DAVId D'AGOSTINO
Exploring Landscape from 10,000 Views
Dedicated to Non-Toxic Materials and Processes
Reflecting on what Henry Miller once wrote, “one’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things,” David D'Agostino's work presents the viewer a denouement of the mechanics of seeing. Along these lines, D’Agostino demonstrates the desire to conquer the natural world, yet proves that the landscape continues to be uncapturable in its entirety. His technique and process ask us to reflect and engage with the depth of each work. He tethers the ongoing effort to connect with the ineffable to a once in a lifetime journey.
Brooke Tomiello, Curator, Lane Meyer Projects, Denver
My work is primarily influenced by ecological crisis and the various, often cryptic, stories that arise as collapsing utterances from the natural world. Technically, the work manifests the artistic philosophy of the Qing Dynasty painter Shi-Tao, who emphasized subjective perspective and the use of shifting negative space -- what cannot be seen. I make an effort not to fill artistic space with habitual aesthetic responses, but rather to investigate the landscape as an ever-changing fount –- a poetic archeology that, rather than attempting to arrive at something conclusive, recognizes the formless essence of perception and consciousness. -DD
For many years, David D’Agostino pursued nomadic paths crossing North Africa and Southeastern Europe. D’Agostino's exhibition career includes being invited into the politically-inspired Bulgarian collective ‘XXL', and being the first American to have a studio and representation with Townhouse Gallery in Cairo -- a prominent contemporary art space in North Africa. He has maintained strong relations with local art scenes abroad, organizing exhibits in the US, including ‘Bloodlines’ at the MCA Denver, which featured leading Bulgarian and Russian artists. D'Agostino was a studio artist at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center from 2008-11 and exhibited at Krause Gallery (Atlanta, NYC) and Poem (88) Gallery (Atlanta). In 2015, D'Agostino and collaborating artists created a multimedia installation and performance, ‘Parental Fatigue,’ for the Biennale of the Americas, Denver and Mexico City. His work was selected for New American Paintings, no.126, 2017. During 2018, he participated in the XXL group show at the Bulgarian National Gallery in Sofia, constructed an inter-media installation at the Saad Zaghloul Contemporary Art Center in Cairo, Egypt, and had solo shows at FXFOWLE in NYC and Lane Meyer Projects, Denver, Colorado. D'Agostino was selected for an artist residency hosted by the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA, 2020.
His most recent work embodies 'eco-materialism', the making and application of non-toxic artist materials and processes. To realize this effort he co-founded the Raking Weeds Collective in Albuquerque, NM which was introduced at AC2- Albuquerque Contemporary Art Center in Albuquerque, 2021.
'Bigger Views(s): Earth, Anthropocene, Beauty' with Jennifer Lord and Noah Phillips,
Boulder (CO) Public Library, 2021
'25th Anniversary
Contemporary Art Exhibit',
Korean Cultural Center, Los Angeles, 2019
'Past and Present of a Counter Culture Narrative', National Gallery of Art, XXL Group Exhibition, Sofia, Bulgaria, 2018
Contact
'Atmospheres', Saad Zaghloul Contemporary Art Center,
Cairo, Egypt, 2018