Bruno David is pleased to present Structure and Void, an exhibition by Missouri-based artist Damon Freed. This will be Freed’s seventh exhibition with the gallery. In conjunction with the exhibition, Bruno David Gallery Publications will publish a catalogue of the works with an exhibition history and bibliography. “There are two things I know about in this world, and this is the need for structure and void. The world needs structure currently. With so much tumultuous activity politically we need structure. So, I have provided it within these works. But also, void space. The resilience of space. The epic spaces in between lush with color, weeping colors. Without structure one cannot perceive the void.
It begins with structure and ends in voids, my paintings do. A void. A softened space. Yet, a gesture lingers for miles. A simple gesture of the brush. For miles and miles within it might resonate. My gesture... a simple gesture. And it is present in these works.
So, all in all, these paintings are about color, structure, void, and gesture. Their vibe is subtle to me, yet strict in its design. Most of the paintings begin guided by an inner inspiration that comes to me, a visualization of form. From there, I begin to write it down. I sometimes work on a blank sheet of paper but at other times on graph paper. I like the grid, it pleases me. Structure is necessary when building my paintings. When graphing the visuals. I have inspirations mostly in color. It is always about depicting the inspiration as closely as I can!
You see, in this way it is not me, not my hand guiding what comes to mind, only my will drawing it out. So, yes, it is me. But something else is part of the process, something unknown. And I think this spirit is where it’s at. That part, the spirit of the work is what it’s all about, to me. A softened tone at most times, in recent days.”
(Written by Damon Freed for the occasion of the exhibition.)
Damon Freed works and lives in Missouri. He received a M.F.A. from Hunter College, New York, and a B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts, New York. He recently published “Twonism (Thoughts, Essays, and Poems)”-January 2018. He lives and works in Sedalia, Missouri.