SANITY DEVICES: PAINTINGS BY DAVID L. FORBES Track 16 Presents Track 16 Gallery is proud to present “Sanity Devices,” an exhibition of recent paintings by David L. Forbes. The exhibition will be on view from April 23, 2005 through June 11, 2005, with an opening reception on Saturday, April 30, from 6 to 9 P.M. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. A veritable Renaissance man, painter, poet, writer, and bon vivant, ex-Londoner David L. Forbes will exhibit some of his most recent and not so recent work. For those who are familiar with Forbes work, we know it to be expansive (he is extremely prolific), and in a broader sense, frantically visual, which is a simplistic way of stating that his paintings need to be experienced, not only seen. He covers every inch of canvas with minute detail, using bright, psychedelic, colors and imagery that indeed take the viewer to another dimension. Beneath Forbes’ sensual and fantasy-strewn painting style, akin to Hieronymus Bosch, lie strong references to social and political elements, ranging from war (Holy Mother of War, 2000), to socialization (The Geek, 2000), to mental health (Saint Mo of Deformed Lives, 2005 and Brain Visitors, 2000), to homogenization and adaptation (100,000 Young British Artists Come to America, 2000). As a student, Forbes attended such prestigious institutions as University College in London, the Sorbonne in Paris, and the College of Art and Technology in Croydon (and was ejected from each). Well traveled and fluent in experiences, Forbes’ current environment is San Francisco where he continues to paint and write. He has exhibited internationally (Tate Gallery, London, Shepard Gallery, Amman and Baghdad, I.C.A., London, among others); and his work is included in the private collections of such diverse collectors as King Hussein of Jordan, Sir Alec Guinness, Margaret Cho, Don Ed Hardy and miscellaneous porn star friends. In a career that has spanned over thirty years, he has written three novels, and miraculously continues to generate compelling, thought provoking, and beautiful paintings.
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