Magic, Myth and Lore at Bash Contemporary

 

I shall be premiering a new work for a superlative group show at Bash this coming Valentines day-which shall be a rather nice counterpoint I think to all the candy coated hearts and flowers.

Exploring a 'seedbed of possibilities from a contemporary perspective.' and 'the mystical and the consequences brought by evil while good seeks to prevail,' my piece-"Begat the Great Death and Resurrection Show", invokes the triumvirate spirit of Messianic entity, as a mere anecdote for premature existence.

The show opens February 14th at 5pm and runs through March 14th and includes members of the Copycat Violence: An Artist Collective along Sandra Sandy Yagi, Christopher Ulrich, David Van Gough, Jeff Christensen Artwork, Paolo Petrangelli, Hannah Yata, Julianna Menna, Mab Graves and Jean Pierre Arboleda. Contact info@bashcontemporary.com for enquiries.

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 

The fruits of Labor days

It's one week away-Purgatorium at Bash- two years worth of preparation kneeling at the alter of my easel, a hanging for public dissemination, though not too much of a public hanging hopefully. 
The Art is framed and wrapped like Festivus,and we shall be hitting the road for the long haul to the Bay shortly.
Which just leaves me to say a hearty thank you to everyone who has shared, liked and commented through the social media sphere- whilst certain 'official' quarters remain less than forthcoming in recognizing my efforts-I am always encouraged by the enthusiasm and support of my true fans. 

Cheers!!

Hope to see some of you next week

PURGATORIUM AT BASH CONTEMPORARY

Artist reception Saturday September 6th-6pm-9pm

210 Golden Gate Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102 info@bashcontemporary.com

Final Painting for the Purgatorium show

 

Although most of my friends on Facebook and the like will be acquainted with it by now, here it is for your viewing pleasure-"This thing of Darkness, I acknowledge mine"

What to tell you about it-well, not only is it the last piece I painted, but it's the final piece in the entire series. I had intended 'He who dies, pays all debts" (and I apologize for the long titles, but you know-go tell it to Shakespeare) but I really wanted the arc to end on a high note, as well as it be something which could include Joseph Locke, William Blake and my cat Ronin. 

With all that said, it's kind of a farewell to England, or the idea of England-a place that exists as an idea rather than tangible landmass. A topography of the mind, or at least its surrounding ocean if you will. 

It'll be hung along it's sisters and brothers throughout September at Bash Contemporary. 

Yeah, you know the drill. HERE

Candy Covered Coatings.

Here I am, gilding the lilly, or slapping on a final coat of varnish to the layman. If we as artists were an honest breed, I imagine we would admit that it is the absolute worst part of the process, the moment when all your hours meticulously working color, hue and detail, is obliterated by chance, akin to dragging broad daubs of phlegmatic, milky, sputum across your work with the flat edge of a broom. It's an absolute macrocosm in time,space and humidity and one give's oneself over absolutely to the alchemy of environment, which when all said and done, is probably wonderfully freeing and cathartic, and rather like a trial by fire or some thing like that. 

Regardless, we are just under three weeks away from endgame, skates on, showdown or up if you will. 

Purgatorium-Graphite versions

One of the core pleasures of this series, was the opportunity to do detailed sketches before scaling up to their painted versions. All the pieces are 11" x 14" and priced at $500 each, any inquiries should be forwarded to info@bashcontemporary.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Titles:

1. Good wombs have borne bad sons.

2. Whats past is prologue.

3. A thousand furlongs of sea, for an acre of barren land.

4. The dark and backward abysm of time

5. Brave new world

6. Misery acquaints man with strange bedfellows

7. So lie there, my Art

8. Poor worm, thou art infected

9. Night kept chained below

10. Space have I to lie in such a prison

11. He that dies pays all debts

12. This thing of darkness, I acknowledge mine  

Purgatorium on site

Breaking on through-that's me putting on the final touches before clearing the rubble, and final calls before showtime. For the remainder, I'll be gilding the Lilly with varnish and trying to get the word out-the toughest challenge of all.
So I also designed a site for the showcase, which kind of frames the series nicely I think, so check it out-bookmark it, share it.


PURGATORIUM OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Press Release for the Purgatorium Show

Please feel free to reshare with relevant news outlets
===============================================

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

8/6/2014

San Diego

Bash Contemporary Gallery presents:
David Van Gough's Purgatorium
September 5th through October 5th
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 6, 6 pm to 9 am

Bash Contemporary
210 Golden Gate Avenue,
San Francisco, CA 94102
info@bashcontemporary.com

http//:bashcontemporary.com

 (415) 926-8573

Artist website: www.davidgoughart.com/Purgatorium.htm

About Purgatorium

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 stanza's from Shakespeare's Tempest as themes of metaphorical exile - Purgatorium (Latin for the place in between) sets a chronological backdrop of imagined personal biography from birth to death, against an undercurrent of ancient sinister architecture, and the desolate shipyards of his Liverpool hometown.

An epic aphorism, Purgatorium is Gough's contemporary exorcism, an ode from the artist as forgotten alchemist, examining the painters role as both confessor and inquisitor, in a continued tortured state of crippling self evaluation, against the burgeoning detritus of modern assimilation

ABOUT THE ARTIST
 
A self-proclaimed Necrorealist, David Van Gough is an artist originally from Liverpool, England living in California.

Using allegory chronicling a heightened sense of mortality, and the madness of the minds subterranean fathoms, his work is an emotional excavation for purpose.

An Honoree Artist of 2010 at the San Diego Art Institute, his work has been exhibited at the Oceanside Museum of Art as well as hosted in a succession of solo showcases on both sides of the Atlantic. More recently, his previous exhibit- Man/son and the haunting of the American Madonna- has been featured as part of the critically acclaimed documentary Serial Killer Culture by John Borowski.

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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."

In Praise of the Art Widows.

On the last leg, literally.

 Eleven down, final canvas in progress.Hard to believe.

That's the penultimate piece above- 'Space enough have I, in such a prison'-which like the titles of all the paintings in the series-is a line from the Tempest. 

Been watching umpteen adaptations, and the Derek Jarman one is still my favorite-like a Dorothea Tanning in chiaroscuro, it has Jack Birkett as Caliban, and a winsome Toyah as Miranda. 
This is my version of Miranda...whats that? Looks like my wife? I won't have it - any resemblance to Lani is purely coincidental. 
Actually, that's a lie, Lani is in all of the pieces, quite simply because whatever sun that has risen or set in the studio, it has done so with her blessing.  

Never a hint of complaint, grievance, or resentment for that other bedfellow, for our muses are like mistresses that we spend our hours bewitched and infatuated by.

For all the "oohs" and "ahs" doled out for those concubines gazing from walls throughout history, the Art widows of the world are the true goddesses.

First Purgatorium article preview

A sneak preview of my upcoming show-Purgatorium-has just been very kindly posted over at Upon a Midnight Dreary, as the grand finale for a 2014 Gothic Summer drive,in what writer Dahlia Jane is predicting as "the most significant solo show of the year".

So,no pressure there then.

Go See HERE