David Alesworth
Encyclopedia
David Chalmers Alesworth, (A.R.B.S.) was born 1957 in Oxshott
in Surrey
not far from Wimbledon, London
UK
.
He is a Pakistan
-based English
artist
. Trained originally as a sculptor, he moved to Pakistan in 1987
and engaged with the popular visual culture of South Asia
and with urban crafts such as truck decoration. He teaches art in Pakistan at various institutions including currently the Beaconhouse National University
, Lahore
.
Lately, he has also acted as a juror for the Kara Film Festival
.
and won the prestigious Stanley Picker Fellowship at the Kingston University
. He then took up a teaching assignment at the Glasgow School of Art
. His encounter with Pakistani culture, especially truck art, in the early 80s opened up his practice to a range of new materials and he moved to Pakistan in 1987.
He started working with truck artists in the mid-to-late 90s and was attributed with some acclaimed installations, conceived in collaboration with Durriya Kazi. Through these collaborations and working with these craftsmen, he produced installations or interactive sites, such as Heart Mahal, Very Sweet Medina and Promised Lands (Arz-e-Mauood) which generated substantial interest at local and international showings and cultivated a renewed attention towards cultural politics and aesthetics of cinema hoardings, truck art, bazaar artefacts, and commercial sign paintings.
Where most of his practices were based loosely around decorative flourishes of the urban bazaars, his central themes have remained environmental degradation
and nuclear proliferation
influencing works like Two Bombs Kiss in 1993.
) in 2002.
This grew out of concern for the induction of nuclear weapons in Pakistan and these concerns were also voiced by others. This refers to Pakistan's nuclear tests by the government before Musharraf's. The nuclear tests in April 1998 had become an iconic symbol in minds of people street-wise and images of the Ghauri missile
were painted atop trucks and walls all over the city. Models of the missile were displayed as sculptures across town. David referred to his latest work as a continuation of an enduring enquiry and celebration of Pakistan’s urban street culture and commended it as part celebration of the material and process and part critique of the dubious and potentially disastrous aspiration to weaponise the nation.
The exhibition had a companion show that showcased even more of peculiar form of art displaying David's affection of the very English toy, a teddy bear. Where he unpacked this globalized icon in numerous ways. The teddy bears were translated into welded, riveted and soldered steel plate with polka dot
s and displayed in public places similar to the missiles.
Oxshott
Oxshott is a village in Surrey, England with a growing population of around 6,100. Neighbouring settlements include: Chessington, Claygate and Cobham. It is situated in fields and woodlands between Esher and Leatherhead on the A244, five minutes by car from both the A3 and the M25 London Orbital...
in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
not far from Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon, London
Wimbledon is a district in the south west area of London, England, located south of Wandsworth, and east of Kingston upon Thames. It is situated within Greater London. It is home to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and New Wimbledon Theatre, and contains Wimbledon Common, one of the largest areas...
UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
He is a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
-based English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. Trained originally as a sculptor, he moved to Pakistan in 1987
and engaged with the popular visual culture of South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and with urban crafts such as truck decoration. He teaches art in Pakistan at various institutions including currently the Beaconhouse National University
Beaconhouse National University
Beaconhouse National University is a liberal arts university in Lahore, Pakistan. Chartered by the Government of Punjab, Beaconhouse National University was established in 2003 by the Beaconhouse School System and its owner, Mrs. Kasuri, to provide a modern education while ensuring that the...
, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
.
Lately, he has also acted as a juror for the Kara Film Festival
Kara Film Festival
The KaraFilm Festival - Karachi International Film Festival is an internationally recognized film festival of Pakistan annually held in Karachi....
.
History
Alesworth studied art at the Wimbledon School of Art in the tradition of late ConstructivismConstructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
and won the prestigious Stanley Picker Fellowship at the Kingston University
Kingston University
Kingston University is a public research university located in Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, United Kingdom. It was originally founded in 1899 as Kingston Technical Institute, a polytechnic, and became a university in 1992....
. He then took up a teaching assignment at the Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
. His encounter with Pakistani culture, especially truck art, in the early 80s opened up his practice to a range of new materials and he moved to Pakistan in 1987.
He started working with truck artists in the mid-to-late 90s and was attributed with some acclaimed installations, conceived in collaboration with Durriya Kazi. Through these collaborations and working with these craftsmen, he produced installations or interactive sites, such as Heart Mahal, Very Sweet Medina and Promised Lands (Arz-e-Mauood) which generated substantial interest at local and international showings and cultivated a renewed attention towards cultural politics and aesthetics of cinema hoardings, truck art, bazaar artefacts, and commercial sign paintings.
Where most of his practices were based loosely around decorative flourishes of the urban bazaars, his central themes have remained environmental degradation
Environmental degradation
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...
and nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the...
influencing works like Two Bombs Kiss in 1993.
Art and exhibits
Over the years, Alesworth has examined the conventions and visual codes of Pakistani society and of urban life in particular. His exhibits have displayed a wide range of formal influences from contemporary mass culture to the purism of late Constructivism. Many of these themes were evident in his versions of missiles and the very English teddy bear toys,displayed at the Canvas gallery (KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
) in 2002.
Probes
In October 2002, Alesworth exhibited his latest collection of work which involved components of reality reconstructed in metal. Much celebrated however were his varied scales of missiles that stood on bowed legs. He placed them around town to note public reaction to the pieces.This grew out of concern for the induction of nuclear weapons in Pakistan and these concerns were also voiced by others. This refers to Pakistan's nuclear tests by the government before Musharraf's. The nuclear tests in April 1998 had become an iconic symbol in minds of people street-wise and images of the Ghauri missile
Ghauri (missile)
The Hatf V, named Ghauri , is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by Kahuta Research Laboratories of Pakistan. Powered by a single stage liquid fuel rocket motor, the missile has an optimum range of 1,500 km and can carry a payload of 700 kg...
were painted atop trucks and walls all over the city. Models of the missile were displayed as sculptures across town. David referred to his latest work as a continuation of an enduring enquiry and celebration of Pakistan’s urban street culture and commended it as part celebration of the material and process and part critique of the dubious and potentially disastrous aspiration to weaponise the nation.
The exhibition had a companion show that showcased even more of peculiar form of art displaying David's affection of the very English toy, a teddy bear. Where he unpacked this globalized icon in numerous ways. The teddy bears were translated into welded, riveted and soldered steel plate with polka dot
Polka dot
Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of filled circles, generally equally sized and spaced relatively closely in relation to their diameters. Polka dots are most commonly seen on children's clothing, toys, and furniture, but they appear in a wide array of contexts...
s and displayed in public places similar to the missiles.