David Burrows
dal 19/4/2004 al 30/5/2004
Segnalato da
19/4/2004
David Burrows
Chisenhale Gallery, London
New life. Disaster, terror and hysteria are at the heart of David Burrows' major new installation at Chisenhale Gallery. The gallery's ex-industrial space is strewn with what appears to be debris from a recent catastrophe or frenzied celebration. Collapsing structures, ripped shoes and fragments of clothing are arranged against a backdrop of large-scale photographs and architectural constructions. This aftermath is introduced at the entrance of the gallery by a fresco of a burst heart emblazoned with the slogan 'The Modern Spirit is Never Again.'
NEW LIFE
Disaster, terror and hysteria are at the heart of David Burrows' major new installation at Chisenhale Gallery.
The gallery's ex-industrial space is strewn with what appears to be debris from a recent catastrophe or frenzied celebration. Collapsing structures, ripped shoes and fragments of clothing are arranged against a backdrop of large-scale photographs and architectural constructions. This aftermath is introduced at the entrance of the gallery by a fresco of a burst heart emblazoned with the slogan 'The Modern Spirit is Never Again.'
However, the wreckage in New Life is brightly coloured and sparkling. The installation's initial impression of devastation is interrupted by immaculate attention to detail and saturated colours. Burrows meticulously cuts his objects from soft materials such as foam and rubber, lending an air of optimism and joy to the ruins of New Life.
New Life fuses the formal qualities of scatter installation with the aesthetics of shop window dressing, resulting in a contradictory and complex visual language. Burrows sees the project as the equivalent of the nouveau roman, a form of French literature in which the chronology and causes of events are displaced or erased, creating a heightened sense of ambiguity.
New Life is David Burrrows' first solo exhibition in a public gallery in London. New Life tours to:
Collective Gallery, Edinburgh: 10 July - 7 August 2004
Mead Gallery, University of Warwick: 29 September - 2 December 2004
Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth: January - March 2005
In 2001 David Burrows exhibited in Beck's Futures 2 (ICA London & touring). Previous solo exhibitions include Praz-Delavallade, Paris (2001); fa projects, London (2002); Fredericke Taylor Gallery, New York (2002); Note, Arezzo (2002). Burrows' practice also includes collaborations, most recently with DJ Simpson at Artspace Sydney as part of an Arts Council England International Residency in 2003. Burrows received a Paul Hamlyn Award for Visual Artists in 2002.
DATES: 21 APRIL - 30 MAY 2004
PREVIEW: TUESDAY 20 APRIL, 6:30PM - 8:30PM
OPENING TIMES: WED - SUN, 1:00PM - 6:00PM
ADMISSION FREE
Hi-res press images available: please contact Stuart Croft on +44(0)20 8981 4518
COMMISSIONED BY CHISENHALE GALLERY AND MEAD GALLERY, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
CHISENHALE GALLERY
64 CHISENHALE ROAD
LONDON E3 5QZ