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Though the technique of beadwork is centuries old, the sculptural forms
of David Chatt's work speak much to the life of modern-day man. The subject
in his piece entitled Hanging on by a Thread appears to be a man in a
landscape of estrangement, having lost so many of his marbles that his
face seems to have shrunk around the mouth and chin. Helplessly, he looks
on at his scattered marbles.
But Chatt doesn't let the viewer dwell on this modern existential experience.
His work is imbued with a lively sense of humor that forces us to chuckle
as we interact with his piece. And, it is impossible not to appreciate
his innovative and time-consuming beading technique. He sews individual
seed beads together to create what he calls "a skin over a rigid
form, or a self-supporting matrix of beads that is at once structural
and dynamic." Zenlike, his approach to art not only embraces a technical
proficiency with materials but fuses the artist with his creation.
His work was recently featured in the exhibit "Sewn" at the
Seattle Art Museum and can also be seen in the currently touring "Men
of the Cloth" exhibit that was curated by the Loveland Art Museum
in Colorado. The exhibit runs from September 1 through December 31 at
the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.
-Susan Kieffer
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