- This event has passed.
Faceless People
1 December, 2020 - 19 December, 2020
David Hirst
Faceless People
1 – 19 December 2020
hours:
Tuesday – Friday 11am to 5pm,
Saturday 11am to 3pm
admission: Free
…echoes the artist’s despair at the way in which the world is ignoring the effects of global warming…
Please note: No bookings necessary to see the exhibition during regular gallery hours, Tuesday to Friday 11am – 5pm and Saturday 11am – 3pm. We’d love to see you in the gallery! Please click here for our COVIDsafe information.
David Hirst traps emotions, memories and ideas in his abstracted painting and sculpture, to be shared with or re-interpreted by others.
The works in Faceless People reference so-called ‘primitive works’ which were made by inhabitants of islands in the Pacific region. The exhibition echoes the artist’s despair at the way in which the world is ignoring the effects of global warming on the inhabitants of these islands, despite their frequent requests for help.
The abstracted sculptures and paintings reflect the lack of political power that inhabitants of these small isolated islands possess. Without help, many Pacific islands will be swamped by rising sea levels and sadly, many island cultures may disappear.
David Hirst arrived in Melbourne from the UK in 1971 and became a research Neuroscientist. His career was based on an active hands-on approach to experimental work; an aspect he maintained until he retired in 2006. Surprisingly, many of the habits acquired during his scientific life have persisted. Art is a hands on affair. A certain repetition is required to produce either a scientific paper or a show, with a common theme being applied to either creation.
After retiring, Hirst started painting full time. Following advice from friend and artist Graham Fransella, Hirst embarked on a Certificate 3 course at CAE in 2009, and converted this to a Diploma of Visual Arts which was awarded in 2012, majoring in Painting and Sculpture. Since then Hirst has held four solo shows, one consisting of sculptures and the other three of paintings. Faceless People is his fifth solo show, encompassing both painting and sculpture.