David Robinson: The Conditional Figure

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David Robinson, "Draped Figure," 2009

mixed media

Sculptor David Robinson has been a force in the Canadian art scene for the last 25 years. Based in Vancouver, he is known for his conceptually and physically complex works that are recognized as outstanding examples of a contemporary humanist realism that engages with fundamental, often spiritual questions of the experience and meaning of being. His sculptures do this through a few central premises; the universal human, our interaction with the physical world and the exploration of metaphysical ideas and their expression in form.

This exhibition presents large-scale sculptural works that treat the figure as a conditional entity, whose appearance points to a dynamic, rather than a static state. Figures are split and penetrated, surfaces are textured and rough. The idea of the unassailable body, strong, solid and resolute, is brought into question and brings forward the view of ourselves as a system in flux, constantly changing and evolving in time and space. Where the figures retain a solidity of form, it is their extended bodies – boats, planes, architectural elements etc – that point to the fragile nature of structures we construct to keep us safe, while formally allowing us to read the figure within or connected to the structure.

His works are created with virtuoso skill and an experts’ understanding of materials and form. There is always a search for balance, strength and perseverance in Robinsons’ art, demonstrated through expressive gesture and figurative interaction with architectural elements. These elements function as references to the history of sculpture itself and conceptually as physical manifestations of obstacles, doubts and crises that constantly try to upend, dislodge and obstruct us as we navigate through our lives.