PAUL DAVIES EVERYTHING LOOSE WILL LAND IN LA
OL SEN
Cover: Untitled, 2017 acrylic on silk screen canvas 152 x 123 cm $16,000
PAUL DAVIES EVERYTHING LOOSE WILL LAND IN LA 30 August – 17 September 2017 Exhibition Opening Wednesday 30th August 2017, 6 – 8 pm
In a moment of realization it was the eucalyptus trees, strangely dotted throughout Los Angeles, that revealed a connection between my adopted home
in Los Angeles
California and my native home in Sydney, Australia. This unexpected link sparked a series of paintings I've been working on for over 3 years titled Everything Loose Will Land in LA/Double Golden Gully. The paintings formed part of a site-specific installation that I was invited to present at the MAK Center for Art and Architecture Los Angeles in June, before being exhibited here in Sydney at the Olsen gallery. "Everything Loose Will Land in Los Angeles" is a quote from Frank Lloyd Wright who described Los Angeles as a centre-less sprawl of buildings and billboards and to me, can be further extended to the multitude of searching souls that land in LA from all over the globe. The second part of the title, Double Golden Gully, refers to a disused gold mining location in New South Wales, Golden Gully. The word "Double" is added to suggest a gambling term rather than a place, infused with the notion of instant luck and risk. Australia's gold rush began after Edward Hargraves noticed that the landscapes producing gold in California were also present in Australia. Coincidentally, during this time Australia began exporting gum trees to California to support its growing population. I liked this idea of a shared experience between two places on opposite sides of the Pacific Rim. The duality of commercial exports linking the two places as well as the emerging cultural presence in each landscape was an interesting juxtaposition. In addition to this, Golden Gully is a place of significance to Australian artists and poets who documented the nearby town, Hill End, from a booming metropolis during the gold rush, to an abandoned outpost, once the gold was gone. An excerpt from the poem, The Roaring Days, by Henry Lawson written in 1889 exemplifies this and was significant to the development of the paintings: The night too quickly passes And we are growing old, So let us fill our glasses And toast the Days of Gold; When finds of wondrous treasure Set all the South ablaze, And you and I were faithful mates All through the roaring days!
The native Australian gum trees scattered throughout Los Angeles remind me of the 'gold rush' link between both places. Furthermore, Frank Lloyd Wright's quote that "Everything Loose Will Land in LA" is happening today, as many Australians are drawn to 'Hollywood' to try their luck. Los Angeles is something of an El Dorado for actors, filmmakers and artists. Like the gold prospectors of the 19th century these are people who come to the city seeking success in a difficult industry. The series of paintings 'Everything Loose Will Land..." looks at this idea of history repeating through a lens of photography and painting. Reflecting on the notion of Hollywood and the 'Silver Screen' the scenes are painted with silver pigment. Like the hopeful actor, artist or director, the paint shines more intensely depending on the angle at which the picture is viewed. Here, photographs taken of these locations in Australia and California are layered to create imaginary painted scenes in shimmering tones that hover between fact and fiction, rationality and emotion and perhaps most pertinent, reality and dreams. Paul Davies, July 2017
Everything Loose Will Land in LA / Double Golden Gully 5, 2017 acrylic on silk screen canvas 152 x 123 cm $16,000
Everything Loose Will Land in LA / Double Golden Gully 3, 2017 acrylic on canvas 152 x 183 cm $22,500
Horizon Hotel with Australian Landscape, 2017 acrylic on linen 91 x 122 cm $12,500
Horizon with Mountains, 2017 acrylic on linen 91 x 122 cm $12,500
Horizon Hotel, 2017 acrylic on canvas 91 x 122 cm $12,500
Horizon Hotel V, 2017 acrylic on linen 122 x 91 cm $12,500
Bronte House, 2017 acrylic on canvas 182 x 152 cm $22,500
Tim Ross, after portrait of Clive James by Jeffrey Smart, 2017 acrylic on canvas 178 x 147 cm $22,000
Untitled, 2017 acrylic on canvas 178 x 147 cm $22,000
Horizon Hotel in Forest, 2017 acrylic on linen 122 x 91 cm $12,500
Red and White Forest, 2014 acrylic on canvas 122 x 153 cm $16,000
Everything Loose Will Land in LA / Double Golden Gully 1, 2017 UV cured ink and acrylic on canvas 122 x 183 cm $19,500
Everything Loose Will Land in LA / Double Golden Gully 2, 2017 UV cured ink and acrylic on canvas 122 x 183 cm $19,500
Untitled, 2017 vinyl acrylic copolymer on canvas 177 x 151 cm $22,000
Untitled, 2017 vinyl acrylic and copolymer on canvas 177 x 151 cm $22,000
Everything Loose Will Land in LA / Double Golden Gully 6, 2017 UV cured ink and acrylic on canvas 122 x 183 cm $19,500
We Tell Ourselves Stories 1, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 2, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 3, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 4, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 5, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 6, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 7, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 8, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 9, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 10, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 11, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
We Tell Ourselves Stories 12, 2017 digital collage print edition: 3/3 47 x 33 cm $1,200
Paul Davies Born 1979
EDUCATION: 2014 2006 2000 1987 – 1994
Masters by Research, UNSW College of Fine Arts Painting Master Class, National Art School Bachelor of Fine Arts, UNSW College of Fine Art Landscape painting class under Central Coast artist Kel Connell
SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 2015
Switching Utopia II, Heather James Gallery, Los Angeles
2014
Built in Translation, The Fine Art Society, London Built in Translation II, Art District 13 Gallery, Delhi Switching Utopia, Sophie Gannon Gallery, Melbourne Flattening Sublime, Olsen Irwin Gallery, Sydney Flattening Sublime, Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong Tim Olsen Gallery at Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne Portraits Gold Coast City Regional Art Gallery Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery, London Lawrence Asher Gallery, Los Angeles, USA Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney blank_space Gallery, Sydney (December) blank_space Gallery, Sydney (May) First Draft Gallery, Sydney 2 Step Gallery, Sydney Space3 Gallery, Sydney DK Restaurant, London
2013 2012 2011
2010
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2001
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS: 2017
2013
2012
2011
2010
Critical Content curated by Andrea Pemberton and Sonny Ruscha Granade Los Angeles Surface Sophie Gannon Gallery Natural Selection The Fine Art Society Contemporary Sovereign Art Foundation Prize Hong Kong Fleurieu Art Prize Finalist Yering Station Art Prize Finalist Arnold Bloch Leibler Art Prize Finalist Reflections - The M Collection Exhibition Dianne Tanzer Gallery Signal 8: Salon Show The Cat Street Gallery Albany Art Prize Finalist Sydney Contemporary Olsen Irwin Gallery Pat Corrigan: Art Collector, Maitland Regional Art Gallery Signal 8: Salon Show, The Cat Street Gallery Wild Australian Yen Reis Gallery Singapore Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize finalist, Sydney Melbourne International Art Fair, Tim Olsen Gallery Pulse Art Fair Miami Fine Art Society Contemporary Hampton’s Art Fair Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Pat Corrigan: Art Collector, Maitland Regional Art Gallery Signal 8: Salon Show, The Cat Street Gallery NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize finalist, Sydney Wattle Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong Self Portraits China Heights Gallery, Sydney - curated by Paul Davies Hampton’s Art Fair Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Art London Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Hong Kong International Art Fair, The Cat Street Gallery Toronto International Art Fair, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Evocatecture, Heather James Fine Art Gallery A Summer Survey, Tim Olsen Gallery Hong Kong International Art Fair, The Cat Street Gallery Miscellanea Tim Olsen Gallery Art Chicago Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Hamptonʼs Art Fair Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Structural Through-Line (Coherence) Lawrence Asher Gallery, Los Angeles
2009
2008
2007 2006
2005
2004 2003
2002 2001 2000
1999
San Francisco Art Fair, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery LA Art Show, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery London Art Fair, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Melbourne international Art Fair, Tim Olsen Gallery Dragon Garden, The Cat Street Gallery King’s School Art Prize finalist Finalist - Royal Bank of Scotland Australian emerging Artist Award Hong Kong Art Fair, The Cat Street Gallery Affordable Art Fair Paris, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Hamptonʼs Art Fair Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery Toronto Art Fair Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery London Art Fair, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery No Comply, Red Bull Gallery, Sydney Finalist - ABN-AMRO Emerging Artist Award Melbourne International Art Fair, Tim Olsen Gallery University of Sydney PALM Awards, Guest Judge for Art Prize 2 X 2, Tim Olsen Gallery 100th Heights, China Heights, Sydney Across the Board, Cancer Council, Wallspace Gallery Group Show, Tim Olsen Gallery Melbourne International Art Fair, Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney Art Fair, Tim Olsen Gallery Sydney Art Fair, Soho Galleries, Sydney Group show, Touch Galleries, Sydney Department, blank_space, Sydney Vans off the wall, George Street, Sydney Eloquence (a group thing), blank_space, Sydney Graffiti and Stencils, Knot Gallery, Sydney 3Dʼs, Space3, Sydney Stencil exhibition, Surry Hills Labour Club, Sydney Appliance, UNSW Solar Research Centre, Sydney Group Show, PCL Gallery, Sydney Photography Prize winner TNT Magazine, London Seven Senses, Mercedes Fashion Week, Kudos Gallery, Sydney Walking the Streets, Sydney Dialogue, COFA Graduation show, Sydney Con/struct, College of Fine Arts, Sydney Yerg, UNSW College of Fine Arts, Sydney
PUBLISHED: Wallpaper* Online, Financial Times UK, Vogue British, ArtWorld, Vogue Living, Harper's Bazaar, Belle, InsideOut, GQ U.K. Australia, Art & Australia, Urbis, Black Magazine, Yen Magazine, The Sydney Morning Herald - Spectrum, WISH Magazine - The Australian, Sunday Arts ABC, Stvdio SBS
COLLECTIONS: McClelland Gallery & Sculpture Park, Australia Lexus, Australia Pat Corrigan Collection Artbank, Australia BYL Companies USA Central Coast Grammar School, Australia Historic Houses Trust, Australia Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Australia Rothschild, USA Stockland Australia Wilson & Hill Architects New Zealand Crocker Art Museum Private and corporate collections across Australia and overseas
Exhibition
PAUL DAVIES EVERYTHING LOOSE WILL LAND IN LA 30 August – 17 September 2017 Opening Wednesday 30th August 2017, 6 – 8 pm