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david allan seibert
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An exhibition of drawn works that continue to explore organic form.
Statement
I am showing four works from my October 2003 exhibition, Resurrection and Memory that was at the Queensland University of Technology Art Museum. Although I had produced a number of large works of graphite on paper before, this was the first time I attempted one of four metres. It was an exciting challenge to both my technical and conceptual skills. The composition and tenor of Danse Macabre which was executed first, in turn established the thematic and aesthetic direction of what followed in the series. It is good to see these selected pieces in a less compressed space.
La Danse Macabre, also called Dance of Death, La Danza Macabra, or Totentanz is a late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one’s station in life, the dance of death united all. La Danse Macabre consists of the personified death leading a row of dancing figures from all walks of life to the grave - typically with an emperor, king, pope, monk, youngster, beautiful girl, all in skeleton-state. They were produced under the impact of the Black Death, reminding people of how fragile their lives were and how vain the glories of earthly life are.
Graphite, a generic drawing medium is wonderfully sensuous and capable of producing subtle nuances of line and tone on both a large and small scale. It is capable of recording bold bodily gestures as well as minute focused detail. One of the pure states of carbon, this common mineral can be found from stick to pencil form and is one of the most accessible of all drawing media.
The rest of the work is inspired by my visit to India last year. My third time there, this country’s rich, ancient culture continues to engage and enthral. I spent most of my time in Karnataka State in the southern part of the the great subcontinent. With Mysore as my base, I explored the ancient towns of Halebid and Belur which are the homes of some well preserved thousand year old Hindu temples. I spent many days carefully studying the structure of these unique stone buildings and their incredibly complex, ornate decorations. Every surface is covered with images and stories of the many incarnations of the Hindu pantheon and their celebrants creating a glorious cacophony which inevitably draws the viewer deeply into their magic. They truly make the heavy stone walls come alive with rhythm and life that beautifully celebrate Hinduism, the oldest religion in the world.
Certainly the historic and religious properties of the sculptures continue to operate today. For me, these sculptures and their temples represent an all encompassing vision which could only be realised and nurtured through deeply held beliefs. The effort: gathering, cutting, shaping and finishing the thousands of stones that make up each temple testify to the intensity and commitment of the artists that worked them and the civilisation that supported and encouraged their labours.
All this is considered as I explore and assemble the shapes discovered and taken from my studies of the temples in situ. These ancient and venerable stones celebrate all of humanity. Their endurance, relevance and present day vitality makes viewing them a truly profound experience. This Hoysala Temple Series is my homage to the incredible energies and dynamism contained in these well preserved carved architectural monuments that aptly demonstrate man’s innate need to create meaning.
My background in post WW2 American art continues to assert its influence on my working strategies. Reference to abstract expressionism and biomorphic surrealism practised and advocated by my teachers continues to inform my work. Action painting was dependent for its effectiveness upon the communication of the artist’s brushing gestures - gestures accomplished mainly through movements of the large muscle groups of the body. The viewers reaction in this instance must be kinaesthetic as well as optical in order to comprehend the work. The term biomorphic designates artistic forms which look as if they had developed in the same way that all living organisms develop: through the division of cells.
I often reflect on the work of Arshile Gorky (1904 - 48), that awkward, misplaced refugee from Armenia who furtively sought solace in America. His work came to fruition when I was born in 1944 with his masterpiece, The Liver is the Cocks Comb (1944). He had groped so long for an individual voice with which to sing the lament of his own dislocation and pain. From my perspective, Gorky produced some of the most lyrical and profoundly spiritual images of 20th century American art.
Biography
David Allan Seibert is an artist based for 26 years on an island in Moreton Bay having arrived in Australia in 1971. His work has been exhibited in Brisbane and overseas including, the Queensland Art Gallery, the Queensland College of Art Gallery, The Hanoi University of Fine Art Gallery, the Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, the Schubert Gallery,and the Ray Hughes Gallery . In addition he has had two major survey exhibitions at the QCA Gallery and the Gold Coast City Art Gallery.
Born 1944 in Buffalo New York, U.S.A., David Allan Seibert was educated at: the Albright Art School, Buffalo; the State University of New York at Buffalo; the University of Siena and the Duccio Scoula del Arte, Italy; and the University of Iowa School of Art, U.S.A.
He has work in private, corporate and public collections.
Opening Friday 6.30pm 16 June
Solo Exhibition 16 June - 4 July
Statement
I am showing four works from my October 2003 exhibition, Resurrection and Memory that was at the Queensland University of Technology Art Museum. Although I had produced a number of large works of graphite on paper before, this was the first time I attempted one of four metres. It was an exciting challenge to both my technical and conceptual skills. The composition and tenor of Danse Macabre which was executed first, in turn established the thematic and aesthetic direction of what followed in the series. It is good to see these selected pieces in a less compressed space.
La Danse Macabre, also called Dance of Death, La Danza Macabra, or Totentanz is a late-medieval allegory on the universality of death: no matter one’s station in life, the dance of death united all. La Danse Macabre consists of the personified death leading a row of dancing figures from all walks of life to the grave - typically with an emperor, king, pope, monk, youngster, beautiful girl, all in skeleton-state. They were produced under the impact of the Black Death, reminding people of how fragile their lives were and how vain the glories of earthly life are.
Graphite, a generic drawing medium is wonderfully sensuous and capable of producing subtle nuances of line and tone on both a large and small scale. It is capable of recording bold bodily gestures as well as minute focused detail. One of the pure states of carbon, this common mineral can be found from stick to pencil form and is one of the most accessible of all drawing media.
The rest of the work is inspired by my visit to India last year. My third time there, this country’s rich, ancient culture continues to engage and enthral. I spent most of my time in Karnataka State in the southern part of the the great subcontinent. With Mysore as my base, I explored the ancient towns of Halebid and Belur which are the homes of some well preserved thousand year old Hindu temples. I spent many days carefully studying the structure of these unique stone buildings and their incredibly complex, ornate decorations. Every surface is covered with images and stories of the many incarnations of the Hindu pantheon and their celebrants creating a glorious cacophony which inevitably draws the viewer deeply into their magic. They truly make the heavy stone walls come alive with rhythm and life that beautifully celebrate Hinduism, the oldest religion in the world.
Certainly the historic and religious properties of the sculptures continue to operate today. For me, these sculptures and their temples represent an all encompassing vision which could only be realised and nurtured through deeply held beliefs. The effort: gathering, cutting, shaping and finishing the thousands of stones that make up each temple testify to the intensity and commitment of the artists that worked them and the civilisation that supported and encouraged their labours.
All this is considered as I explore and assemble the shapes discovered and taken from my studies of the temples in situ. These ancient and venerable stones celebrate all of humanity. Their endurance, relevance and present day vitality makes viewing them a truly profound experience. This Hoysala Temple Series is my homage to the incredible energies and dynamism contained in these well preserved carved architectural monuments that aptly demonstrate man’s innate need to create meaning.
My background in post WW2 American art continues to assert its influence on my working strategies. Reference to abstract expressionism and biomorphic surrealism practised and advocated by my teachers continues to inform my work. Action painting was dependent for its effectiveness upon the communication of the artist’s brushing gestures - gestures accomplished mainly through movements of the large muscle groups of the body. The viewers reaction in this instance must be kinaesthetic as well as optical in order to comprehend the work. The term biomorphic designates artistic forms which look as if they had developed in the same way that all living organisms develop: through the division of cells.
I often reflect on the work of Arshile Gorky (1904 - 48), that awkward, misplaced refugee from Armenia who furtively sought solace in America. His work came to fruition when I was born in 1944 with his masterpiece, The Liver is the Cocks Comb (1944). He had groped so long for an individual voice with which to sing the lament of his own dislocation and pain. From my perspective, Gorky produced some of the most lyrical and profoundly spiritual images of 20th century American art.
Biography
David Allan Seibert is an artist based for 26 years on an island in Moreton Bay having arrived in Australia in 1971. His work has been exhibited in Brisbane and overseas including, the Queensland Art Gallery, the Queensland College of Art Gallery, The Hanoi University of Fine Art Gallery, the Queensland University of Technology Art Museum, the Schubert Gallery,and the Ray Hughes Gallery . In addition he has had two major survey exhibitions at the QCA Gallery and the Gold Coast City Art Gallery.
Born 1944 in Buffalo New York, U.S.A., David Allan Seibert was educated at: the Albright Art School, Buffalo; the State University of New York at Buffalo; the University of Siena and the Duccio Scoula del Arte, Italy; and the University of Iowa School of Art, U.S.A.
He has work in private, corporate and public collections.
Opening Friday 6.30pm 16 June
Solo Exhibition 16 June - 4 July