David Kimball Anderson : Altitude

Robischon Gallery is pleased to present “Altitude,” a new body of work by the distinctive California artist David Kimball Anderson.  Anderson’s first solo exhibition at the gallery includes an esoteric range of cast bronze sculptures along with mixed media works which freely express both a chapter in the history of Buddhism as it pertains to the West and the physical, psychological and spiritual aspects enhanced when considering place. Embracing the poetics of Buddhism from the vantage point of beauty within the natural order, each piece reflects the artist’s quiet, soulful reverence and deep mindfulness. Immersed in Buddhist thought, “Altitude” visually embodies the arduous physical journey of the revered Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1939-1987) from Chinese-occupied Tibet through treacherous terrain, remote villages and sacred locations to bring about the delivery of Tibetan Buddhism to the West.  Anderson’s unique and compelling work contextualizes Chogyam Trungpa as a pivotal inspiration to many with his intent to illuminate a path toward a greater world consciousness from singularity to a more collective, loving ideal.

For “Altitude,” each exhibited artwork and its placement reflects the artist’s distillation of culture and place presented in concert with elements both delicate and exceedingly weighted. Physical and visual contrasts such as a bronze nest beneath a peaked roof alluding to a Nepalese shelter or bronze flowers alongside trailing tattered silks, express the rebirth of the ancients – just as the all-pervasive prayer flags exist as messages of pure intent. Similarly, a large bronze Buddha hand is positioned on a cast, altar- like table within the exhibition to signify that it is a part of something larger and with its open hand, conveys that it is a divine expression of a state of compassion within the universal. In this first solo exhibition at Robischon Gallery, David Kimball Anderson invites viewers to affirm and become aware of the indomitable quality of the human spirit as witnessed through the life of Chogyam Trungpa and the artist’s shared experience of a path toward self-discovery.

A graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute, David Kimball Anderson was included in the prestigious Whitney Biennale, was a recipient of a Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant and three NEA Arts Fellowships along with a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant and a California State University Research Grant. His work is in the collections of: Albright Knox Gallery, Buffalo, NY, National Endowment for the Arts, the World Bank, Art in Embassies, Washington, DC, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA, Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA, San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX; New Mexico Museum of Art, Santa Fe, NM, Albuquerque Museum and the City of Albuquerque, NM.