Exhibition Proposal: Construction Series
“Hooker’s work invites me to investigate the origins of epistemology. In this day and age where the research often means spending countless hours staring at a laptop screen, where does the knowledge of the past and the present come from? Where do I go to find it? Whose authority am I to trust? And ultimately, how do I construct my own world and maintain it?…Hooker’s confrontation is light in its approach and meditative in its effect.”
Moto Okawa. art critic, curator.
Moto Okawa. art critic, curator.
This is an ongoing body of work that began over fifteen years ago. It grew out of my interest in the ways found objects can be transformed through an investigation of material and space, resulting in a synergy between representation and sculptural abstraction. I believe it also represents a synergy between physical and spiritual realities.
As the work has continued it has moved through different media. Below is a selection of sculptural pieces in ceramic and wood. It is my hope to push the scale of these works even further, both making large outdoor sculptural works and small scale works for the home.
As the work has continued it has moved through different media. Below is a selection of sculptural pieces in ceramic and wood. It is my hope to push the scale of these works even further, both making large outdoor sculptural works and small scale works for the home.
Ceramic Constructions
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This series is made entirely of clay, mostly red earthenware. The constructions are made intuitively: modules are made and then connected to define enclosed or implied volumes. These volumes are informed by my interests in pottery, sacred architecture, and structures found in nature. The objects found embedded in the sculptures come from casts made from found objects or from commercially made ceramic molds.
These pieces are fired multiple times with layers of glaze added with each firing, creating unique textures and colors. All of the works below are currently available. |
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1-2. Climb. 23x16x8 inches. 3-4. Stride. 23x20x13 inches.
5-6. Stall. 24x9x5 inches
7-8. Below. 23x16x8 inches.
9-10.Tandem 19x13x11 inches
11-12. Hover 16x25x14 inches
5-6. Stall. 24x9x5 inches
7-8. Below. 23x16x8 inches.
9-10.Tandem 19x13x11 inches
11-12. Hover 16x25x14 inches
Wood Constructions
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Before we can see that created things (especially material) are unreal, we must see clearly that they are real.
For the “unreality” of material things is only relative to the greater reality of spiritual things. Thomas Merton. Thoughts in Solitude This work is composed of wooden structures built around found objects all covered in whitewash. How is our perception of these objects changed by this context? Do the structures support the objects, or are the objects part of the structures? Does the whitewash obscure or reveal the objects? Does it sanitize them or purify them? What is revealed or hidden by the titles? It is my hope that making these objects, and these structures, seem somewhat “unreal,” it paradoxically makes them more real. Every time the pieces are displayed, the whitewash is renewed, meaning the objects evolve over time. |
All of the works below are currently available. |
1. The (Un)realisty of Objects. Wheaton College galleries. 2013
2. Shepherd. 79x34x20 inches.
3. Shepherd (detail)
4. Lift. 77x30x19 inches.
5. Lift (detail).
6. Swoop. 65x45x14 inches.
7. Swoop (detail)
8. Drift. 65x46x18 inches
9. Drift (detail)
2. Shepherd. 79x34x20 inches.
3. Shepherd (detail)
4. Lift. 77x30x19 inches.
5. Lift (detail).
6. Swoop. 65x45x14 inches.
7. Swoop (detail)
8. Drift. 65x46x18 inches
9. Drift (detail)
David JP Hooker lives and works in the greater Chicago area, where he is an artist and Chair of the Art Department at Wheaton College. He received an M.F.A. in Ceramics from Kent State University and a B.A. in English from Furman University.
His artistic practice explores a variety of media, including sculpture, pottery, performance art and collage. His works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including the Guilford Arts Center in Connecticut, Pottery Northwest in Seattle, the Third Annual Triennial of Silicate Arts in Hungary, and the 2016 International Cultural Fair in Dunhuang, China. His work can be found in various public and private collections, including the South Carolina State Museum, the Greenville County Museum of Art, Winthrop University, and Lanzhou City University.
When David is not freaking out over deadlines, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Elaine, his children Abbey and Samuel, his dog, Mac, and his cat, Evee. He also enjoys baseball, BBQ, and tennis—not necessarily in that order.
His artistic practice explores a variety of media, including sculpture, pottery, performance art and collage. His works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including the Guilford Arts Center in Connecticut, Pottery Northwest in Seattle, the Third Annual Triennial of Silicate Arts in Hungary, and the 2016 International Cultural Fair in Dunhuang, China. His work can be found in various public and private collections, including the South Carolina State Museum, the Greenville County Museum of Art, Winthrop University, and Lanzhou City University.
When David is not freaking out over deadlines, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Elaine, his children Abbey and Samuel, his dog, Mac, and his cat, Evee. He also enjoys baseball, BBQ, and tennis—not necessarily in that order.
Contact Information |
Curriculum Vitae
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