DAVIS BIRKS
Born in Seattle, Washington
Lives and works in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
“Develop action, thought, and desires by proliferation, juxtaposition, and disjunction…” – Michel Foucault, preface to Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, Deleuze and Guatarri, 1972
“During the time my childhood friends contemplated their futures as policemen, astronauts, firemen or rock stars, I had decided by the age of 9 to dedicate my life to making art. Over the years, I have gravitated towards an experimental, investigative approach as have many artists of my generation who search for a way to assimilate the complexities of contemporary life. My work is a heuristic exploration that questions how we relate to each other and our environment. I develop my projects with an interest in aesthetic, social and historical relationships.” –Davis Birks
In 1985, Birks attended the Universidad Autónoma, in Guadalajara, Mexico, through a study grant. After graduating in 1986 with a BFA from Arizona State University, summa cum laude, Birks returned to Guadalajara via Puerto Vallarta and became an early proponent of contemporary art in both communities.
The work of Davis Birks is defined by multiple investigations through diverse disciplines. Using sculpture, installation, painting—and more recently, photography and social practice—Birks explores a wide range of interests including social inter-relations, geo-politics, economy, the environment, and history.
Birks is a highly active and collected artist who has worked in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Mexico, US, Europe and Asia. His work forms part of private and public art collections including the Museum of Latin American Art (MoLaa), Long Beach; the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH), Houston, Texas; the Santa Barbara Museum (SBMA), California; Museo de Las Artes (MUSA) and Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara.
In addition to his work as a visual artist, Birks has dedicated time to the development of contemporary art in Puerto Vallarta since 1987, assisting recently in the foundation and project development of the cultural institution Oficina de Proyectos Culturales (OPC). Davis Birks is also a member of the advisory committee for the Visual Arts Department of the Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara, and the advisory committee for the Instituto Cultural Vallartense.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
2009 CHANCE: CUESTIONES DEL AZAR: Von Rohr Gallery, Puerto Vallarta, México
2008 LIKE A DOG COMING OUT OF A RESERVOIR, Charro Negro Gallery, Guadalajara, México
2008 OROZCO DESDE EL SIGLO XXI, Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, México
2008 FIRULAIS, Museo de La Ciudad, Guadalajara, México
2008 Bundang Memorial Park Sculpture Symposium 2008, Seoul, Korea
2008 LIGHT, Galería Nina Menocal, México, D.F.
2008 PVAC (Puerto Vallarta Arte Contemporáneo) Puerto Vallarta, México
2008 FEMACO, Galería Nina Menocal y Galería Charro Negro, México D.F.
2007 Picture Stories: The Art of Europe and the Americas, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, CA, USA
2006 Scope/Miami, Charro Negro Gallery, Miami, FL
2006 Artistas Citados, Galería Nina Menocal, México, D.F.
2005 Retrospektive 1990 – 2005, Galerie/Atelier Tom Blaess, Bern, Switzerland
2005 Klostergarten Ausstellung 2005, Cluniazen Priorat Rüeggisberg, Bern, Switzerland
2004 Mexican Report, Blue Star Contemporary Art Center, San Antonio, TX, USA
2004 Vibra Optica, Museo Nacional de Romania, Bucharest, Romania
2003 Panorama de La Pintura en Jalisco, Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, México
2003 A Piedra y Fuego, Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
2002 Vibra Óptica, Kulturzentrum bei den Minoriten, Graz, Austria
2001 Instituto Potosino de Bellas Artes, San Luis Potosí, México
2001 Casa de La Cultura de Puebla, Puebla, México
2000 Pintura en Jalisco, 1950 – 2000 Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara, Jal., México
2000 Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca, Oaxaca, México
2000 X Bienal de Pintura, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Rufino Tamayo, México, D. F.
1999 Accrochage, Galerie Rahn, Zürich, Switzerland
1999 IV Bienal de Monterrey, Museo de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Loen, México
1998 Galería Rahn, Zürich, Switzerland
1997 Kunst 97, Zürich, Switzerland
1997 Premio Marco 96, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Monterrey, México
1996 Carlos Vidal und Davis R. Birks, Galerie Rahn, Zürich, Switzerland
1995 Colección Permanente, Museo de Las Artes, U de G, Guadalajara, México
1994 Encuentro Interamericano, Museo de Las Artes, U de G, Guadalajara, México
1993 Second Cities, Diverse Works Artspace, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
1992 Hudson River Museum, New York, NY, U.S.A.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
2009 EXTRACCIONES, Galería Nina Menocal, México, D.F.
2008 WORK (Alrededor), ExConvento del Carmen, Guadalajara, M[exico
2007 STRATA, Edward Cella Art and Architecture, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
2003 Die Signale Installation, Klosterruine, Rüeggisberg, Switzerland
2002 Distribución de Cargas, Galería Nina Menocal, México, D.F.
2002 Himnos Hallados, Exconvento del Carmen, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
2001 Davis Russell Birks, Haus der Kunst, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
2000 Inside – Out, Colegio de Arquitectos del Estado de Jalisco, Guadalajara, Jal., México
1999 Davis Russell Birks , Zimmeraxx, Oberbutschel, Berna, Switzerland
1998 Alimentando La Obsesión, Museo de Las Artes, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
1997 Juegos De Poder, Exconvento Del Carmen, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
1996 Motivos Confesados, Galería Oscar Roman, México, D.F.
1994 Al Borde Visceral, Museo De La Ciudad, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
1993 Conversations from the 21st Century, Galería Jorge Alvarez, Guadalajara, México
1992 Davis Russell Birks, Lowe Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, USA
1987 Davis Russell Birks, Galería De Arte Moderno, Guadalajara, Jalisco, México
Collectiones
Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Museum of Fine Arts, Guadalajara
Dimitris Gigourtakis Collection, Athens, Greece
Awards
2000 Gran Premio Omnilife Sculpture Guadalajara, México
2006 Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center
