| “One hundred
years ago, in the last days of the great European explorers, nature had
so radically diminished that it was a novelty: it is for this reason that
African explorations captured the imagination of nineteenth-century man.
To enter a truly natural world was exotic, beyond theexperience of most
mankind, who lived from birth to death in entirely man-made circumstances.In
the twentieth century the balance has shifted so far that for all practical
purposes one may say that nature has disappeared. Wild plants are preserved
in hothouses, wild animals in zoos and game parks: artificial settings
created by man as a souvenir of the once-prevalent natural world. But
an animal in a zoo or a game park does not live its natural life, any
more than a man in a city lives a natural life.Today we are surrounded
by man and his creations. Man is inescapable, everywhere on the globe,
and nature is a fantasy,
a dream of the past, long gone."
Maurice Cavalle - French anthropologist
(from the paper entitled "The Death of Nature" published in
1955).
The quote above is relevant today more so than ever before! Natural environments have become more of an exception than a rule. Our connection with the "wild" as a spiritual and physical presence has been replaced by a financial value system. The wildlife art that I create has inspired by photography as well as artworks by cultures that live close to the " wild" or did so in the past. Through my work I try to bridge and understand this brittle connection.For this reason I have chosen to separate the subjects aesthetically from their natural environment fabricating a fantasy antagonist to that of natural law. In some works the boldness of the stylization makes the animal seem mythological in a man made urban environment.
Education
1991 - 1994
Tertiary at the Peninsula Technikon
Graduated with a National diploma in Graphic Design
2006
Completed (Instilling a personal marketing culture) course at the Artscape resource centre
2008
Attended a Business Acumen Workshop facilitated by Beate Baethke
Attended a Introduction to Fundraising workshop at VANSA offices
2009
Completed Marketing management course at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Work Experience
April - August 1995
Junior Designer at Screen Events
July - September 1998
Graphic Designer (typesetter) at Master Print
September 1999 - December 2008
Senior Graphic Designer at Laragh Courseware
February 2009 to current
Press and Marketing Officer at Greatmore Studios
April – June 2011
Part Time Employee at Ralph Krall Interiors
January 2010 - current
Casual Employee at Artsource
February 2011 - current
Part Time Teacher at Zonnebloem Childrens Art Centre
June 2011 - current
Part Time Teacher at Valkenburg Hospital
Projects
1995
Exhibited at the Caledon museum
1996
Completed an apprenticeship in stop action animation at Jack
Russel studios
Exhibited at the Jol (club and restraurant)
1997
Took part in the Thupelo workshop
Tutored for Sanlams annual children’s art competition
Participated in the District Six Public sculpture Festival
1998
Tutored for Sanlams annual children’s art competition
Participated in a 10 day residency program on Robben Island as
part of Swedish artist exchange program
1999
I was nominated for a residency program at the Fordsburg art
studios (Bag factory) in Johannesburg
Participated in an etching workshop and artist exchange program
facilitated by the Alliance Francaise
Part of group exhibition at Le bon ton gallery
Part of group exhibition Battswood Art Centre
Worked as a professional artist at Greatmore Studios
Participated in group exhibition at Institute For Democracy in
South Africa (IDASA)
Received 1st prize for best designed poster competition for 1st
Cape Town Art festival
2000
Managed workshops at the Somerset library and the Foundation
School of Art.
Worked as a professional artist at Greatmore Studios
Part of group exhibition at Durbanville Cultural Society (Rust
en Vrede)
2001
participated in an artist exchange program which involved a group
exhibition with etchings of 12 South African artists and running workshops
in Brest ,Jarsey and Tulle
Part of group exhibition at Durbanville Cultural Society (Rust
en Vrede)
2002
Exhibition of banners done for cultural festival in Brest Banners
of Africa
Took part in 4th Biennale of Pan-African Circle of Artists (Afrika
Heritage)
Exhibited in Barcelona for charities (UNISEF, Save the children
,)
Took part in the national Thupelo workshop and exhibited at the
Annex of the South African National Gallery
2003
Took part in the International Thupelo workshop and exhibited
at the Annex of the South African National Gallery
Exhibited in Barcelona for charities (UNISEF, Save the children
,)
Part of Group exhibition at Durbanville Cultural Society (Rust
en Vrede)
2004
Participated in exhibition (Identity) at Fortis Circustheater
Holland celebrating the opening of the Lion King
Solo exhibition at the Association for Visual arts Cape Town
Exhibited at the International Congress of Conservation (Bellville
Civic Centre)
Participated in opening group exhibition at the Nonjingi gallery-
Cape Town
Participated in a group exhibition of wildlife at Cape gallery-
Cape Town
Invited to participate in the Wasanii International artists workshop
in Kenya
Invited to participate in Afrika Heritage 2004 Biennale - Lagos
Nigeria
Invited to participate in ABSOLUT MOMENT fundraising exhibition
for the AVA artreach fund
Participating in a group exhibition at Durbanville Cultural Society
(Rust en Vrede) |
 |
Artist: GARY FRIER
Title: Do not speak of a rhino if there is no tree to climb
Size: 32 x 28 cm
Media: Acrylic on board
Price: R 1 700 Unframed
2005
Participated in exhibition - First Decade of Democracy at Art.b
– The Arts Association of Bellville
Participated in The Cape Gallery Annual Wildlife Exhibition
Participated in group Wildlife Exhibition at Kühne Boekkooi
Gallery in Port Elizabeth
Invited to participate in ABSOLUT Finale fundraising exhibition
for the AVA artreach fund
Participated in group show at Walter Batiss Gallery in Somerset
East
2006
Group show with Garth Erasmus at the Alliance Française
du cap entiteled - Similiar similarities and strange attractors
Group show at the KKNK festival in Oudshoorn - Branding Me
P O S I + I V E “HOPE” Art Exhibition-Proceeds from
this watershed event will go to the Tapologo Aids Hospice, which is performing
an invaluable service in the fight against HIV/AIDS
Participated in The Cape Gallery Annual Wildlife Exhibition
Work in private collections
South Africa , France ,United Kingdom ,Russia ,Spain ,Italy & Netherlands
,Germany, Australia
Work in corporate collections
Peuple et Culture – Brest (France)
BP South Africa
Joop van den Ende Theater Productions – Holland
Embassy of USA, Nairobi
2007
Exhibited at the Design indaba with Jeanette Unite, Nico Phooko, Madi Phala, Estie Fourie, Tyrrel Thaysen, Lee-Ann January organized by the Western Cape Department of economic development
Exhibit at the ITECED (Institute of Training and Education for Capacity Building)
Invited to participate in Baboon Art Exhibition 24th August at the Sanlam Hall, Kirstenbosch Gardens
Invited to participate in the DRAWING-MAIL-project AFRICA( part of the African film festival Cinemaf ) at the The Royal Academy of Arts in Antwerp
Invited to participate in the DBSA”s (The Development Bank of Southern Africa) third exhibition - “SOUL OF AFRICA” art as a cornerstone for development
Invited to participate in the Koekenaap Regional Workshop hosted by the Wesland art Society in association with the Department of Cultural affairs in the Matzikama District Invited to contribute to art auction “Art with Heart” hosted at The Rotunda at The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay
Invited to participate in exhibition entitled Four seasons at “These four walls” gallery
2008
Invited to contribute to art auction “Starfish Dinner of Hope” hosted at The Vineyard Hotel, Newlands
Invited to contribute MyLifE's South African Art Auction on the 11th of April on at the Michaelis School of Fine Art in Orange Street, Cape Town, in support of the youth development work of the MylifE Project.
Invited to contribute to the fundraising auction exhibition for the peninsula feeding scheme which was auction by 34 on Long
Exhibiting work entitle Person to Person at the Artscape Resource centre from the 11 of June 20 the 11th of July
Group Exhibit at the Baxter
Christmas Miniatures exhibition at VEO Gallery in Cape Town
2009
Invited to contribute to Exxxhibition at the Gecko gallery in East London
Invited to contribute to a charity Exhibition for the Anglican aids and healthcare trust
Invited to contribute to a charity art auction for the Lion Club
Participated in The Cape Gallery Annual Wildlife ExhibitionDraw exhibition at VANSA
Exhibited at the Riebeek Valley Hotel in Riebeeck Kasteel part of the Riebeeck kasteel art festival
Participated in Genesis Trust charity art auction at Lord Charles hotel in Somerset West to raise funds for education for under privileged children
2010
Invited participate in a group show at the Irma Stern Museum Gallery
Participated in The Cape Gallery Annual Wildlife Exhibition
Invited participate in a group show for the S.P.C.A. trustees luncheon at The Vineyard Hotel, Newlands
Invited to participate in “A Slice of Life” exhibition at the Liebrecht Gallery, Somerset West
Invited to participate in “30 x 30” exhibition at the Gill Allderman Gallery, Kenilworth
Participated in the World Aids Day Benefit on 1 December 2010 at the Audi Centre - Cape Town
2011
Took part in a webdocumentary produced by Pierre Tremblay which was screened at the Rococo Studio Gallery on the 25th of February see: http://vimeo.com/17325720
Awards and Grants
1998
Awarded a grant for a three month residency at the Bagfactory ( Fordsburg art studio)
in Johannesburg
1999
Awarded a grant for a three month residency for an artist exchange program facilitated by the Alliance Francaise, Artscape, Peuple et Culture (Brest)
2004
Awarded a grant from the lotto fund to attend the Wasanii International artists workshop in Kenya
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