David Graeve

David Graeve is a graduated from the university of Minnesota with a BFA and a MFA from the University of Houston. He has explored many creative avenues in various art communities ranging from sculpture, installations, developing non profit arts organization (no name exhibitions the soap factory), visual curator, performance curator, lighting design, stage design, commercial music videos, direct action media stunts for grass roots environmental organizations and raising a delightful daughter (Iris). Graeve is widely collected in his own regard and in some prominent private collections Lester Marks, Patricia Meadows, Sheldon and Eve Weisfeld, Carolyn Farb and several others. A recipient of awards from the city of Minneapolis an Award of Merit and Q award, Curators award of Merritt Galveston art center, Davis-Ryan award

Artist Statement:

What is more interesting and relevant to me as a artist is not so much the standard Bio where you come from, education and accomplishments but rather my approach to the creative process. I try to comprehend the ideological reasons for the project, what lies behind it, what constitutes its social and formal innovation, its functional requirements, the context were I find it difficult to divorce issues from idea; I cannot separate the two so I start at this level, where I have the excuse of artisan experimentation, and end when idea and concept are brought into conversation. My approach is often looking for avenues of the unexpected to engage the viewer and community. I do this through setting up architectural framework that allows for unknown outcomes to inform the narrative aspects of project. An ironic twist to images or things you might expect or their combinations to inspire and provoke a new and perhaps unexplored territories