David King is Transforming the Past

David King, Just a Little Further, 2021

HEDGE Gallery is elated to present David King’s new paintings, titled Transience and the Gift of Curiosity, this November!

Artist David King found a treasure trove of family movie reels and had them transferred to DVD. Watching the videos of lives past, he felt the sting of grief over the relentless march of time. As a figurative artist, King’s recent work transforms the nostalgia of old memories into a preservation of colorful, contemporary paintings. He rearranges the subject matter and subtracts from compositions to suggest the fleeting moments of life.

King’s bold color palettes represent the modern mind breathing life back into images obscured by time’s patination.

He states, “Working oil paint onto aluminum panels allows me to stamp words, cut and etch into the surface. Some figures have literally been cut out and left as a void, exploring the fact that we are only here for a short time. Often the literal messages on the panels seem to be whispered from a time past.”

As a new mother myself, I can appreciate David’s invitation to consider a fresh interpretation on family memories. I look at my baby and wonder, “When will he begin to recollect, and is that knowledge of what happens in our past a blessing or a curse? Would it be better to live each day as presently as possible, never wondering why yesterday happened?”

Perhaps in these at times unsettling days, paintings like David King’s can help us process our past—cutting out what doesn’t belong in our present day and allowing room for new hope to heal areas caused by painful memories.

David King’s solo exhibition opens on November 19 at HEDGE Gallery and is on view until December 31.

 

DAVID KING: TRANSIENCE AND THE GIFT OF CURIOSITY | NOVEMBER 19–DECEMBER 31

PHYLLIS FANNIN & LISA SCHONBERG: PRINTMAKING SPOTLIGHT | JANUARY 21–MARCH 4

HEDGE GALLERY
1300 West 78th Street, Suite 200
Cleveland, Ohio 44102
hedgeartgallery.com
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