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| Beth Davis-Hofbauer - Castle in the sky |
Welcome to the Dwell exhibition and book. For a whole month we will be taking each artist's page and transforming it into a 3 dimensional dwelling. Each one of these small sculptures will be exhibited in public on the London streets.
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Beth Davis-Hofbauer's page in
the Dwell book |
Today we have the dwell of
Beth Davis-Hofbauer who is a disabled artist living on the south coast of England. As well as an artist she is a photographer, dreamer, drinker of tea and mead, and hater of elitism. Her work explores notions of environment and identity through photography & mixed media. Beth's experience of illness and her son’s autism is often reflected in her practice. She utilises various media in her projects but photography underpins much of her work: its mediated form of reality a metaphor for her own experience of being in a wheelchair.
Beth Davis-Hofbauer is admired and cherished by us here at CollectConnect for her broad range of skills, ideas, and the opportunities she provides for artists with the burgeoning
Fareham Art Trail. The philosophy of this trail is to provide a platform for artists and the public who traditionally find it difficult to access the art world. Last year she organised a magnetic art event where artists submitted original works which were printed onto magnetic substrate; along with their details and QR codes linking to a page with their statement. These were exhibited on Fareham's podium and were picked up and taken home for free by visitors. Her personal philosophy is equally compelling......
"Artists are no longer tied to a particular genre or ideology. We can exist in multiple spaces and utilise different backgrounds to create wonderful new work that continues to hold a mirror up to society, questioning it in the process."
Beth Davis-Hofbauer's dwelling for the exhibition is the
Castle in the Sky and emphasises her credentials as a dreamer, which she considers her raison d'etre as much as her art. We placed her castle alongside the River Thames by London Bridge and within striking distance of the tallest building in Europe. For me it represents a David and Goliath battle with The Shard towering over our defiant dwelling. Beth Davis-Hofbauer helps me realise that a dream has no limits, whether big or small it can be indulged in and achieved.
AL.
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| Castle in the sky (detail) |
Don't forget to have a look at the next Collect Connect project,
'The Art of Caring' exhibition at The Rose Theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames. The theme is Caring/Care and it is FREE to enter.
To buy the Dwell Book for £6 then follow this
LINK.
g perceived notions. At present my artistic
practice is focused around ideas of Environmentalism, identity and the interplay
between spirituality, memory and mythologies (not Classical mythology but widely
held assumptions and links to Structuralism). I draw inspiration from a number
of different sources and like to explore this through my work. Theoretically I
am drawn to the ideas of Roland Barthes, Ferdinand de Saussure, Jean
Baudrillard, Guy Debord, Theodore Adorno, Abraham Maslow and John Berger among
others. Artistically I have long been influenced by those who bridge the gap
between photography and art, high and low culture and who combine artistic
methods. In particular the works of Barbara Kruger, Gilbert and George, Jenny
Holzer, Vik Muniz and Gerhard Richter. My interest in organic forms and
convergence greatly influences my practice, so that my work can involve elements
of photography, textiles, traditional handicrafts, painting (watercolour and
acrylic), ink, digital art, collage, found objects, acetates and other mixed
media. However I tend to favour photographic expression which I then choose to
corrupt. The process I go through as an artist is important to my finished work.
Primarily I start with an image, be it a photograph or a mental image, and then
I explore where I can go with it. Fluidity is key to my work and I rely on a
host of saved objects, images, texture boards, inspiration boards, art journals
and sketches to influence my ideas. I like to borrow from my past work and
re-contextualise it (this is particularly true of my digital illustrations)
creating new pieces in the process. I believe that art in contemporary society
has moved on quicker than art theory. Artists are no longer tied to a particular
genre or ideology. We can exist in multiple spaces and utilise different
backgrounds to create wonderful new work that continues to hold a mirror up to
society, questioning it in the process
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