David Roth: An introduction to painting

Dürst Britt & Mayhew is proud to present Austrian artist David Roth‘s first solo exhibition at the gallery.

David Roth’s artistic practice forms a long-term research into the origins, processes and manifestations of painting. For Roth the process of making and the element of chance involved are as important to notice as the final visual outcome. Therefore a so called end product as for example a painted canvas and side products as for example a palette or a piece of cloth for cleaning brushes, have the same value for him. Every surface with marks and history of the process may turn up in his works.

Time and duration are important elements and the layering of materials from different periods within one work can either spark dissonance or renewal. Roth’s works continually play with concepts of construction and deconstruction as well as with the performative and sculptural potential painting can possess. This becomes very clear in a series of works called ‘Brain’, which seem to behave like sculptures, but nevertheless have all the trappings of a painting: a bearer (be it a canvas or pieces of cloth), colour, and even a wooden framework. The trestles which are supporting the loose painted textiles are in fact made of modificated stretcher bars.

David Roth (1985) graduated from the Academy of fine arts Vienna in the class of Daniel Richter. Recent solo and duo exhibitions include ‘remember’ at New Jörg in Vienna, ‘Vogl/Roth’ at Skulpturinstitut in Vienna, ‘ça grésille, ça clignotte’ at le commissariat in Paris and ‘Orgy Now’ at Ve.sch in Vienna. Recent group exhibitions include ‘Stretch Release’ at Dürst Britt & Mayhew, ‘Vielfalt’ at Landesmuseum Burgenland, ‘Imago Mundi’ at Belvedere Winterpalais in Vienna and ‘Plus jamais seul’ at Standards in Rennes. Work by Roth is held in private and public collections including the Landesmuseum Burgenland and the Luciano Benetton collection.