David Barnett: Sacred Creatures

David Barnett: Sacred Creatures gathers a plethora of found objects combined with those fashioned by the artist’s own hand. His inventive assemblage works encompass pedestal-mounted sculptural objects, wall-mounted constructions, as well as two- and three-dimensional collages. On view May 6 through June 5, 2010, this is Barnett’s second solo exhibition at Denise Bibro Fine Art, Chelsea, NYC.

The work is imbued with a rich sense of history, incorporating Victorian era botanical imagery, ancient anatomical diagrams, and vintage mechanical elements. Conflating the study of anatomy and mechanics, Barnett conjures ethereal butterfly- and bat-winged beings, strange amalgamated saints, unexpected human and animal hybrids, fanciful flying machines, and curious carnival rides. A scarce commodity in our era of instant gratification, these intimate, intricate works are meticulously hand-crafted and expertly assembled, lending them a quality of rarity and preciousness. Barnett’s work is at once uncommon, delightful, eccentric, and mysterious.

Barnett has mounted solo exhibitions at Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD; the Upstream Gallery, Dobbs Ferry, NY; and the Brownstone Gallery, Brooklyn, NY. Numerous group shows include Gallery Henoch, Allan Stone Gallery, and the Armory Show, all in New York, NY; Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY; Westchester Arts Council, White Plains, NY; Futura Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden; Philipse Manor Hall Museum, Yonkers, NY, among others. He has been profiled in The New York Times, Idea magazine, and Print magazine. Barnett has held teaching positions at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute, and the School of Visual Arts.