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Multimedia artist David Rickard returns home for a solo exhibition and creation of a site-specific work in the Ashburton Art Gallery.   Echoes from the Sound Barrier brings together new works that considers our perceptions of the physical world and the gaps between our experience and its realities.   Rickard studied architecture at Auckland University and Fine Arts in Milan and London.  Currently based in London his work has featured in The New York Times and Flash Art, and exhibitions in London, Basel, Rotterdam and Brussels.

Rickard says that his time at the Auckland School of Architecture led to the Fine Arts, spending time in the neighbouring Elam School of Fine Art.  ‘By the time I was finishing my degree I knew that I wanted to study art further which led me to Brera Academia in Milan and Central Saint Martins in London. There’s a lot of overlap between the disciplines of art and architecture and my studies in architecture have had a lasting impact on my art practice.’

‘There are lots of gaps that exist between our perceptions and what we call reality, which can be revealed through fairly simple experiments and situations.  Our personal abilities of perception are very localised and limited. However, my work isn’t just about looking at the thresholds of our perceptions, it’s also about opening up dialogue about our relationship to place and context, which is a much more philosophical question.’

‘The Ashburton Art Gallery exhibition will be made up of installations, photographs and films that relate to its spaces, the wider context of Canterbury and also far beyond.  At first sight some of the objects might appear familiar, such as a pair of drum sticks, or a stack of concrete blocks.  However, I hope visitors will take a little time to consider the back-story behind these objects as they each respond to their context in different ways.’

‘I’m making a new installation for the Ashburton Art Gallery’s foyer called AWEIGH, the term used for an anchor just lifted from the sea floor and a boat set adrift.   I will be bringing a used anchor from Vigo on the north-west coast of Spain, paired with another anchor from Greymouth. These two functional objects arrive from directly antipodal locations, where gravity has pulled them towards each other on the sea floor to anchor boats in place.  Within the Ashburton Art Gallery foyer they will span the double-height wall, separated only by the ropes that once secured them to their boats.’

Until 20 January 2020

IMAGE

 David Rickard, A Walk in the Alps (Middle of Nowhere), 2019, images courtesy of the artist, Copperfield, London and Galleria Michela Rizzo, Venice

 

David Rickard - Exploring the gaps between perception and reality

 
 
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