Sacred Dream. The artwork of 'Sacred Dream' incorporates painting, construction, sculpture, and printmaking. Balken's message throughout is uniform and universal: From the personal experience of life, and mostly life's pain, comes a connection to the universe. His self portraits are potent abstract emblems of the mind.
" Sacred Dream"
Dreams are insights into the patterns and repetitions of our lives. They are
archetypes linking us with the rest of mankind. Again and again in nature,
and in man's representation of nature, there exists pattern and repetition.
Like a circle coming around to meet itself,
we revisit the same images of life. Some of these images attain sacred
status. The vessel that is the Holy Grail is one such image. There are those
icons that are familiar and those
that are more personal in Beck Balken's show at Egizio's Project.
The artwork of "Sacred Dream" incorporates painting, construction, sculpture,
and printmaking. Balken's message throughout is uniform and universal: From
the personal experience of life, and mostly life's pain, comes a connection
to the universe. His self portraits are potent abstract emblems of the mind.
Drawing on overlaid polyrythms from African percussion, Balken creates
multi-layered "paintings" as well as prints on which he draws. In this show,
five large Iris prints employ the immediate act of drawing on their surfaces.
The framed oil paintings under glass, which itself has been painted, make
objects out of the work as much as paintings.
Repetition is a powerful tool. Balken uses with powerful consistency "Sacred"
icons,
dreamlike and yet vivid in color and form. Drawing them from desert, ocean,
and air he weaves them effortlessly through all of his art. These critical
elements of life (fire, water, air) in the late 80's took form in aluminum
constructions mixing fish fins, propellers and cactus arms. Are the
propellers aquatic or aeronautic? His 7 foot tall gold-leafed bronze
sculpture "Fish" is permanently mounted on the peak of the point hotel's 18th
century dome in Edinburgh, Scotland. It shares the skyline with the Edinburgh
Castle itself. In this show at Egizio's Project, the bronze sculpture
"Pitcher" evidences traces to "Fish", on permanent installation at the Point
Hotel in Edinburgh.
Opening reception November 20 . 6-8pm
EGIZIO'S PROJECT .596 BROADWAY SUITE 406 NYC 10012. T212 226 0806. F 212
226 4561.