David Ralph

Artist Statement

Over the past few years I’ve been interested in painting environmental scenarios that focus on unusual or alternative dwellings such as mobile homes, caravans, tents, cabins and tree houses. These kinds of informal, mobile or temporary dwellings are for me potent metaphors for many of the existential issues facing humanity in our time. They raise questions about where we live, how we live and why we chose to live in the way we do. The recreational/escape vehicles in my work symbolize a vital connection with a longed for natural paradise beyond the confines of the cities most Australians live in.

Artist Bio

The recipient of a 2000 Anne and Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarships, David Ralph traveled to England at the end of 2000 to study in the Masters program at the Chelsea College of Art & Design in London. Ralph spent four years in London and has held numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally. He is represented in several public collections in Europe and Australia and has been the recipient of many awards. In the last three years he has been a finalist in the Celeste Contemporary Painting Prize, London, the Archibald Prize and the past three consecutive Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prizes amongst others. (bio)

David Ralph at the Boutwell Draper Gallery