Graham Dolphin
Torn Lennon Echo, 2022
Newspaper and tape

Working across a range of mediums, including film, sound, drawing, sculpture, text and curatorial projects, Dolphin’s work frequently explores the self-identification of fans and the practice of idolism – the worship of an idol. He is known for his meticulous and labour-intensive process creating work in a range of media. These include his scrupulous reconstruction of “shrines” dedicated to rock stars and visited by fan communities. Dolphin draws connections between these modern sites and acts of religious pilgrimage and ritual. The work questions the appreciation, elevation and veneration of art and the artists who make it.

Graham Dolphin will also present new works in ‘Cover Versions’: a series of torn and reassembled newspapers and a large sculptural piece. ‘Tape Tree’ is a tall, tangled mass of magnetic tape wrapped around a metal pole. Born from research into the Taliban’s repression of recorded music and film, these towering sculptures were left alongside main roads as symbols of the decadence of Western culture and a warning for those tempted into viewing or listening.

‘Torn’ is an ongoing series of historical newspapers, torn into small squares and reassembled. The resulting handmade slippage creates a distorted and disjointed version of the real object. 

Graham Dolphin website
Seventeen Gallery website