David Ford: A Neighborly Gaze, Friday, May 10, through Monday, June 10, 2013
MAY 10 – JUNE 10, 2013
Opening reception: Friday, May 10, 7 PM at Counterpath
David Ford presents recent work that explores the gaze of one culture into another, one human onto the bridge of faith, class, character or continent, which often divide, even as the backyard fence is pierced by social media and comparatively easy interface.
Shadows of philosophy and incongruous intentions are laced throughout these works, hoping for lingering possibilities as in an unforeseen synchronicity of Islam and Vodun. David Ford has experienced these over the past year, following a decade in which he traced the African diaspora at the time of the Louisiana Purchase.
Ford examines the footprint of his culture, as he rectifies the incongruities of his familial participation. Having relatives fight on both sides of the Civil War, including the battle of New Orleans, invites consideration of social and political decision-making as our society continues to confront its difficult past and complex future. This exhibition will present works in both 2- and 3-D, often alluding to its counterpoint dimensionally.
A self-taught artist, Ford has been exploring the painterly in everyday contexts for over 25 years, incorporating diverse ideas of beauty culled from his travels in non-European societies and a discordant, political humor. Ford’s deliberately rough technique and visually ornate imagery lends a folkloric air to compositions and collages of deities and corporate logos, dreamy landscapes and catch phrases that implicate the viewer in a collective search for meaning. His work is shown nationally and internationally, with solo shows in Kansas City, MO, Mexico, and New York City. Ford has received awards from The Charlotte Street Foundation and the Tanne Foundation. His work is included in such collections as The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, and Museo Na-Bolom in Chiapas, Mexico.