itself”.

However, his risqué repertoire hasn’t always been quite so prominent. In the 90s, his developing art reached such prolific artistic destinations as The Serpentine Gallery, when he chose to concentrate on tamer aspects such as portraits. In 2003, Proops even saw his work exhibited at the prestigious London Art Fair.

The Goldsmiths-educated artist has long been supported by his family, ever since that first stroll down the Kings Road led to instant recognition. “They are very supportive,” he said. “They have been encouraging me to paint ever since I developed an interest in it at age five. Everyone was always interested in me as a potential artist”. Pointing out the dramatic differences between his early works in the 90s in comparison to the present day, he defined how he sees himself in the art sphere today. He said: “There was an initial surprise when I made the stark transition from stylistic portraits to more graphic and computer-based work. I have learned a lot in my time, and although my subject matter has changed dramatically, my intellectual free play of ideas remains constant”. His main influences are technology, science and art, areas he describes as “our main forces nowadays”.

Proops says that, on a personal level, the key to incorporating technology, design and fine art into a piece is through the use of Photoshop and other such gems. “I take connections between various artworks, and see the way in which we can relate with a computer interface,” he explained. “Artists used to do studies using pencil and chalk, but I do Photoshop studies and do oil paintings of those results”. In order to remain as innovative as is artistically possible, he realises that he must stay ahead of the game. “I enjoy reading art essays,” he said, “and I have strong beliefs that more modern art has influenced the way computers work and has a massive effect on design and technology. This is very central to my ideas at the moment”.

Proops’ 2006 solo show, Sam’s Desktop centred on themes ranging from Pop to the zeitgeist, and from global brands to the Internet as an art form. In the sequel, Proops uses his trademark ‘digital’ painting technique to make a dark, rich mix of references to war, art, ‘reality’ and ‘fake’ and our distinctly ambivalent attitudes towards popular culture.

Dan Proops’ exhibition, Sams Desktop II, will show at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 16-27 May. For more information, visit www.samsdesktop2.com or www.myspace.com/danproops.