8 – 27 May 2014
about the exhibition
David Frazer’s finely detailed woodcuts, lithographs, etchings and linocuts explore the themes of truth, despair and the emotional and fragile state of the human condition. His stage is often sparsely inhabited, with the occasional character seeming lost, as if unsure of his role in a changing world. These images are informed by thoughts of something better or nostalgic memories of a time that was never that great. However, the alienation and longing is often invested with ambiguity, slight optimism and wry humour.Although David’s works are intrinsically Australian, his story is universal, drawing tensions between survival and hope, vitality and emptiness in images that are both poignant and mildly unsettling, yet entirely captivating. The central piece in the exhibition is an intricate four panelled woodcut, ‘Waiting for rain’ which “culminates from years of small-scale wood engraving and the influence of my recent trips to China. It is a love letter to the Australian countryside. It captures the feeling of standing above the landscape the moment before embracing it.”
Born in Victoria, David Frazer graduated from the Phillip Institute of Technology, Melbourne with a Fine Art degree specialising in painting. In 1996, he gained an Honours degree from Monash University specialising in Printmaking and, in 2000, his Master of Arts. In 2007, David wasa featured Australian artist on the ABC’s documentary series ‘Artist at Work’.In 2013, he was the recipient of the Silk Cut Award open section acquisition prize for his woodcut, ‘Waiting for Rain’, which has also been included in a number of other awards and prize exhibitions. His works are represented widely across Australia and overseas in collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of South Australia, Australian War Memorial, State Library of Victoria and Chiang Mai Contemporary Art Museum of Thailand.
