Giles Dawe's sculptural paintings show us a surrealistic world that arouses flows of thoughts. Inspired by the masters of Surrealism, he records the places he has stayed over the years as well as his artistic mind on medium other than canvas. Apart from the artist's daily life and the cities he has stayed, his work somehow reflects his British background and his peculiar view on themes like stereotyping, cultural shocks and so on. Making use of his training in sculpture and defying the constraint of a rectangular canvas, he creates one-of-a-kind artwork combining painting and sculpture.
Each artwork produced by Giles Dawe shows an incomplete image, things which should be there aren't and only images which the artist wants you to see are in the paintings. His signature cut-out pieces reinforce his artistic ideas by manipulating the way the pieces are presented, but also leaving room for imagination of the cut-away parts. The medium used is thinly applied oils on wood, which has the advantage giving a rich tone and an extra layer of visible grains on each piece. The shaping and cutting out of the wood lead the viewers to a deeper sense than the painted imagery. The English born artist lives in Hong Kong and China, was formally trained at UWIC in the UK and Nantes in France and uses inspiration from artists such as de Chirico and Max Ernst. Recent work has been purchased by HK Art Director Wang Jia Wei.
About the Artist
Giles Dawe is a full time China based artist, building a reputation in Hong Kong. Born in Bristol/England in 1977, he began painting at an early age and has studied painting and sculpture extensively in France and Cardiff under the famous UK landscape painter Terry Setch and is inspired by surreal painters such as de Chirico, Dali and Magritte.
Having lived abroad for many years, his previous works focused on depicting "Stereotypes" representing what other countries think of English people - perhaps a man situated in a foreign location with a bowler hat, an umbrella or wearing a dark business suit.
As Dawe's background also involved making sculptures and being frustrated by painting inside the confines of rectangle canvases, the original idea of painting on a sculptural image took shape. Thinly applied oils were used on wood, giving the advantage of a rich tone and an extra layer of visible grains on each piece. Also by being able to shape the sculpture to match the painted image, he could show to the viewer’s areas which he found of interest such as an angle of a building or a specific colour and then "cut out" the sections which weren't so interesting by manipulating the sculpture area.
In recent years, he has been unable to paint extensively as he took on the challenging role of caring of his son full time for 4 years. Now free from the constraints of bottle feeding and nappy changing, Giles is looking to showcase his talents once again. Recent work has been purchased by HK Art Director Wang Jia Wei, who mentioned he'd like to include the art in his films.
About State-of-the-Arts Gallery
State-of-the-Arts Gallery, which used to be situated on Hollywood Road, has found its new residence on another classic street in Hong Kong – Pottinger Street, better known as “Stone Street”, which is famous for the granite stone steps with a remarkable history of over a century years old. With the new address, the Gallery now stands at an eye-catching point on the sidewalk along the historical steps, surrounded by antique shops and the old Central Police Station, as well as overlooking a quiet park. As the new location suggests, the Gallery is proud to position itself as an independent, ‘state-of-the-arts’ gallery promoting works of worldwide sources, with an emphasis on the quality of artwork, instead of the origin of the contributor, thereby distinguishing itself from the cluster of trendy galleries in Central selling contemporary Chinese arts.
The geographical move aims to draw visitors’ attention to the monthly exhibition, which has long been a special feature of State-of-the-Arts Gallery. The three-storey new shop with a high ceiling enables visitors to appreciate the Gallery collection in a more comfortable, but not less classy environment. Descending from the stairs on the ground level to the basement, visitors could view the exhibits in an artistic space resembling a cellar of a castle. The Art Consultancy office on the second floor also serves as an elegant space for display of art samples, and a cozy meeting room for project discussion with artists and clients.
Since it was founded in 2003, State-of-the-Arts Gallery has organized numerous exhibitions, charity functions and special events for an array of artists worldwide. It started with promoting Austrian arts with more than twelve contracted artists. In several years of time, the Gallery has rapidly established itself as a contemporary international fine arts gallery featuring artists from countries across continents: from Austria to other parts of Europe like France and England; and from Australia to remote Latin American countries including Mexico, Chile and Columbia. The Gallery offers purchase, lease, or commission for a variety of artwork including paintings, sculptures, artistic photographs and glassware. All artworks are selected within the parameter of high quality and collection value. Selected works share the common characteristics of conceptual originality, thematic consistency, and refinement in techniques as sharing the artists’ self-cultivation and philosophy of art has always been our priority aim at promoting commercial art.
It is hoped that following the move, both geographically and symbolically, State-of-the-Arts Gallery would also move on to a new chapter of prosperity by bringing more significant contributions to the art community in Hong Kong. Visitors would find a greater sense of enjoyment through a delightful art-walk in the new residence and at the same time, recognize its taste, characteristics and professionalism when appreciating art in the Gallery relaxingly.
