Research Interests

As a visual artist my research is conducted through my ongoing studio practice. Over the last decade topics, themes and forms have been recurrently focused on the investigation and articulation of social, spatial and contested environments. Projects have included Deluge Drawings and Flood Story each examining the effects of global consumption and environmental change andthier consequences.

A recently completed sequence of drawings is titled Crowds and Power, one of which: School, was exhibited in Drawing Distinctions, a survey of contemporary British drawing at Abbot Hall in Kendal and reproduced in the catalogue.

Crowds and Power refers to the book by the Bulgarian anthropologist and novelist Elias Canetti. Canetti's study, published in 1960, analyses the external forces, internal dynamics and behaviours of a range of crowd types from the riotous mob to fleeing innocents. My aim has been to visually reinterpret Canetti's text, particularly what he leaves out, namely descriptions of the spaces and places of institutional control. This alongside theories and images of spatial recovery and liberation from Debord, Lefebvre and Constant have contributed to a graphic language that mixes architectural drawings environmental spaces with crowds of figures.

School was reproduced in the Independent (16 May 2006), and in his review, Michael Grover commented 'Another wonderful evocation of atmosphere is a drawing by Gerry Davies, School. This is a curious scene, and again it is one glimpsed from above within a milky twilight. The school building with its pierced embrasures, is a rearing keep like presence, more prison than school, the children in the playground wraith like flashes of pale white, disembodied energy'.

Current projects include Caves, a body of drawings through which a variety of drawing languages are tested in the extreme environments encountered underground.

Additional Information

Exhibitions, Publications

Solo Shows

2000 "Deluge of Human Indifference" Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham

1997 "Deluge Drawings" Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster University, touring to

East West Gallery, London and Mid Pennine Arts, Burnley

1993 "Recent Drawings" Contact Gallery, Norwich

1991 "Drawings and Prints" Krannert Centre, Purdue University, USA

1990 "One Hundred Monotypes" Beelke Gallery, Purdue University USA

1989 Vardy Foundation, Sunderland University

1988 Durham Museum and Art Gallery

1987 On the Wall Gallery, London

1985 Roger Francis Gallery, London

Joint & group shows

2007 "Forest Journey" A group show curated by Robin Mason exploring the forest as a cultural theme. Etnograsfki Muzej Dubrovnik Croatia 4th - 20th September &Croatian AcademyofScienceand Art Zagreb September 25th - October 4th.

Catalogue with texts.

2006/7&8 "Drawing Breath: A Selection to Mark Ten Years of the Jerwood Drawing Prize".Gallery Wimbledon College of Art, London, 7th - 21st September 2006. NationalAcademy Sydney, Australia, February & March 2007. Royal West of EnglandAcademy Bristol, January February 2008. Other venues may be added to the tour.

2006/7 "Inspiration to Order". A Lancaster University research project analyzing and documenting the creative process in fine art practice.

University of Southern California at Stanislaus, USA & The Winchester Gallery,Winchester School of Art. November 29- December 15th & The Gallery, WimbledonSchool of Art, April 27th - May 25th.

Reproduced in catalogue pp 21 & artist's statement

ISBN 0977396770

2006 "Drawing Inspiration". A survey of contemporary British drawing

Abbot Hall Museum and Art Gallery, Kendal, Cumbria.

Reproduced in catalogue pp. 40.

ISBN 192498267

2006 "Obsession". Curated by Robin Mason at Sartorial Art, 101a Kensington Church. October 13 - November 2nd Street, London.

2006 "40 Artists - 40 Drawings", The Drawing Gallery, St James's, London

2005/6 "Wales Drawing". A survey of Welsh drawing, peer selected by artist Catrin Websterand curator Eve Ropek

Aberystwyth Arts Centre November 2nd - December 2nd & Wrexham Arts Center 28th Jan -11 March 06

Reproduced in catalogue pp 2

ISBN1872609988

2004 "New Northern Art", Radhusets Konstahall, Ornskoldsvick, Sweden

"If You Go Down To The Woods Today" Rockwell Gallery, London

"Discerning Eye", Mall Galleries, selector's invitation

2003 Commissioned to make new work for "Security Bytes" an internationalpolitics conference, LancasterUniversity

2002/3 "Wales Drawing Biennale". Reproduced in catalogue

2000 & 1 & 3 "Jerwood Drawing Prize". Reproduced in catalogues

1997 "A Cloudburst of Material Possessions" Purdy Hicks Gallery London,and touring nationally

"The Hunting Art Prize" Royal College of Art & The Huntarian Glasgow

"Discerning Eye" Mall Gallery, London

1996 National Drawing Competition, Cheltenham

1995 "Pastels", East West Gallery, London

1993 "Artists and Durham Cathedral and Castle", Durham Museum & Art Gallery

1991 "War" An exhibition of artist's limited edition books, Califa Books, San Francisco, USA

Awards & Residencies

2004 AHRB Small Grant Award, to research contemporary artists' notebooks; successfully completed

1999 AHRB Research Leave Award, 9 months, to make drawings for M.A.C show; successfully completed

1990/91 Fulbright Scholarship, Visiting Artist, Purdue University, USA

Awarded Creative Arts Scholarship, Purdue University

1987/88 Artist in Residence at Durham Cathedral

1985 Study period at The RCA Venice Studio

1984 The John Minton Prize for Figurative Painting

1983 Royal College of Art scholarship to the International Cite des Arts, Paris

1981 The Royal College of Art Drawing Prize

Research Funding

AHRC Small Grant Award £4.900

AHRB Research Leave Award £ 9.000

Lancaster University research committee £1.200

Fulbright Scholarship $8.000

Purdue Scholarship $1.000

Durham Cathedral £10.000

Public Collections

Sheffield Education Authority, UK

Purdue University USA

Victoria & Albert Museum, London

Bibliography

P Thomas & A Taylor, Drawing Foundation Course.

A Deluge of Human Indifference, reproduced pp.42

Cassell Illustrated 2003 ISBN 1844030849

Current Projects

Solo

'Flood Story', a new sequence of drawings and sculptural objects on the theme of flight and forced emigration in the face of natural or political catastrophe

'Artist's Notebooks', a survey of the use and value of a range of contemporary British artists sketchbooks; currently pursuing second stage of project toward exhibition and publication

'Cave', a project taking drawing underground to record non visual phenomena alongside the visual; the project is embryonic and speculative.

Background

Gerry Davies studied sculpture at Wolverhampton University and did his MA in the painting school of the Royal College of Art. After graduation, he spent a year as artist in residence at Durham Cathedral after which he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for further study at Purdue University in the U.S. Throughout his training drawing was the core activity. In1995 he was appointed Lecturer in Drawing at Lancaster University, where he runs the first year courses and contributes to teaching on second and third year Fine Art Studio Practice courses and the LICA MA.

Together with Professors Nigel Whiteley and Emma Rose, Gerry is a founder member of the Visual Intelligences (V.I.) research project. V.I. is a collaborative and multi disciplinary project that seeks to investigate and better understand the relationships between an artist's material and technological processes, skills, knowledge and aims and intentions. The project, funded by Lancaster University, the AHRC and HEFCE, has produced national and international outcomes in the form of exhibitions, conferences and publications.

PhD Supervision Interests

Gerry currently supervises three practice based PhD students specialising in drawing: Sarah Casey developing a practice based methodology integrating procedures from medicine and conservation sciences into a drawing practice investigating notions of delicacy and preservation. Neil Hodgson using drawing to document and transcribe improvised and ad-hoc structures (sheds, lock-ups, pigeon coops) found in marginal environments at, or beyond, the 'pale' of cities. Osman Ahmed who, using drawing, interviews and fieldwork, seeks to catalogue and communicate experiences of fear, flight and displacement among Iraqi Kurds. These research students, along with others in the faculty and beyond, form the basis of a research group, provisionally titled Drawing's Mobility. All are working at drawing's cutting edge asking questions of 'where can drawing go?' and, to quote Sarah Casey, 'what can drawing do?'

PhD enquires and proposal are welcome, particularly those on drawing and the environment, socially engaged practice, notebook practices and drawing applied in interdisciplinary environments.