Dave Alsobrooks

Look Away Dixie Land.

// August 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // Art, Life, Picks

Heritage, Not Hate? has found a temporary home. Maybe I should clarify — a temporary home that is not under my jurisdiction. The series of paintings will be included in a show titled “Look Away Dixie Land” at LabourLove Gallery in Durham. I’m honored to have a spot in the gallery alongside Titus Brooks Heagins and McArthur Freeman, both acclaimed artists. I’m including info for the show from the Golden Belt website below — and take note, the opening is this Friday night!

LabourLove Gallery
August 20, 2010 to October 10, 2010
6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Art Exhibition
Admission: Free, Open to public
Parking: Main, Visitor and Auxillary Parking Lots

Jason Salemme will be back for the opening on Friday, August 20 from -11:30pm with Three of our all time favorite homebrew’s! IPA, Pineapple Hefeweizen, and ESB

In “Look Away Dixie Land” McArthur Freeman, Titus Brooks Heagins, & Dave Alsobrooks explore themes of racism in the south through painting, photography, and mix-media.

McArthur’s Artist Statement:

I create narrative paintings, drawings, and installations exploring race, double consciousness, and the construction of identity. The images are a synthesis of children’s book illustrations, fairy tales, and invented characters with historical narratives, images from popular culture, and social critique to create a wonderland like world that has gone disturbingly awry, but is seductively beautiful. Th…e images are surreal, yet they investigate many of the myths and absurd truths that exist in our real world experiences. Dark subject matter that is sweetened by cartoon-like figures, lyrical compositions, vivid color, and bulbous sensual forms, unify a host of iconic references in these painted environments. Painting becomes a way of exploring and confronting the images that we consume in order to create a dialogue between image, perception, and constructed reality. Through these open-ended narratives, I explore the displacement involved in the expectations of the utopian American dream and the reality of racism, mind colonization, confused notions of beauty, and hybridity. McArthur earned an MFA from Cornell University and is currently a professor at NC State.

Titus’s Artist Statement:

The pivotal question is whether we owe a debt to those ancestors who endured so we could have life. They lived lives of pain, indignities, unfulfilled desires and dreams, while surrounded by fear and the various forms of physical and spiritual death. The debt we owe is not reparations, nor national apologies — those issues are for the larger society to ponder. Ours is a debt more personal, central to our persistence and continued survival as a people in a nation still hostile to our presence. I create images today to interrogate the past. Visual realities that are dense in detail and laden with conflicting meaning so overwhelming that they hold the potential to extract our own truths from a filter of the past. We remain prisoners of our past; we may not acknowledge this fact, but we remain held by our denial as well as our acceptance of the truths of enslavement. African Americans come into the world with vulnerable potential, but are quickly damaged. Daily indignities confront us as we negotiate our path in a cloaked and clouded. As both an institution and experience, slavery is rarely a conscious reality for most African Americans. Both inter and intra racial relations bear the foundations created in antebellum America. The sole purpose of this exhibition is to present a series of visual relationships that existed both internally and externally in the plantation economies of the American South. The truth of these images lies in your past, present, and future experiences. Titus is a documentary photographer and teacher of photography at the university level. He earned his undergraduate degree from Duke University and MFA from the University of Michigan.

Dave’s Artist Statement:

Let me start by saying I’m not pretending to answer age-old questions about race relations with paintings of the Confederate flag. But you may have guessed as much. I’m simply recounting my experience of growing up in South Carolina. As with the strong graphic lines of the Confederate Flag, there were distinct lines in life. Geographic and cultural, acceptable and punishable. The Confederate Flag has been a point of contention in South Carolina for generations. The flag has traditionally been a prominent icon, seen on license plates, shirts, tattoos, bumper stickers and keychains among other items. The “Southern Cross” was even displayed atop the state’s capitol building from 1962 until 2000. Arguments were made to remove the flag and to uphold its public display in Columbia. I knew folks entrenched on either side of this discussion, so I was privy to both points of view. During this time the phrase, “Heritage, not hate,” became popular. It became the “politically correct” slogan accompanying the Confederate Flag. Paraphrased: the Confederate Flag doesn’t have any hateful associations — its public display is only a tribute to history, heritage and a way of life. Heritage, not hate? To whose heritage are we referring?

What if this powerful symbol were only about the sacrifices and tribulations of people fighting to maintain their way of life? Or what if the flag only encompassed simple family traditions being passed from generation to generation, with none of the mistakes made along the way? What if the flag were reclaimed and used as a defiant symbol of perseverance and cultural vibrancy? Or what if in the flag, we were only witness to its worst associations throughout history?

Review.

// May 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // Art, Design

The 60 Word/Minute Art Critic, Lori Waxman, is in Durham this weekend for a performance. Her performance consists of Waxman spending 25 minutes with an artist’s work and providing a thoughtful review. She does this for many artists over the course of a day. There are no guarantees, and the results are made public. It’s a very interesting and almost clinical process. There’s no conversation, save for the one between Waxman and the art. No excuses, no embellishments, no rebuttals, no interruptions.

Ms. Waxman reviewed my “Heritage, Not Hate?” series. I’m sharing the text below.

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Is there a more loaded American symbol than the confederate flag? I suppose the greenback gives it a run for its money, bad pun intended, but the sheer indispensability of money will always trump any concerns with its history or the current state of American, i.e. world, capitalism. Not so the former flag of the southern United States, whose usefulness today seems more or less limited to 1) an unapologetic nostalgia for the way things used to be, and 2) a criticism of the way things used to be. “The way things used to be” in this case refers to a history of slavery, segregation and racist violence directed toward African Americans. What artist Dave Alsobrooks has done in a series of four collage canvases based on the design of the flag is, oddly enough, to acknowledge both of these possibilities. One white and one black canvas each convey a nostalgic picture of, respectively, conservative white and black family values. On their own, these stand as strikingly uncritical visions of a divided south. Displayed alongside a second pair of pictures, however, the tone changes. Here is the awful history of it all, classic red and blue for Civil War era challenges, yellow for Civil Rights era ones. Taken apart, a limited, almost clichéd history of the south presents itself. But taken together, a complex version emerges.

—Lori Waxman

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You can see Amy White’s great review of the performance from the Indepenpendent Weekly here. And view a slide show of all the reviews here.

Heritage, not hate.

// March 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Art, Design

If you grew up or passed through South Carolina in the past 20 years you may have seen bumper stickers emblazoned with the words “Heritage, not hate,” alongside the Confederate Flag. I occasionally pass through SC, but even more importantly, I grew up there. In a small town that was still for all intents and purposes segregated. The schools weren’t, but the town was. Anyways, I’ve just completed a small grouping of 4 paintings about the flag and the conversation around it. Pics to come, but here’s my statement about the series.

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Let me start by saying I’m not pretending to answer age-old questions about race relations with paintings of the Confederate flag. But you may have guessed as much. I’m simply recounting my experience of growing up in South Carolina. As with the strong graphic lines of the Confederate Flag, there were distinct lines in life. Geographic and cultural, acceptable and punishable.

The Confederate Flag has been a point of contention in South Carolina for generations. The flag has traditionally been a prominent icon, seen on license plates, shirts, tattoos, bumper stickers and keychains among other items. The “Southern Cross” was even displayed atop the state’s capitol building from 1962 until 2000. Arguments were made to remove the flag and to uphold its public display in Columbia. I knew folks entrenched on either side of this discussion, so I was privy to both points of view.

During this time the phrase, “Heritage, not hate,” became popular. It became the politically correct slogan accompanying the Confederate Flag. Paraphrased: the Confederate Flag doesn’t have any hateful associations — its public display is only a tribute to history, heritage and a way of life.

Heritage, not hate? To whose heritage are we referring?

What if this powerful symbol were only about the sacrifices and tribulations of people fighting to maintain their way of life? Or what if the flag only encompassed simple family traditions being passed from generation to generation, with none of the mistakes made along the way? What if the flag were reclaimed and used as a defiant symbol of perseverance and cultural vibrancy? Or what if in the flag, we were only witness to its worst associations throughout history?

OK, another ArtSLAM!

// February 1st, 2010 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life, Picks

We’ll be at it again this Friday at LabourtLove Gallery! Although it’s really not related, I always think of this when I think of ArtSLAM!

3 artists will create 9 pieces of art in 20 minute bursts. Topics come from the audience. It’s a fun time, especially for hanging out in a gallery. Here’s a link to LabourLove’s blog, where you can get all the details.

Basically, the event will start at 7 pm this Friday, 2/5/10 at LabourLove Gallery in Golden Belt, here in Durham, NC. See you there!

An image from ArtSLAM! v1.0

ArtSLAM!

// December 2nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life, Picks

Hey, folks. I’m one of three artists to do battle on Friday, Dec. 11 at LabourLove Gallery at Golden Belt in Durham, NC. Basically, audience members tip their concepts into a hat and one is drawn out. The 3 artists will have 20 minutes to express this concept in a visual piece. The pieces will be auctioned off at the end of the night. Should be lots-o-fun. I’ll be sharing the stage with Kelly Dew and Owen Beckman.

Here’s what LabourLove is saying about the event.

One-year Painting.

// October 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Art, Design, Life

I’m starting a year-long painting today. Well, maybe not an entire year. But it won’t be completed until August of 2010. As part of my new residency from the Durham Art Guild at Golden Belt, I’m required to donate a painting. Rather than get to the end of the year and randomly pick out a piece from the previous year’s body of work or select a piece which may or may not sell, I thought I’d give them something that had a hand in everything completed during my time in the studio. The real foundation (literally) for my work.

I had previously assembled a rough tabletop as my primary work suffice when I realized it could actually be a painting. So I’m going to use the tabletop as a workspace and as a painting. Along with collaging stuff I’ll allow my normal working process to contribute to the eventual painting. It’ll serve almost like a journal of the year’s work. It should be interesting. And fun. But my idea of fun is throwing paint and carving letterforms into plywood.

You can come see me in the space (tonight) as part of Durham’s Third Friday event. The studios at Golden Belt are located at 807 East Main Street in Durham, NC. I’m in Studio 138 in Building 3. Cheers.

On the hook.

// October 5th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life

I’m happy to report I’ve started a year-long studio residency at Golden Belt in Durham. Many thanks to the Durham Art Guild and Scientific Properties who awarded the Residency. I’ll be developing a community program and will be required to provide quarterly reports on progress to the Guild. I’m happy to oblige on these points. : )

I’m looking to expand on the art forms I’ve explored so far. This means I’ll be looking at projections, interventions in public spaces, traditional 2-D forms, sound and video. Not necessarily in that order… and not necessarily any or all of these forms will make it out of the studio door. Is that vague enough? Stay tuned… I’m accountable to progress!

Here’s the press release from the Guild.

The Sketchbook Project

// October 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life

Sketchbooks offers a glimpse into an artist’s life, which is why The Sketchbook Project‘s goal is to create a publicly accessible library of sketchbooks that people can browse, peruse, and check out. The Project was started by Art House Co-op in Atlanta, whose premise is that this sketchbook collection has the potential to open a new line of communication between artist and viewer, since the experience of making and viewing are both so personal. Before joining our permanent collection, completed sketchbooks will be exhibited at select galleries across the US.

I’m participating in The Sketchbook Project. Check out my blank, pristine Moleskin sketchbook as it arrived. I have to fill it with art and return for a national gallery tour. My topic: Danger, Danger. Should be fun!

The completed sketchbooks will hit Atlanta, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Chicago galleries before entering the Sketchbook Project permanent collection.

Highway One prints.

// September 16th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Design, Life

I was recently asked by a local advertising agency to hang some Highway One work. If you’ve followed the story here, you’d know these images were created with projection in mind. So I stepped back and punted. What I ended up with are 8 x 10 prints on Arches and Strathmore papers. I fixed these and then applied several coats of varnish. These prints are applied to a larger 22 x 15 vertical sheet and a custom Highway One wax seal is applied along with varied hand-stamped ornamentation. Each $75 print is signed and hand-numbered by the artist. I’m doing sets of 5 for each Highway One image — this Flickr set contains all of the final images. Even the ones not in the installation. Contact me if you’re interested.

MUSA artist profile: Newton/Alsobrooks.

// September 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Art, Picks

I’ll soon be installing the Highway One work at the upcoming Made in the USA (MUSA) exhibition in Raleigh later this year. Here’s a little info about the exhibition:

MUSA is an art exhibition housed in a furniture factory that fell prey to economic pressure and closed its doors in 2002. In a broader sense, MUSA examines the effects of globalization and the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial era in the U.S.A. in general and North Carolina in particular. As America has shifted from a society that produces to a society that consumes, numerous factories around the country lie dormant, a testament to what once was a way of life. David Newton is one of the exhibiting artists.

Content is important in David’s work, but there are some formal concerns that also unite. His forms are generally spacious and airy, with color playing an important part. An affinity for the combination of geometric and organic forms, and an ongoing interest in line are two prominent features. In addition to hardware and found objects the most common material is welded steel, with occasional woodwork.

An example of some of David’s work.

And an image I’ll project along with some ambient sound at the MUSA exhibition.

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