David Syre first started making art with his Swedish grandmother after battling polio at age four, and since then, has never stopped. All his life, art-making was a salvation and an urge to fulfill. Syre traveled the world studying forms of religion, spiritual practices, and Indigenous peoples and civilizations. He was captivated by the ancient wisdom of nature he found at the core of these cultures. Nature, Indigenous communities, and the primordial connection between them and the land became one of the biggest influences on his art. Inspirations originating from Syre’s meditative practices, in the end, translate to an ever-evolving, sophisticated, and prolific body of work. As such, Syre’s work transcends his resume.

For his signature style of drawings on black paper, Syre uses a form of quick and powerful gestures, referencing a recurring set of themes throughout, such as the universe, landscapes and architecture, tribute to the land, and totems. His technique often involves bold, fast-paced lines and strokes, and an intricate composition of vivid colors. In art critic Jessica Holmes’s words, “the saturated colors are infused with an added luminescence on the dark page, as are the artist’s strokes, which are simultaneously lush and masterful. Though abstract, the twinned themes of love and space emerge from the artist’s confident line in its suggestions of universes, labyrinths, totems, clowns, and other mythical creatures and places.” The exhibition The Black Drawings gathers 30 of over 4500 drawings, offering a compelling glimpse into a universe built over decades by Syre, one artwork at a time. The Black Drawings reveals this unique world to the viewer, shining through the darkness of the paper in lush colors and vigorous gestures of Syre.

In 2022, SARAHCROWN published a monograph on Syre’s works on paper titled The Black Book of Drawings. The book will be available to view and to purchase throughout the exhibition. 

For more information, please contact: info@sarahcrown.com |  www.sarahcrown.com

ABOUT THE ARTIST

David Syre is an American outsider artist based in Tucson, AZ and Everson, WA. Syre produces large-scale acrylic paintings, drawings, watercolors, and monumental art installations inspired by the subconscious, nature, and his travels. In recent years, Syre has exhibited in the US, Canada, Europe and South America.

Gaining recognition later in life, Syre has exhibited in various galleries, art fairs, and public spaces throughout his career, including New York, NY; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Nice, France; Hamburg, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; Santa Fe, New Mexico, Vancouver, B.C. and Miami, FL. A monograph of his works on paper, The Black Book of Drawings, was published in 2022 by SARAHCROWN New York with essays by critics Jessica Holmes and Peter Frank.