The Roaring Daze | Paul Davies Exhibition Reception: May 17, 6–8pm Exhibition: May 14, 2019 – June 16, 2019
Olsen Gruin is pleased to present The Roaring Daze, a solo exhibition by Los Angeles based artist Paul Davies. This body of work explores the connection between Davies’ Australian heritage and his adopted home, California. Joining this new group of works is Davies’ painting, Three Stories, the largest commission in SoHo House history that debuts in The Roaring Daze before locating to its permanent home at the SoHo House DTLA Warehouse. Davies’ exhibition title is a play on Henry Lawson’s 1889 gold rush poem. The Roaring Daze will be on view at Olsen Gruin from May 14 – June 16, 2019. Selected photos from Davies’ prolific collection are enlarged and meticulously hand cut into screens through which paint is brushed in layers onto the canvas. The screens are contrasted with freehand brush marks which Davies explains “were in part guided by Joan Didion’s The White Album stories of old and new California, told from memory and historical fact.” Davies’ paintings are open-plan spaces of architecture and landscape. The subjects interlock with one another in bright hues and invite a multitude of readings rather than a straightforward narrative.
These hand-cut screens also serve as templates for bronze and wood sculptures in the exhibition, the latter of which can be manipulated by the viewer’s hand to play with the notion of positive and negative space. Here, the rationality of architectural form is contrasted with the freedom of abstraction and refers directly back to the way in which the paintings were produced. Davies then takes the screens’ use a step further by placing them over light sensitive pieces of paper and exposing them under direct sunlight to produce one-off photograms. The title of these works describes the location, time, temperature and duration of exposure, alluding to a rejection of the instantaneous nature of photography today. This component of Davies’s practice began on a residency awarded by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture Phoenix, the works from which were acquired by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
Paul Davies’ work has been acquired by and exhibited at the UCI Institute and Museum of California Art, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Palm Springs Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum, MAK Center for Art and Architecture and the Laguna Art Museum. His work has been commissioned by the Soho House in Dumbo New York, Downtown Los Angeles, Barcelona, Mumbai and West Hollywood. In 2013 Davies was awarded a residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris by the Art Gallery of New South Wales and in 2014 featured with Luc Tuymans and Peter Doig in essay "Limbo Architecture - Painters of Modernism" by Aaron Betsky, Director of the Cincinnati Art Museum (2006 - 2014), for the Architecture Review. Davies has been included in group exhibitions 'Public Trust: It's About What We Do' and 'The Kindness of Strangers: Recent Acquisitions and Conservation Projects' both at the SMOCA, 'Condition Reports' curated by Ranjit Hoskote for India Art Fair, McClelland Collection' at the McClelland gallery + Sculpture Park. His work is held in public and corporate collections such as the Macquarie University, Geelong Gallery, Maitland Regional Gallery, Historic Houses Trust, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Artbank, Rothschild, Kerry Stokes collection, Pat Corrigan collection, and published in Vogue, Blouin Artinfo, Harper’s Bazaar, Los Angeles Times, the Hollywood Reporter, LA Weekly, Art & Australia, W Magazine online, Wallpaper online, Huffington Post, Vault Magazine and the Australian Financial Review. Davies has a Masters by research at the University of New South Wales - Art and Design, Australia.
For further information please contact the gallery at info@olsengruin.com or at +1.646.525.6213. All images are subject to copyright. Gallery approval must be granted prior to reproduction.
Paul Davies, The Roaring Daze, 2019
Paul Davies Three Stories, 2019 Acrylic on canvas 216 x 72 " (548.6 x 182.9 cm) 55990 Sold
Paul Davies East West Coast 1, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas 60 x 48 " (152.4 x 121.9 cm) 56046 $15,000
Paul Davies East West Coast 2, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas 3 69 /4 x 58 " (177.2 x 147.3 cm) 56047 $16,000
Paul Davies Built Landscape VI, 2015 Vinyl, acrylic, copolymer on canvas 69.5 x 58 " (176.5 x 147.3 cm) 54991 $16,000
Paul Davies Built in Openplan II, 2018 Acrylic on canvas 69.5 x 58 " (176.5 x 147.3 cm) 54995 Sold
Paul Davies Open Plan Pool, 2018 Acrylic on canvas 72 x 60 " (182.9 x 152.4 cm) 54996 Sold
Paul Davies Everything Loose Will Land, 2019 Acrylic on canvas 72 x 72 " (182.9 x 182.9 cm) 55875 Sold
Paul Davies 14th March Partly Cloudy 64 F 5 mins exposure Los Angeles , 2018 UV cured ink and acrylic on paper 23 x 29 " (58.4 x 73.7 cm) 55872 $3,000
Paul Davies 14th March Partly Cloudy 64 F 5 mins exposure Los Angeles , 2018 UV cured ink and acrylic on paper 23 x 29 " (58.4 x 73.7 cm) 55873 $3,000
Paul Davies 14th March Partly Cloudy 64 F 5 mins exposure Los Angeles , 2018 UV cured ink and acrylic on paper 23 x 29 " (58.4 x 73.7 cm) 55874 $3,000
Paul Davies 14th March Partly Cloudy 64 F 5 mins exposure Los Angeles , 2018 UV cured ink and acrylic on paper 23 x 29 " (58.4 x 73.7 cm) 55876 $3,000
Paul Davies 14th March Partly Cloudy 64 F 5 mins exposure Los Angeles , 2018 UV cured ink and acrylic on paper 23 x 29 " (58.4 x 73.7 cm) 55877 $3,000
Paul Davies 14th March Partly Cloudy 64 F 5 mins exposure Los Angeles , 2018 UV cured ink and acrylic on paper 23 x 29 " (58.4 x 73.7 cm) 55878 $3,000
Paul Davies Limbo Landscape, 2016-19 Hand painted acrylic on laser cut composite board Dimensions variable 55884 $2,000
Paul Davies Limbo Landscape, 2016-19 Hand painted acrylic on laser cut composite board Dimensions variable 55882 $2,000
Paul Davies In Reverse, 2014 Hand painted vinyl acrylic copolymer on bronze 16.5 x 11.4 x 6.3 " (41.9 x 29 x 16 cm) 55879 $5,000
Paul Davies Limbo Landscape, 2016-19 Hand painted acrylic on laser cut composite board Dimensions variable 55881 $2,000
PAUL DAVIES CV Born: c. 1979 Region: Australian born, Los Angeles Based EDUCATION: 2014 Masters by Research UNSW College of Art & Design 2006 Painting Master Class, National Art School 2000 Bachelor of Fine Arts, UNSW College of Fine Art 2016 Taliesin Artist Residency Program, Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture Phoenix Arizona 2013 Cite des Arts Residency, Paris, Awarded by The Art Gallery of NSW SELECTED SOLO EXHIBTIONS: 2018 After the Gold Rush Sophie Gannon Gallery Melbourne Art Fair 2017 Installation Fitzpatrick-Leland House MAK Centre for Art and Architecture Los Angeles 2017 Paintings and Photographs Soho House Los Angeles 2017 Everything Loose Will Land in LA Olsen Gallery Sydney 2017 We Tell Ourselves Stories Art District 13 Gallery Delhi 2016 24 Photograms Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture Phoenix 2016 Hollywood Stills Art16 art fair London 2016 Life Stills Sophie Gannon Gallery Melbourne 2016 Southern Exposure Art District 13 Delhi 2015 Devoid of Sensation Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert 2015 Other Desert Spaces Olsen Irwin Gallery Sydney 2014 Pastiche: A lens through which to view the present UNSW College of Art & Design Sydney 2014 Built in Translation The Fine Art Society London 2014 Built in Translation II Art District 13 Gallery, Delhi 2014 Other Desert Spaces The Standard, Hollywood 2013 Switching Utopia Sophie Gannon Gallery Melbourne 2013 Flattening Sublime Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris 2012 Flattening Sublime Olsen Irwin Gallery, Sydney 2011 Pentimento Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney 2011 Void The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong 2011 Portraits Tim Olsen Gallery at Christine Abrahams Gallery, Melbourne 2011 Portraits Gold Coast City Regional Art Gallery SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS: 2018 80 @ 80 Palm Springs Art Museum 2018 India Art Fair Art District 13 Gallery curated by Veer Munshi 2018 New Acquisitions Dumbo House New York 2017 Desert Stories Palm Springs Art Museum 2017 Framing Nature McClelland Sculpture Park + Garden 2017 The Kindness of Strangers: Recent Acquisitions and Conservation Projects Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 2017 Condition Report India Art Fair Art District 13 Gallery Curated By Ranjit Hoskote
2017 Sydney Contemporary Olsen Gallery, Sophie Gannon Gallery 2016 Public Trust: It’s About What We Do Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art 2016 Chippendale New World Art Prize Highly Commended judged by Wayne Tunnicliffe – Head of Australian Art at Art Gallery of New South Wales 2016 McClelland Collection McClelland Gallery + Sculpture Park 2016 Fair Go Sophie Gannon Gallery Melbourne 2015 Oberoi collection curated by Kapil Chopra Oberoi Hotel, Delhi 2015 Summer Season Heather James Fine Art, Jackson Hole 2015 Winter Season Heather James Fine Art, Curated by Chip Tom, Palm Springs 2015 Works on Paper China Heights Gallery Sydney 2015 Art15 Contemporary Art Fair, Fine Art Society Contemporary London 2015 Palm Springs Art Fair, Heather James Fine Art 2015 Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, Sophie Gannon Gallery 2014 Summer Season Heather James Fine Art, Jackson Hole 2014 Winter Season Heather James Fine Art, Palm Desert 2014 Melbourne Art Fair, Sophie Gannon Gallery 2014 Art13 London Fine Art Society Contemporary 2014 Signal 8: Salon Show The Cat Street Gallery 2014 Summer exhibition Sophie Gannon Gallery 2013 Natural Selection The Fine Art Society Contemporary 2013 Fleurieu Art Prize Finalist, Australia 2013 Yering Station Art Prize Finalist, Australia 2013 Arnold Bloch Leibler Art Prize Finalist, Australia 2013 Albany Art Prize Finalist, Australia 2013 Reflections The M Collection Exhibition Dianne Tanzer Gallery 2013 Signal 8: Salon Show The Cat Street Gallery 2013 Sydney Contemporary Olsen Irwin Gallery 2013 Signal 8: Salon Show The Cat Street Gallery 2013 Pulse Art Fair, Miami Fine Art Society Contemporary 2013 Wild Australia Yen Reis Gallery Singapore 2012 Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize finalist, Australia 2012 Melbourne International Art Fair, Tim Olsen Gallery 2012 Pat Corrigan: Art Collector Maitland Regional Art Gallery 2012 Signal 8: Salon Show The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong 2012 Wattle Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong 2011 Evocatecture Curated by Chip Tom Heather James Fine Art Gallery 2011 NSW Parliament Plein Air Painting Prize finalist, Australia 2011 Heat Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney 2011 Self Portraits China Heights Gallery, Sydney - organized by Paul Davies 2011 Art London Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery 2011 Hong Kong International Art Fair, The Cat Street Gallery 2011 Toronto International Art Fair, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery 2011 A Summer Survey Tim Olsen Gallery PUBLIC COLLECTIONS: Palm Springs Art Museum, USA Crocker Art Museum, USA Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, USA University of California, Irvine Institute and Museum for California Art USA Laguna Art Museum USA Macquarie University, Australia McClelland Gallery + Sculpture Park, Australia
Bond University, Australia Artbank, Australia Maitland Regional Gallery, Australia Historic Houses Trust, Australia Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Australia
PAUL DAVIES
Paul Davies is an Australian-born, Los Angeles - based artist whose work is driven by friction between opposing forces of built and natural environments, design and art, abstraction and figuration. These boundaries and relationships are illustrated through Davies' process, which combines painting, stenciling, photography and sculpture. In this era of surveillance, Davies repeats and collages facades of modern architecture, the neutrality of which blurs what is revealed and concealed. Sighting the manner in which information is often reiterated, Davies employs stencils, hand cut and derived from the artist's own digital photographs. These are then applied in various mediums to render uncertain what is original and reproduction. Davies’ work has been acquired by and exhibited at the University of California, Irvine, Institute and Museum of California Art, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Palm Springs Art Museum, Crocker Art Museum, MAK Center for Art and Architecture and the Laguna Art Museum. In 2016 he completed a residency at The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture Phoenix and work from this is now in the permanent collection of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and McClelland Sculpture Park + Gallery. In 2013, he was awarded a residency at the Cite Internationale des Arts, Paris by the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Davies was featured with Luc Tuymans and Peter Doig in essay "Limbo Architecture - Painters of Modernism" by Aaron Betsky, Director of the Cincinnati Art Museum (2006 2014), for the May 2014 edition of Architecture Review. Davies has been included in 'Public Trust: It's About What We Do' and 'The Kindness of Strangers: Recent Acquisitions and Conservation Projects' both at the SMOCA, 'Condition Reports' curated by Ranjit Hoskote for India Art Fair, McClelland Collection' at the McClelland gallery + Sculpture Park. His work is held in public and corporate collections such as the Macquarie University, Maitland Regional Gallery, Historic Houses Trust, Gold Coast City Art Gallery, Artbank, Geelong Gallery, Rothschild, Kerry Stokes collection, Strickland, and published in Vogue, Blouin Artinfo, Harper’s Bazaar, Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Art & Australia, W Magazine online, Wallpaper online and the Australian Financial Review. Davies has a Masters by research at the University of New South Wales - Art and Design, Australia.