Marcel Dzama: Even the Ghost of the Past

Published on the occasion of his fifth solo exhibition at David Zwirner gallery in New York, Even the Ghost of the Past presents new work by the influential young Canadian artist Marcel Dzama--including a DVD of original short films. A favorite among the art, literary and indie music scenes, Dzama is best known for his figurative compositions of pen and watercolor on manila-colored paper. Bearing a characteristic palette of muted browns, greys, greens and reds, Dzama's drawings are populated by an expansive cast of human, animal and hybrid characters. In recent years, Dzama has extended his practice to include work in multiple media. A recent exhibition, for example, transformed the gallery into an odeum of imagination, replete with drawings, sculptures, dioramas and films. Featuring an interview with the artist by filmmaker Spike Jonze and designed in collaboration with the artist as two hardback books twin-bound into one with a custom drawing on the cover, Even the Ghost of the Past is destined to become an instant collector's item.
Marcel Dzama was born in 1974 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A co-founder of the Winnipeg-based Royal Art Lodge collective, he currently lives in New York City.