THE Alliance Française in Richmond Hill is inviting the public to the opening of the Sanctuary Shelter exhibition, on Thursday, May 11, at 17:30.
The solo artist, Richard Barker, will be presenting a collection of visual perceptions – conceptual and mixed media works – referring in a deliberately ambiguous and subjective manner to different places of safety: be it a physical roof over one’s head, a spiritual shelter, or a work of art.
The artwork often references Buddhist practice which has a bearing on the artist’s work. Having initially trained as a sculptor at the Central St Martins College of Art in London and having made art for many years, Barker went on to live and work as a Buddhist monk for seven years.
He then spent a few years teaching before becoming a mental health counsellor.
The exhibition consists of a selection of new, recent pieces with some echoing of previous works. The roots of the exhibition have their beginnings in the late 1980s and early 90s, when the artist started noticing urban geometry and his interest in American hard-edged abstraction, with its origins in Russian suprematism, started.
“Buddhist practice encourages meditators to sit still with what arises in mind and body, be it suffering or joy,” said Barker. “In doing so we become more present, more aware of self and other.”
The artist also encourages the viewer to look into the middle of the artwork, to meditate upon the photo, a painting or the patchwork of the large Buddhist robe (kesa); leaving it up to the viewer to decide whether they are willing to enter and engage with what they find in the refuge.
The work, Letting Go, Dissolving/Falling Apart, it’s OK Not to Know, encourages viewers to step into an unknown sanctuary.
“Sometimes this can take a lot of faith and courage,” the artist explained. “We disappear and dissolve underneath an unknown shelter, which itself then disappears as we are seen and found anew. These images are like journeys which have given me a personal and social sense of direction.”
Even though each work in this exhibition is unique in itself, together they unfold into a kaleidoscope of images signifying seeking, finding and a strong sense of endless transformation.
The event marks Barker’s first solo exhibition in South Africa, and will continue until Friday, June 9.
