I AM WHAT I AM

Anthony Davies

Opening: November 3 5:30 pm

Viewing: November 3 until November 13

Excerpts from Katy Corner’s Essay: Crossroads- A Family Portrait

“…Davies works systematically with a cast of characters from his immediate environment. Over the years, hundreds of strangers have unwittingly served as models. He also gathers incidents of trauma from the media, distils the elements which disturb him from local and international events and works them out through his print series. Perhaps this provides partial catharsis; probably Davies is not looking for release. Disquiet is an ingredient in bearing witness. Davies doesn’t push messages. He offers blunt images balanced by colour and design. Though he seeks innovation, the work is gimmick-free. Real life is startling enough, he seems to say….

…Davies presses scenarios at us, stakes his claim. He seems to say, “Here, this relates to you and I’d like you to pay attention…”

…The overflow of concepts can become hallucinatory and for our benefit Davies places guide marks along strategic lines. He is occasionally a trickster, inserting for instance, giant hands to tempt our eyes away from a more easily digestible path. Guidelines turn hands into hills and we’re lost and found in the tangle. He makes us work for our results…

…The media provides Davies with an ever-changing arsenal of research material and stimulates his need for action… Patterns emerge looking at Davies’ work overtime. He has so much to report and present to us that multiple stories must be presented at once…” – Katy Corner, 2006

To read the full essay and more on Anthony Davies’ practice visit: https://www.hotspurstudios.co.nz/