The Details of the West Coast #7 Nov 9

Essay

While visceral imagery was a mainstay for printmaker Doug Biden, he was also interested in contemporary issues, often referencing political, pop culture and mass media in his work. His earlier prints and mixed-media works show an interest in process and gestural abstraction. Later works combined appropriated photos and medical illustrations with spontaneous marks and blots of ink and pigment. At times, photo-based images dominated, expressively washed in both brilliant colour and shadowy darkness. Some prints featured images of war or critiqued the cult of celebrity, while others drew attention to the human body (skeletal, muscular and organ systems) and misogyny. He often combined different non-traditional techniques and enjoyed collaborating with other artists.

“I would describe my art making as primal imaging. In my art analogies between the conceptualization of landscape and the human body have emerged as important subjects with parallels in both materials and the way I make art. Primal imaging helps to reinforce the philosophy that all living components are co-dependent. At the same time, they belong to a sacred common ground that is part of a sensual, transitional, larger whole.”

“The Hand’s Mind” exh. folder, Simon Fraser Gallery, 1993, “Second Artist’s Statement” by D.B. The CC Art Bank Cat. 1972-92, CCAB, Ott., 1992.