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B UNNY B URSON everything that was...still is
bruno david gallery
BUNNY BURSON (with Clare Burson) everything that was...still is
September 10 - October 22, 2022 Bruno David Gallery 7513 Forsyth Boulevard Saint Louis, Missouri 63105, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Founder/Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition “everything that was...still is” at Bruno David Gallery. Editor: Bruno L. David Catalogue Designer: Hazel Tao Designer Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Bunny Burson and Bruno David Gallery Photographs by Bruno David Gallery Cover image: 4 laser cut woodblock prints with 3-D sculptural elements in resin, 2019 37.25 x 29.50 inches (each) First Edition Copyright ©2022 Bunny Burson and Bruno David Gallery All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery
CONTENTS
EVERYTHING THAT WAS...STILL IS BY BUNNY BURSON CONNECTED BY CLARE BURSON AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID CHECKLIST AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY
ARTIST STATEMENT BY BUNNY BURSON
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This body of work, EVERYTHING THAT WAS…STILL IS, is a continuation of a decade long exploration of my family history. My previous work and limited-edition-artist book, Hidden in Plain Sight, were based upon letters found in 2009 in the attic of my childhood home. The letters revealed my mother’s journey to America and the subsequent loss of my grandparents in Europe during World War II. In my effort to express the connectivity of my maternal grandparents to unlikely future generations, I began to explore popular genealogical sites. But it was an image of the sequencing of the Zika mosquito on the front page of the New York Times that caught my attention. The link between our generations could be expressed using my genome as an art form. This began my interest in technological advances in genomic sciences and imaging. I was fascinated by the breakthroughs, in particular the mapping of the human genome. Access to genome sequencing and imaging technology enabled further possibilities for my art making and new prospects for personal connections. I had my genome sequenced at the McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, and the amazing print out of that sequence provided me with a visual link to my chromosomes, to my DNA, to my heritage. With my karyotype and four nucleic acid bases in hand, I began to investigate my analog and digital genetic history and to articulate it through this newfound language of shapes, letters, and color. I began to combine traditional printmaking processes with contemporary computer programs and technology. On our family’s bookshelves were my father’s century old German school books, which he had brought with him from his home in Berlin in 1938, and which I found in 2017. These books added to my curiosity about her history. It was the old typeface, the yellowed paper and the German titles, which inspired me. To discover and alter these books was a meaningful experience, as literature and reading were an important part of growing up in our family. The aging pages in German became the perfect platform for her 3-D printed chromosomal images connecting me to a previous generation. Through the manipulation of my chromosomal images and sequenced genome I seek to connect past and future generations through science and art.
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CONNECTED BY CLARE BURSON
My mother’s artwork is motivated by a desire to create wholeness in a world that feels increasingly fractured, with repetition and accumulation intimating interconnectedness and the infinite. Following the 2000 election, my mother created a series of handmade paper pieces out of bags and bags and pounds and pounds of individual chad. Within these pieces, immense and volatile weather systems confront the viewer with the combined impact of individual choices. The dominant motif in the pieces from 2012’s HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT is the handwriting of grandparents she never knew - a combination of the cursive German script connecting letters into words and the spaces that separate them. The repetition and layered accumulation of isolated words and phrases create undulating interconnected ribbons of positive and negative space. They are at once familiar and foreign as signifiers and thick with longing. With EVERYTHING THAT WAS ... STILL IS, my mother continues her search for wholeness by seizing upon the scientific language of genetics. She asks what stories she can mine from the chromosomes she shares with her ancestors. She wonders if a better understanding of genetics can help repair a break in her generational thread. Can she regain what was lost and create a lineage despite the missing links? My mom utilizes many of the materials and techniques she has acquired over her career to translate her own chromosomal codes and forms into a new language of color, shape, and line. Woodcuts of my mother’s brightly colored chromosomes are embellished with contour lines that are reminiscent of cages, prompting us to wonder what they contain. Large and translucent 3D printed resin chromosomes interrupt and distort 100 years old German text on yellowed book pages. Recreated, enlarged, and repeated across varied media and dimensions, my mother’s unique pairs of chromosomes provide a window into her past AND her future.
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With all of this in mind, my mother asked me to create a collection of these chromosomes out of clay. My own work, whether as an historian, educator, musician, or as a sculptor, has always considered the larger churn of history. As a visual artist, I use ceramics, textiles, found objects, and sound to explore the ways in which we preserve memory, collectively and as individuals. My sculptures are physical manifestations of memory-making, my practice a constant reevaluation of what is remembered, how, and by whom. The same is true of “Nothing is Lost”. My hand is visible in the sculpting and glazing of the chromosomes. The character of each chromosome was informed by the history of my own work and aesthetic. As a group, they speak to a shared biology and history and the impact of that history on a shared genetic code. I see these ceramic chromosomes as my mother does: As much as they belong to each of us as individuals, 99% of this genetic material is shared with the rest of humanity, repeating and accumulating across the globe, connecting us infinitely across time and place.
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AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID
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I am pleased to present Everything That Was...Still Is, an exhibition of mixed media by Bunny Burson (with Clare Burson). This is the artist’s sixth solo exhibition with the gallery. Bunny Burson’s recent body of artwork is part of a decades-long exploration of her family history. Her fascination with scientific breakthroughs, in particular the mapping of the human genome, led her to add digital fabrication to her artwork. Burson said “I wanted to link my DNA to my ancestors’ and this sequencing led to new imagery, processes, and knowledge.” “On our family’s bookshelves were my father’s century old German schoolbooks, brought from Berlin in 1938. It was the typeface, the paper and the German titles which sparked my interest. To re-discover and alter these books was meaningful, as reading was an important part of growing up in our family. The fragile, faded book pages in German became the perfect platform for high-tech 3-D chromosomes connecting me to previous generations.” Bunny Burson, born in Memphis, TN., received a B.A. in French from Tulane University, which included a year at the Sorbonne in Paris. She earned a B.F.A. from the Memphis College of Art and an M.F.A. from the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Burson’s artwork is included in the collections of the United States Library of Congress, The Lawrence J. Ellison Institute of Transformative Medicine, the Frances Mulhall Achilles Library-The Whitney Museum of American Art, the St. Louis Art Museum, The Perez Art Museum Miami among others. Her awards include an artist residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris and the Award for Distinction from the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts-Washington University in St. Louis. Support for the creation of significant new works of art has been the core to the mission and program of the Bruno David Gallery since its founding in 2005. I am deeply grateful to Hazel Tao, who gave much time, talent, and expertise to the production of this catalogue. Invaluable gallery staff support for the exhibition was provided by Taylor Anderson, Jacob Hughes, Beth McDonald, Jada Ivy, Benjamin Levine, David Luo, and Sammy Wood.
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CHECKLIST & IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION
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(Framed)
Codes Clues Connections (Red) 2020 Monoprint with 3-D printed resin elements 37 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (94.6 × 74.9 cm)
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(Detail)
Codes Clues Connections (Yellow) 2020 Monoprint with 3-D printed resin elements 37 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (94.6 × 74.9 cm)
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(Detail)
Codes Clues Connections (Green) 2020 Monoprint with 3-D printed resin elements 37 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (94.6 × 74.9 cm)
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(Detail)
Codes Clues Connections (Blue) 2020 Monoprint with 3-D printed resin elements 37 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (94.6 × 74.9 cm)
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Making My Case (Duchamp) 2022 Mixed media, print, Japanese paper, wood 7 x 15 1/4 x 14 inches (Dimensions variable)
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Personal Codes 1 2021 Woodblock print with flashe paint and collage 17 x 12 inches (43.2 × 3.5 cm)
A Sense Of Wonder 1 2021 Woodblock monoprint on paper 14 3/4 x 14 3/4 inches (37.5 × 37.5 cm)
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A Language Of My Own 3 2021 Intaglio on handmade paper 21 1/2 x 29 1/2 inches (54.6 × 74.9 cm)
Always Connected 2022 German book pages with 3-D printed elements 20 x 26 inches (50.8 x 66 cm)
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Similar Signatures 1 2016 Flashe paint on wood panel 14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
Connecting Generations 2021 Relief paint 13 x 17 inches (33 × 43.2 cm)
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Much Unknown 2 2021 German book pages on Japanese paper 8 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches (21.6 x 24.1 cm)
Everything That Was...Still Is 2 2022 Woodblock print with 3-D resin elements 38 x 36 inches (96.5 × 91.4 cm)
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A Sense Of Wonder 2 2021 Relief print on handmade paper 14 3/4 x 14 3/4 inches (37.5 × 37.5 cm)
Similar Signatures 2 2020 Flashe paint on wood panel 14 x 11 inches (35.6 x27.9 cm)
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Personal Codes 3 2021 Woodblock print with flashe paint 17 x 12 inches (43.2× 30.5 cm)
Untitled 2021 Intaglio on handmade paper 21 1/2 x 29 1/2 inches (54.6 × 74.9 cm)
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Small Gestures 2 2020 Intaglio on Japanese paper 14 3/4 x 13 inches (37.5 × 33.0 cm)
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A Sense Of Wonder 3 2021 Relief print on handmade paper 14 3/4 x 14 3/4 inches (37.5 × 37.5 cm)
Imagining Connections 2021 Pochoir and collage on German book pages 22 3/4 x 24 inches (57.8 × 61 cm)
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A Language Of My Own 2021 Intaglio on Japanese paper 21 1/2 x 29 1/2 inches (54.6 × 74.9 cm)
Small Gestures 3 2021 Intaglio on handmade paper 29 1/2 x 21 1/2 inches (74.9 x 54.6 cm)
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Much Unknown 1 2021 German book pages on Japanese paper 8 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches (21.6 x 24.1 cm)
Everything That Was...Still Is 3 2022 Woodblock print with 3-D resin elements 38 x 36 inches (96.5 × 91.4 cm)
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Small Gestures 1 2020 Intaglio on Japanese paper 16 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches (41.9 x 31.8 cm)
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Personal Codes 2 2021 Woodblock print with flashe paint and collage 17 x 12 inches (43.2 × 30.5 cm)
Everything That Was...Still Is 1 2022 Woodblock print with 3-D printed resin elements and silver leaf 38 x 36 inches (96.5 × 91.4 cm)
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Untitled 2022 Laser cut woodblock print on paper 6 x 6 inches (15.24x 15.24 cm)
Untitled 2022 Laser cut woodblock print on paper 6 x 6 inches (15.24x 15.24 cm)
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In Dialogue with the Past (plate) 2020 Woodblock matrix 37 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (94.61 × 74.93 cm)
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In Dialogue with the Past (plate) 2020 Woodblock matrix 37 1/4 x 29 1/2 inches (94.61 × 74.93 cm)
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Hidden In Plain Sight 2015 Limited Edition Artist Book Edition of 27 13 x 8.5 x 1 inches (33.02 x 21.59 x 2.5 cm)
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Clare Burson Nothing is Lost 2022 Ceramic (Dimensions variable)
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(Detail)
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BUNNY BURSON Lives and works in New York city and Aspen, Colorado
EDUCATION Washington University in St. Louis, MFA in Printmaking and Drawing, St. Louis, MO 2005 Memphis College of Art, BFA in Printmaking and Drawing, Memphis, TN 1981 Tulane University, BA in French, New Orleans, LA 1970 Sorbonne, Art History, Paris, France 1968-69
ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS 2022 2018 2017 P 2015 2015 2015 2014 2012 2012 2008 2007 2005
Bruno David Gallery, everything that was…still is, St. Louis MO (catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Rise, St. Louis, MO atton Malott Gallery, And Still I Rise, Anderson Ranch, Snowmass Village, CO Zeitgeist Gallery, Hidden in Plain Sight, Nashville, TN Paton Malott Gallery, Traces, Anderson Ranch, Snowmass Village, CO Bonsack Gallery, Why Is it, John Burroughs School, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, In Plain Sight, St. Louis, MO The Gallery, Bunny Burson, Leipzig, Germany Bruno David Gallery, Hidden in Plain Sight, St. Louis, MO (catalogue) Gallery 457, Consequences, Brooklyn, NY Bruno David Gallery, CONSEQUENCES, St. Louis, MO (catalogue) Des Lee Gallery, MFA Thesis Exhibition, St. Louis, MO
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SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
2015 2014 2013 2012 2011
2009 2008
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2006 2005
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Among Friends, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO Bilingual: Abstract & Figurative, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_2020, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO MARKS, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO Small Worlds, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO OVERVIEW_2018, Bruno David Gallery, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, And Still I Rise, St. Louis, MO Craft Alliance, Between the Lines, St. Louis, MO Schema Projects, Tower of Babel, Brooklyn, NY /Israel/Italy Sheldon Art Gallery St. Louis Printmakers, St. Louis, MO The Art Base, Between the Lines, Basalt, CO Bruno David Gallery, AND / OR, St. Louis, MO (catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, OVERVIEW_2014, St Louis, MO
Bruno David Gallery, Artworks, St Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, BLUE-WHITE-RED, St Louis, MO Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Points of Light, Snowmass Village, CO Bruno David Gallery, SGC Print Show, St Louis, MO Metropolitan Gallery, ART LAB: Work in Progress, St. Louis, MO University Gallery, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO Washington University School of Law, Women Printmakers, St. Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Overview_08, St. Louis, MO 516 Arts, Speak Out, Albuquerque, NM B.A.G. Gallery, Politics of Power, Brooklyn, NY Bruno David Gallery, Overview, St. Louis, MO University Galleries, Large Format Prints University of Texas, Louisiana State University, University of Wisconsin, Washington University in St. Louis, Bruno David Gallery, On Paper, St. Louis, MO Schiltkamp Gallery, Smaller is Better, Clark University Worcester, MA
2004 2004 2004
Bruno David Gallery, Rivulet, St. Louis, MO St. Mary’s College Gallery, Group Show, Notre Dame, IN Southern Illinois University Gallery, Group Show, Carbondale, IL
AWARDS 2010 2013 2018
Artist Residency, Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris, France Award for Distinction, Washington University Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Art, St. Louis, MO Service to the Arts Award, Anderson Ranch Art Center, Snowmass Village, CO
COLLECTIONS Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine / Los Angeles, CA Smith College, Neilson Library / Northampton, MA
Princeton University, Firestone Library / Princeton, NJ Stanford University Libraries / Palo Alto, CA United States Library of Congress / Washington, DC Israel Museum / Jerusalem, Israel St. Louis Art Museum / St. Louis, MO St. Louis Holocaust Museum / St. Louis, MO Washington University in St. Louis Special Collections/ St. Louis, MO Washington University in St. Louis School of Law / St. Louis, MO Temple Israel / Memphis, TN Perez Art Museum Miami / Miami, FL United States National Memorial Holocaust Museum / Washington, DC Columbia University / New York, NY Memphis Brooks Museum / Memphis, TN Secretary of State Madeleine Albright / Washington, DC Kranson Industries / St. Louis, MO Federal Reserve Headquarters / Washington, DC Whitney Museum of American Art, Frances Mulhall Achilles Library / New York, NY 81
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ARTISTS Antonio Ainscough Sara Ghazi Asadollahi Barry Anderson Laura Beard Heather Bennett Lisa K. Blatt Michael Byron Ben Brough Quinn A. Briceno Bunny Burson Lisa Bulawsky Judy Child Carmon Colangelo William Conger Alex Couwenberg
Terry James Conrad Jill Downen Damon Freed Yvette Drury Dubinsky Douglass Freed Adrian Gonzalez Richard Hull Mee Jey Kelley Johnson Chris Kahler Leslie Laskey Justin Henry Miller James Austin Murray William Morris Arny Nadler
Yvonne Osei Patricia Olynyk Charles P. Reay Daniel Raedeke Tom Reed Frank Schwaiger Eric Minh Swenson Char Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Buzz Spector Andrea Stanilav Cindy Tower Mario Trejo
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