FAILE’s upcoming exhibition at [CONTAINER] in Santa Fe, FAILE: A Riot of Existence, invites viewers into the electrifying visual universe of artists Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller. In this world, [CONTAINER] itself becomes an endless immersive muse of imagery, gesture, color, and form, designed to envelop viewers in the dynamic and vibrant vision of FAILE.
The exhibition will showcase a captivating mix of art forms, celebrating the duo’s unique talent for combining playful curiosity with social commentary. This diverse range of mediums will enhance the audience’s experience and emphasize FAILE’s lasting influence on the art world over the last twenty-five years.
FAILE is an artistic collaboration based in Brooklyn led by Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller. FAILE is an anagram of their first project, A life. Since starting in 1999, FAILE has become known for its wide-ranging 25-year multimedia practice, exploring duality through a fragmented style of appropriation, collage, and an eclectic mix of media. While painting and printmaking are central to their approach, FAILE has also incorporated a signature mass culture-driven iconography into various materials and techniques over the past decade, including wooden boxes, window pallets, canvas, prints, sculptures, stencils, and immersive installations.
FAILE’s work is recognized for its playful and satirical sensibility. They construct their art from found, intentionally appropriated, and remixed visual imagery, blurring the boundaries between fine art and street art, as well as “high” and “low” popular culture. This brings a sense of both innocent wonder and wise irreverence to the experience of their various outputs. For FAILE, the recycling of imagery frees them from the conventional limits of painting and sculpture, unsettling the comfort zone of contemporary art.
FAILE originated in the street art movement, where they gained recognition alongside other notable artists like Banksy and Swoon. Their work features bold, graphic imagery and a strong desire to engage with public spaces, making it accessible and resonant with a broad audience. FAILE has evolved through collaborations and individual projects, blending their street art roots with gallery exhibitions and large-scale public works. This includes installations in Mongolia and other international locations to ensure that their art is inclusive and appreciated by all.
FAILE’s diverse projects challenge traditional ideas about street art and gallery/museum art. They have installed interactive prayer wheels in Times Square, created immersive nightclub experiences in Detroit and Chelsea, crafted neo-spiritual arcades in Brooklyn, and imagined post-archeological structures in Strasbourg and Lisbon. Like many street artists, FAILE focuses on art-making rather than indirect political statements or slogans. Their work embodies subtle and direct messaging, often with an air of ambiguity.
FAILE’s recent exhibitions have focused on involving the audience in critiquing consumerism and integrating religious media, architecture, advertising, with site-specific and archival research into their installations. Their work has been exhibited at the Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Brooklyn Museum, Times Square, and Dallas Contemporary. Their public installations have been seen worldwide in places like Mongolia, London, Venice Beach, Vienna, Tel Aviv, Shanghai, Berlin, and now Santa Fe!
FAILE: A Riot of Existence, November 15th, 2024 – February 9th, 2025 [CONTAINER] Santa Fe
Art Opening 5PM to 7PM on Friday, November 15th, 2024. all images courtesy [CONTAINER]
