Exhibit Summary:
"The title of Dave J. Bermingham’s first solo show with Alpha Gallery, On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever), is borrowed from the musical film and stage play about a woman who undergoes hypnosis and discovers a past life as an 18th century seductress. The many layers of history, fantasy and desire (not to mention comedy) in the musical reflect the concerns in Bermingham’s multi-media works.
His series Occhi (eyes) consists of sculptural assemblages utilizing found domestic objects. They are both comical and jewel-like, attractive and absurd. Some jut out from the wall in seemingly gravity-defying ways. They embody the idea of the gaze in the context of objects typically associated with the lives of women, thus complicating the traditional notion of the male gaze. In re-purposing these domestic objects, Bermingham is also asking us to look at them as parts of a whole—a new narrative of beauty, nostalgia and desire.
Also included are works that combine Bermingham’s interest in textiles with found objects. In Good Looking, for example, embroidery designed by the artist is incorporated with glass to create a kaleidoscopic effect that glistens on the surface but suggests a hidden message beneath."
-Joanna Fink, Alpha Gallery