David Greg Harth:
Man Eating
17/06/2009 - 24/07/2009
David Greg Harth, What ate that Black Man? (2007) Video still
Visiting artist David Greg Harth presented two video works: “What ate that black man” (2007) and “Black eating white” (2009). In these works, the artist's interest in the tensions of race and sexuality come to the fore through the act of chewing. In the more recent of the two works, the intimacy is magnified – the video focuses on the “primitive movement of the mouth biting and gnawing at the flesh”.
David Greg Harth is a visual artist based in New York. His work ranges from performance to video, photography, interactive work, drawing, installation, and poetry. Harth infiltrates the public realm with live street actions and individual participatory projects, often transgressing and questioning social boundaries.
A major part of Harth’s work involves gathering information, collecting, documenting and producing records of subjects ranging from current world events, political, social and economic, to more specific personal experiences.
In most instances, the process of an artwork is just as important as the final work itself. "The Holy Bible Project," a 20-year-long artwork in progress, exemplifies some main concerns in his work: the role of religion in our society, its cult of celebrity, and social interaction as a medium. This project illustrates his dedication to long-term artworks that unfold as he explores the intricacies and subtleties of the artwork itself.
Harth’s performance works create unusual tensions in a common environment. In them, he often puts his own body through strenuous activity to explore fragility, struggle, and adversity in both social and personal situations. His participatory exchanges of stamped messages on U.S. currency, use unconventional circuits of communication to stimulate dialogue.
David Greg Harth was born in New York. He has a BFA from Parsons School of Design, New York. He has exhibited in various galleries and art spaces since the mid 90's nationally and internationally. Harth has recently completed a two week art residency in Beirut, Lebanon. More of his work can be seen on his website: http://www.davidgregharth.com/
