DAVID BARNETT: CARNIVAL OF CHARACTERS, opens 6-8 pm, May 2, 2024

Arting Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of work by David Barnett opens on May 2 - June 2, 2024. The opening reception and artist talk to be held Thursday, May 2, 6-8pm. The catalogue, David Barnett: Showtime, organized by Arting Gallery is now available for pre-order with a release date on May 2nd, 2024.

“In David Barnett’s exhibition at Arting Gallery, faces, places and times are topsy-turvied.”  — Barry Nemett

Barnett’s detailed, deftly executed works comment on the ongoing interplay between nature and technology while evoking a Renaissance or Medieval aesthetic. His tools consist of found objects, as well as his own creations. Barnett says, “I begin much the way I would envision an author starts a piece of fiction. A character is born or a storyline begins. If you listen carefully, the subject will help you travel through the entire journey. A coherent narrative begins to unravel in Barnett’s mind, whether through oak tree branches, rusty bottle caps, or turquoise-tipped rooster feathers. The result is inevitably a menagerie of ethereal-winged creatures, human and animal hybrids, and fanciful flying machines. The more absurd the better. Barnett’s objective is to convey a sense of conflict. Where does humanity end and the man-made world emerge. Embedded in Barnett’s work lies a persistent theme of carnival. Characters rise to the occasion and crave the attention of the beckoning audience. Let the show begin.

Featured in the exhibition are 60 works including sculptures, collages and drawings.

Barnett has mounted solo exhibitions most recently at Ivy Brown Gallery, George Billis Gallery, and Denise Bibro Fine Art, all in New York. He has been in numerous group shows nationally and internationally. He has participated in art fairs from Florida to Chicago and lectured throughout the U.S. Barnett has been profiled in many publications including The New York Times, Idea Magazine (Japan), Novum (Germany), and Print Magazine. And has taught at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, and School of Visual Arts.