Paradiso’s Fall Opening. Artist Reception-March 9th

So you do a show, and of course you hope that somehow the planets will align. That people come and like what they see. That your work will connect with the visitors, and hopefully make a few sales, cover your costs, and if it all falls short of your hopes, then you’ve still done the graft at the end of the day, because the doing is ultimately the reason for the season.

Except, after years of accepting your lot-when it goes beyond that, when your hopes are surpassed , it can be every bit as paralyzing as disappointment. Which is why it’s taken me over a week to to say that I’m feeling flabbergasted-humbled-incredibly blessed.  The friends, the visitors, the collectors, my fellow artists, the curators Jeremy Schott and Jeremy Cross, my wife Lani…my mad gratitude.

You can see previews of the show Here
Paradiso’s Fall closes at The Dark Art Emporium- March 30th.

 

 

With Vincent Castiglia

With Evgenia Golik

With Tatomir Pitariu and Bill Shafer of Hyaena

With Chet Zar

 

With Lani

Review of Purgatorium on Art Business.com

"David Van Gough conjures up fabulously fantastic, elaborate, and at times grotesque and ghastly realities. Worth seeing"

Purgatorium maybe off the walls, but the show recently enjoyed the tremendous accolade of being featured on Art Business, accompanied by a review and photos  taken by none other than Alan Bamberger.
It's midway down the post:

ART BUSINESS REVIEW 

Purgatorium Artist Reception at Bash Contemporary, September 6th 2014

In which a colorful array including the best of friends, fans and new fellowships convened upon a gallery in San Francisco for my chef d'oeuvre.  And what a night it was, the end of a most remarkable week in the Bay-a veritable breath of heady air before airing.

Too many people to thank but a heartfelt debt of gratitude to all the wonderful friends who traveled from a afar-you know who you are, my thanks to Bash Contemporary and the lovely curious folk who made it out to the show in support-you are grand. 
The show will continue to run until October 5th.

 

 

 

Some downtime with friends-Christopher Ulrich and Matt Levin

Talking Art with Sandy Yagi

With the ever exotic Stephanie Vega, Her husband Glenn and my dear friend Dahlia Jane

 

in the midst of Purgatory, beautiful duo Melinda and my wife Lani 

You can see the rest of the photos from the night-HERE 

PURGATORIUM-FIRST PREVIEW

Here it is-11 of the projected 24 pieces for my show- Purgatorium - opening at Bash Contemporary September 5th-October 5th, Artist reception 6th 6pm - 9pm-all inquiries to info@bashcontemporary.com, (415) 926-8573 www.bashcontemporary.com

 Good Wombs Have Borne Bad Sons-oil on canvas
-48"x36" $3500

 What's Past is Prologue-oil on canvas-48"x36" $4000

 A Thousand Furlongs of Sea, For an Acre of Barren Land-oil on canvas-48"x36" $3500

 The Dark and Backwards Abysm of Time- oil on canvas-48"x36" $4000

 Brave New World-oil on canvas-48"x36" $3500

 Misery acquaints man with strange bedfellows-oil on canvas-48"x36" $4500

 So Lie There, My Art-oil on canvas-48"x36" $3000

Poor Worm, Thou Art Infected-oil on canvas-48"x36" $4000

 Night Kept Chained Below-oil on canvas-48"x36" $4500

Space Have I to Lie in Such a Prison-oil on canvas
-48"x36" $4000

He That Dies Pays All Debts-oil on canvas
-48"x36" $5000

Purgatorium

"Hell is Empty and all the Devils are here"
The Tempest-William Shakespeare

In his forty-fifth Year, David Van Gough embarked upon a series which would finally confront the daunting shadow cast by his most famous ancestor, and the inevitable connotations of that surname.

Adopting the characterization of Vincent Van Gogh as martyr– and recapitulating stanzas from Shakespeare's Tempest recast as themes of life's metaphorical exile – Purgatorium (Latin for “the place in between”) sets a chronological backdrop of re-imagined personal biography from the desolate mire of his Liverpudlian upbringing to imagined death and the shadowed here-after.

The series is Van Gough's manifestation of the artist-as-alchemist via an exorcism of our contemporary society that suppresses arcane secrets, the ancient craft, the magical depths. The result is an epic parable of traumatic realization and purification."

The House of the Future Show

Don't really know where to begin telling you about Saturdays show. I could tell you it was like PT Barnum on LSD.

Or that it was like the entire San Diego underground had converged on a house on a hill and held an end of the world party.

Or that I'd wandered down a weird rabbit hole, dream,vortex, but no...NO!!...none of that really cuts it.

Maybe it was that holographic Dali clock, warping time, but as trite as it sounds, at times if felt like being submerged in a bizarro dream.

One where I talked at length with legend Selwyn Lissack, the designer of Dali's clock,who had me on the floor with anecdotes about meetings with the surreal grandmaster.

Or one where I bumped into my wife's beautiful cousin Juju Namjai, and discovered that she was in fact this incredible, talented, sensual lead singer of a band called Orchestra Mustachio.

In fact, it was a night of old friends...

Except I wasn't dreaming, because I captured some choice shots before my camera died. I only wish I had more.

Me with two Legends Patty Rangel, Selwyn Lissack

Lovely Alisha, one of my buyers.

My gorgeous wife sitting on what we called the 70's porn couch, wearing a top she designed as a homage to the surreal expressionist masterpiece-Bride of Frankenstein.

The incomparable Juju with her band, wearing make up inspired by Dali's Mae West painting.

Some thank you's in order-Ian Ashley and her husband for hosting the extravaganza, Dennis Batt and everyone from San Diego Visual Arts Guild who organised the event, as always my extended friends and family who came out in support of my work and everyone who had such great things to say about my art.

The Alternative Cafe gallery-Twilight Journeys with David Van Gough

I'm back from majestic Monterey-a journey that unravels some of the most beautifully, bleak landscape, America has to offer.

If the endless, rolling sun baked plains and hills seemed like grandiose distraction from the mundanity of eight hours on the road, then I suppose Fridays show at Alternative Cafe, was something of a subdued affair by comparison.

I'm forever grateful of the people who do make opening nights what they are,and this time around the trickle gave me ample opportunity to walk attendees through each piece at my leisure-something the short shrift of a deluge doesn't.

So my undimmed thanks to you all, gallery owner Scott for a grand showcase, the wonderfully imaginative decal border lining the walls, the patrons who hang on every syllable, the dogs and children who kept us entertained and barista's who kept my whistle wet throughout.

From Hell at the Hive gallery, picture post of David Van Gough's featured show

Three hours of crawling traffic on the five, and the kind of heat that could fry an egg in its shell, did not alter the fact one iota, that last night was tremendous.

My feet may feel like that scene in Midnight Express-you know, the one where Brad Davis is hoisted upside down, and beaten on the soles with a paddle-but my soul is full to the brim.

A veritable whirlwind of so many strange, talented,cool, sexy, bright, beautiful young things, hungry for my words and the work hanging on the walls. I am unfathomably grateful to the following...

The King Bee and curator himself-Nathan Cartright


















an angel in Hell




















Talking Art and Religion with some patrons and artists


























































Meeting the delightfully, darling Dahlia, who runs an awesomely cool blog called uponamidnightdreary-check it out!!




















My wife Lani and her awesome cousin Dave and his wife Amber















Particularly as they came bearing gifts-'I love scotchy, scotch, scotch.'




















Can't celebrate too much though, I shall have barely enough time to recover before I have to do it all again for Monterey's show at the Alternative Cafe next week.