Stir ’splainer: David Wilson on 4 paintings from his Close to Home exhibit
Iconic landmarks, COVID isolation, and empty theatres
You Are the Moon, by David Wilson
Vancouver painter David Wilson’s new show Close to Home runs from October 1 to 22 at the Kurbatoff Gallery (2435 Granville Street), his first exhibit since 2019. We asked him for the story behind four of his vibrant acrylic works.
You Are the Moon (at top)
“The Burrard Bridge is one of those iconic symbols associated with Vancouver that seems to resonate with most people who live here. It acts as a type of symbolic gateway to our city. Due to the rich symbolism associated with both a bridge and the moon, I wanted to place them both together in this painting. In the midst of increasing uncertainty and polarization I’m interested in the idea of two sides being brought together as represented within the portrayal of a bridge. The moon is often meant to represent the rhythm of time and it feels like most people are currently very much aware of the time we are now in. The image is presented in a glowing greenish yellow that I have used in previous compositions but somehow it seems to speak to the recent atmospheric conditions we experienced in B.C. due to the wild fires south of the border. Perhaps it subconsciously acts as a nod to those sun and sky choking days that seemed to never end, all the while pointing to something better.”
Dreams of Distant Memories
“This is one of the first paintings I created once I had become fully aware of the reality and severity of COVID-19. In spite of the heaviness the world was feeling at the time I wanted the work to feel light. In those early days, the idea of being in a crowded theatre inspired images of disease and death while the virus raged through Italy and New York and around the globe. It struck me then that it was going to be a very long time before we returned to anything resembling a normal life where being in any crowded environment would feel safe again. And as time has borne out, it still feels that way. Yet within the span of time it hasn’t been all that long since the world changed. But it feels so foreign now and I wonder how long it will be before we get back to that place where we were.”
You Come for No One
“The title of this painting is from the poem The Song of the Sea by Rainer Maria Rilke. Living here in Vancouver, one develops an affinity for the sea, the scent of the ocean, and the atmosphere it provides us. The poem states that ‘if someone should wake, he must be prepared, how to survive you’, as the sea is not something to be trifled with. I was really interested in how beneath this calm and smooth surface lies a largely unknown world. I once read we know more about the far reaches of the universe than we know of what lies at the ocean’s deepest depths. Its punishing pressures and utter lack of light make exploring incredibly difficult. It’s a little like how it feels these days as the world grapples with how to look forward into the future as those moments of time are impossible to pierce. We can only speculate. And, as in all my work, I have embedded text throughout the composition that speaks to the ideas of time and memory that are so often associated with the turning tides of the sea.”
Feels Like Only Yesterday (detail)
“This painting was inspired from the oldest photograph I referenced for this exhibition which was taken in 2011. While I worked on this painting my mind continually turned to the many times I had been on that street, in that space and how I would never have imagined the unfolding of a global pandemic that we now find ourselves within. It’s not that the world that existed then was perfect, but it feels like if we could return to that time we could more readily face the challenges of climate change, racism and xenophobia that also seem to be out of control right now. I didn’t want this series of work to fall into wistful pining for the days of the past. I want them to act as a reminder of what we are moving towards, not away from. I’m hopeful that as we address the collective experience of COVID-19 we will recognize our ability to tackle great obstacles together on a global basis which solidifies our resolve to move forward and address those other issues that pound away at us and determine to do better for both ourselves and for the future of our children.”
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