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David Begbie was born in Edinburgh Scotland in 1955, and now resides in London, England. His earliest memories are experiences as an artist are at age 13. Already talented, Begbie completed seven years of Art School where he emerged with a structural technique and the beginnings of a new visual language using steel mesh.
Since his graduation in 1982 he has worked almost exclusively with the human form, primarily sculpting in steel mesh but also procuring mono-prints, etchings, ink and charcoal drawings, mixed media work and photography.
But it is for his steel mesh bodies that Begbie is most renowned. The preoccupation with the human form as his subject stems from an early age, the fascination for reproducing figurative bodies in steel mesh has developed extensively over twenty year. His forms has been compared to those of Michelangelo and Rodin.
The thrill of seeing his work "in the flesh" is powerful, erotic, tactile |
and intimate. When you first experience Begbie's bodies, you are curious to know how the perfection of form is achieved. On looking further, one becomes familiar with the properties of the sculpture - the wire mesh creates a liveliness and sense of movement that is further enhanced by the use of shadow play with strategic lighting.
Begbie's perception, understanding and imagination is what is succinctly and economically contained with in the confines of a simple shell which constitutes his sculpture. Look again closely and you see that there is not even a skin, only a graphic delineation of one. In relation to the space it occupies, the catalytic effect a Begbie sculpture has in any setting, given that it has no palpable substance or surface, is phenomenal.
His work is unique, breathtaking, unbelievable and has a far more greater physical presence than any solid object could possibly have because it has the power to suggest....it doesn't exist. |
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334 Lakeshore Road E. Oakville, Ontario 905.844.5711 |
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