Garry Davies
Artist Statement
I create sculptures, paintings, and drawings. By applying abstraction, I try to increase the dynamic between viewer and artist by objectifying emotions and investigating the duality that develops through different interpretations.
My sculptures never show the complete structure. The viewer can easily imagine his or her own interpretation without being hindered by historical reality. By examining the ambiguity and origination via retakes and variations, I create work through labour-intensive processes, which can be seen explicitly as a personal exorcism ritual. They are inspired by a nineteenth-century tradition of works, in which an ideal of ‘fulfilled absence’ was seen as the pinnacle.
My works are often classified as part of the new romantic movement because of the desire for the local in the unfolding globalized world. However, this reference is not intentional, as this kind of art is part of the collective memory. By referencing romanticism, humour and symbolism, I attempt to create intense personal moments by means of rules and omissions, refusal and acceptance, luring the viewer around the sculptures.
While my work references recognizable forms, the results are deconstructed to the extent that meaning is shifted and possible interpretation becomes multifaceted. I currently live and work in Kamloops, BC.