Daro Montag
Associate Member
bioglyphs: art from living matter
this art does not portray objects or entities - it discloses events
it is not concerned with classification but with revelation
the method uses film but not a camera
it is not optical but physical
the black film is loaded with colour
waiting to be released
the creativity of this project does not reside solely with the artist
it also includes countless micro-organisms
the art is in the performance of these subjects
their play of interaction leaves an indexical trace
this work is made by a range of biological activities
these include eating, defecating, wriggling, procreating
when carried out by micro-organisms these activities are commonly known
as decomposition
in exposing film to such activity
the art realises the creative potential of decay
it is composition by decomposition
everything is in the process of becoming something else
creativity is the natural state of living matter
living matter is the embodiment of creativity
this art makes visible the unseen events of the micro-organic world
the insignificant is brought into signification
in a universe in which all things are connected
it is a celebration of cosmos
Artist's statement initially published in Sci-Art catalogue, 1998
Education
- 2000
- PhD Bioglyphs: Generating images in callaboration with nature's events - University at Hertfordshire
- 1994
- MA Photography - Royal College of Art
Solo Exhibitions
- 2001
- Purdy Hicks Gallery, London
- 2000
- Caren Golden Fine Art, New York
- The Economist. London
- 1996
- Windlesham Arboretum, Surrey
- 1994
- Bibliotheque Multimedia de Valenciennes, France
- 1993
- Freshfields, London
- 1992
- Musee de St. Malo, France
- Plymouth Art Centre
- Poole Heritage Centre
- Bridport Art Centre
- lslingtan Arts Factory
Selected Group Exhibitions
- 2000
- Somewhere, someone is doing something - VTO Gallery, London
- Summer exhibition - Purdy Hicks Gallery, London
- Research into practice - University of Hertfordshire
- Revelation - Carlisle Museum and Gallery
- 1999
- Revelation - Purdy Hicks Gallery. London
- Phenomena - The Friends of Photography, San Francisco
- Unnatural - Catherine Clark Gallery, San Francisco
- This is not a photograph - Pace University Gallery. New York
- 1998
- Near - Museum of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
- Flowers - Hartlepool Art Gallery
- The Citibank photography collection - The Photographers Gallery, London Royal College of Art, London
- 1997
- lslington International Festival - London slip Art Museum, New York
- 1996
- Caren Golden Fine Art, New York
- Exposition d Suivre - Bruneck Castle, Italy
- 1995
- Possibilities of Extension - Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth
- Heaven's Embroidered Cloths - National Museum of Photography, Film & Television. Bradford
Conferences / Symposiums
- 2000
- Between nature: Ecology & performance - Lancaster University
- 1996
- The cutting edge: Art & science - The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. Norwich
Awards
- 1996
- Research award. University of Hertfordshire
- 1994
- Bankers Trust Pyramid Award 1994 Fletcher King Award
- Chesterton Award
- 1992
- Arts Council Commission
Publications
- 1997
- Yew- artist's book. Limited edition hardback, ISBN 0 9518293 5 1. Paperback ISBN 09518293 4 3.
- 1992
- Facing the Sea (Face a Ia Mer) - artist's book, ISBN 0 951829300.
Bibliography
- 2001
- This is not a photograph - Pamela Auchincloss I Arts Management
- 2000
- Art Works: British & German Contemporary Art 1960-2000 - Deutsche Bank
- Somewhere, someone is doing something - VTO Gallery
- Nature tracing itself: Chris Townsend on Daro Montag's Bioglyphs - Hotshoe International, May-June 2000
- 1999
- Revelation - Purdy Hicks catalogue
- 1998
- Near - Museum ot Sharjah catalogue 1998 Sci-Art - The Weilcome Trust partnership in science and art
- 1995
- Possibilities ot Extension - Aspex Gallery catalogue 1995
- Exposition à Suivre - Acte de Naissance catalogue Faux-tographies - Acte de Naissance catalogue
- 1994
- Soil Thou Art... - RCA exhibition catalogue
Daro Montag
e-mail: daro.montag@falmouth.ac.uk