Dean Karr
1. Beggar's Banquet, Giclee, 30.5 x 44.5 in.
2. Bovidae, Resin incased silver print, 22 x 16 in.
3. Catheter for Three, Giclee, 35 x 43 in.
Dean Karr
When speaking of Director/Photographer Dean Karr, the one thing that people seem to agree about is that he is a true original. His signature style, often copied but never duplicated, has gained him international recognition as one of a small group of young media artists whose work interprets and defines our time. He is clearly a man to watch if one is interested in knowing which way the wind will be blowing.
Dean Karr’s prolific work as a music video/commercial director, and his cutting edge photographic images, have brought him to the forefront of his craft. His directorial work, with artists such as Marilyn Manson, the Dave Matthews Band, the Deftones, Ozzy Osbourne, Dr. Dre, Duran Duran and Velvet Revolver, reveals a highly-tuned sense of style, fashion, art, and storytelling. His music videos are constantly found at the top of MTV playlists, and have been nominated for major MTV, Much Music, Billboards, and MVPA Video Awards in each of the last several years,
Actively pursuing his feature film career, he is now in pre-production on his first major release “Condemned”. This film will breathes Karr’s disturbing vision throughout it’s material and will shoot in early ‘09 “One sick story” is how he sums it up! Three years ago Karr had an opportunity to join up with Ukrainian artist Igor Podolchak to co-direct Las Meninas in the Ukraine. “Meninas” is a strange story of a dysfunctional, incestual family, who exist in the shadows of their dismal dwelling.
Karr’s photography has been the subject of numerous shows at galleries ranging from the Laguna Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Karnowsky Gallery, to a show that travelled throughout Russia and the Ukraine in mid 1999. His striking album and print work is familiar to the music buying public.
“I’ve been a fine art photographer for 20 years, capturing moods nonverbally and placing them in a single frame of film,” says Karr, “Now that I’m working in moving images I have an even more varied and exciting palette with which I can express myself.”
A native of Seattle, Washington, Karr received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Washington State University. The excitement of the emerging Seattle rock scene provided him with early photographic subject matter.
Moving to Los Angeles to attend the Art Center School of Design in Pasadena, Karr found himself drawn away from the academic world by the reality of the extraordinary and malformed characters that he encountered in the depths of the city. Gaining their trust, he passionately captured their uniqueness on film. The technique was highly original; the work was shockingly beautiful - an important new artist burst upon the photographic scene.
Intrigued by the potential of the moving image, Karr ventured into music videos. The promise of his early work led to Karr being asked to direct Marilyn Manson’s “Sweet Dreams.” The resulting piece was a shocker, drawing immediate and broad commercial attention. It served to propel both Manson and Karr into the forefront of the visual rock world. Work with other top artists soon followed.
Always finding inspiration from reality, Karr has developed a sense of adventure in seeking out unique settings for his projects. Recent ventures have taken him to such varied locations as the Amazon Rain Forests, and the chilled waters of South Australia to film the Great White Shark.
Says Karr’s producer, industry veteran Arthur Gorson, “Dean is a powerful, exciting, and challenging talent to work with. His eye is totally original, his instincts full of immediacy and freshness. He has the gift of being able gain people’s trust so they give that something extra in front of the camera. It’s always exhilarating to see what comes next.”
Karr’s rapidly moving career is currently presenting him with new challenges and opportunities. Says Karr “I’ve experienced a cycle of growth and transformation in my still photography, so I respect the role evolution plays in the life of any artist. I look forward to exploring and developing my work with film, and meeting the challenges which my progression in this field will inevitably bring.”