David Garner (artist)

Welsh installation artist

A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. Please discuss further on the talk page. (November 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

David Garner

Born| May 1958

Ebbw Vale

Nationality| Welsh
Education| Newport College of Art
Cardiff College of Art
Royal College of Art, London
Known for| Sculpture, installation Art
Awards| Ivor Davies Award, National Eisteddfod of Wales
Richard and Rosemary Wakelin Award, Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Creative Wales Award

David Garner (born 1958 in Ebbw Vale, South Wales)[1] is a Welsh installation artist known for his use of found objects and overtly political themes.

## Biography

[edit]

Garner was born in Ebbw Vale, South Wales. He studied art in Newport and Cardiff, and from 1981 studied at the Royal College of Art (RCA), London. Here he received a scholarship to work in the RCA studio in Paris. Subsequently he returned to South Wales, with a desire to root his artistic practice here, now it had been transformed by the loss of the mining industry. According to curator David Briers, Garner "has an international perspective both on world affairs and on the art world. But at the same time he savours the relative isolation of his situation as a professional artist, distancing himself from the frenzied manoeuvring of metropolitan artists for short-term celebrity status."[2]

Welsh artist Ivor Davies has described Garner as "one of the few, one of the most important artists in Britain".[3] Garner received the "Ivor Davies Award" (from the National Eisteddfod) and his work "Politics Eclipsed by Economics" has been bought by the "Richard and Rosemary Wakelin Purchase Award".[4][5][6]

Garner's 2013 exhibition, Shift, at Newport Art Gallery, was launched by a public demonstration against the proposed closure of the city's temporary exhibition programme. Garner created a special artwork, A Case of the Great Money Trick, which was inspired by the campaign against the gallery closure.[7][8] A limited edition artist publication was also created to coincide with the exhibition which included the essay "Shifting and Shaking" by critic and writer Hugh Adams. Adams describes Garner as "a considerable narrator: his objects’ stories are tragedies – of events, situations, feelings, strivings and usually, failings... he shows society’s deliberate inhumanity, its clear, deliberate and cynical viciousness."[9]

In 2015 the National Museum & Galleries of Wales purchased Last Punch of the Clock,[10] for its contemporary collection. Garner became a successful recipient of the ACW Creative Wales Award,[11][12] allowing him to broaden the medium in which he works, through exploring the possibilities of time-based media and their potential outcomes for his future work. As a result of this award Garner staged Call and Response,[13][14] an installation comprising a chandelier at the Chartist Cave, Trefil, Mynydd Llangynidr, and an improvised response from harp player Rhodri Davies,[15] on 20 August 2015.

Garner was included in Tomorrow Today at ‘Created by Vienna’ [16][17][18] 2015, a city festival of contemporary art which reflected on the interface between art and capital. The eponymous essay "Tomorrow Today" by the philosopher and literary scholar Armen Avanessian[19] focuses on artistic strategies for a post-capitalist era. Alfredo Cramerotti,[20] Director at Mostyn curated On Being in the Middle, an exhibition at ‘Created by Vienna’ hosted by Galerie Hubert Winter[21][22] and produced by Vienna City Agency.

Garner was shortlisted for Cymru yn Fenis Wales in Venice 2019 La Biennale di Venezia 58th International Art.

## Notable exhibitions

[edit]

* On Being in the Middle as part of Tomorrow Today, Galerie Hubert Winter, 11 September to 7 November 2015[23][24]
* Shift, Newport Art Gallery, April to June 2013[7][25]
* Future Tense, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, 26 September to 10 November 2012[3][26][27][28]
* Y Lle Celf, National Eisteddfod of Wales, Bala, July 2009[29]
* Whatever They Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery, Aberdare, January to March 2008[1][30][31][32]
* End Product, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, City Gallery Leicester, Oriel Davies, Newtown
* Memento, G39 Cardiff, 25 September to 19 October 2002[33]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "From Ebbw Vale to the Muslim veil". WalesOnline. 18 January 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
2. ^ Briers, David (2003). "Displacement Activity Essay". David Garner website. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
3. ^ a b "David Garner: Future Tense". Arts Council of Wales. 20 September 2012. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
4. ^ Adams, Hugh (2013). Shifting & Shaking. Newport Art Gallery. p. 19\. ISBN 978-0-9573181-1-3.
5. ^ "Art UK: Uncovering the nation's art collection". Art UK. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
6. ^ "Glynn Vivian Art Gallery's Wakelin Award Given To Welsh Artist". Culture 24. 2 April 2004. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
7. ^ a b Price, Karen (19 April 2013). "Shift exhibition signals the end of an era at Newport Art Gallery". WalesOnline. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
8. ^ Stephen Palmer, "Newport Art Gallery: protests continue as final show opens", Art News, 19 April 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
9. ^ Adams, Hugh (2013). Shifting & Shaking. Newport Art Gallery. p. 9\. ISBN 978-0-9573181-1-3.
10. ^ Garner, David. "Last Punch of the Clock". David Garner Artist. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
11. ^ "Arts Council of Wales". Arts Council of Wales. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
12. ^ "Creative Wales Award". Arts Council of Wales. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
13. ^ "Call and Response". Culture Colony. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
14. ^ "Call and Response". Culture Colony. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
15. ^ Davies, Rhodri. "Rhodri Davies". Rhodri Davies. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
16. ^ "Tomorrow Today" (PDF). Vienne Business Agency. Retrieved 27 September 2015.[permanent dead link]
17. ^ "Tomorrow Today Catalogue". Vienne Business Agency. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
18. ^ "Tomorrow Today". International Association of Art Critics. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
19. ^ Avanessian, Armen. "Armen Avanessian". Dismagazine. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
20. ^ Cramerotti, Alfredo. "Alfredo Cramerotti". Alfredo Cramerotti. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
21. ^ "Galerie Hubert Winter". Galerie Hubert Winter. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
22. ^ "The 15 Vienna Galleries You Should Know". Artsy. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
23. ^ "15 Vienna Galeries You Should Know". Artsy. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
24. ^ "On Being in the Middle". Vienna Business Agency. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
25. ^ "Bread Tomorrow & David Garner". Emmageliot's Blog: Art and journalism from Wales (published 23 April 2013). 28 July 2013.
26. ^ "Engaging". Emmageliot's Blog: Art and journalism from Wales. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
27. ^ "David Garner: Future Tense". Aberystwyth Arts Centre. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
28. ^ "Future Tense Catalogue". Retrieved 28 July 2013.
29. ^ Price, Karen (31 July 2009). "Celebrating our artistic nation at the Maes". WalesOnline. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
30. ^ "Islam, Racism, Imperialism – David Garner at Cynon Valley Museum". Culture24. 31 January 2008. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
31. ^ Jones, Jonny (29 January 2008). "David Garner: Whatever They Say I Am, That's What I'm Not". Socialist Worker. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
32. ^ Molyneux, John (28 July 2013). "From Ebbw Vale to the Muslim Veil Essay".
33. ^ "Memento Exhibition". g39 gallery. Retrieved 28 July 2013.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States