My interests in science, ecology, water conservation and climate change are woven into the fabric of paintings that depict the intersection between the man made and natural worlds. The end results are large scale, fractured landscapes that portray instances where industrial and natural forces coexist harmoniously or collide in destructive ways. Pools of ink recede like oil-saturated waters at low tide. Trees emerge from a tangled field of structures, gears and wires. They celebrate man’s desire to build, innovate and create while acknowledging that our compulsion to consume and expand is eroding the ecological framework that we depend on in order to sustain our often wasteful habits.

Aware of how living in a dense urban context like Oakland impacts the imagery and sentiment of my paintings, it is important that the paintings maintain a sense of optimism that pays tribute the numerous ways in which nature constantly adapts to the relentless pressure placed on it by humans.

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David Burke is the art director for the Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project and co-founder of the Autobody Bridge Program for emerging Bay Area artists. He splits time between the studio and public projects. He was part of the Zero1  flagship American Arts Incubator program where he spent time in Laos collaborating with youth and local agencies on community-based new media and mural art projects that addressed the impacts of climate change.

click here for PDF of Statement
click here for PDF of Resume

Represented by Vessel Gallery, Oakland CA

EDUCATION

MFA Painting - Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia & Rome
BA Visual Arts - University of California at San Diego


FEATURED EXHIBITIONS

2018 Coal & Ice, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

2017 Mined Matters, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

2015 Seeking Balance, Vessel Gallery, Oakland CA

2014 Process & Interpretation, Inferno Gallery, Oakland, CA

2012
•Pump and Dump Prosperity, Autobody Fine Art, Alameda, CA
•Unnatural Disasters, ERA Art Bar, Oakland CA

2010
•LandEscaping, Chiang Mai University Art Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand
•Dreaming My Dreams with You, Koi Art Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand

2008 Victory Garden, Olio United, Portland, OR

2007 Victory Garden, Julie’s Gallery, Alameda, CA

2006 Pools, Puddles, Skins & Swings, Castro Valley Arts Foundation, Castro Valley, CA

2005 Skin Deep, Deep Roots Gallery, Oakland, CA

2002 Role Call, Temple Gallery, Rome, Italy


SELECTED GROUP SHOWS

2020
• Migration, Vessel Gallery, Oakland CA
• Lucid Arts Foundation, Gallery One, Point Reyes CA

2019
• Left Coast Annual Juried Exhibition, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica CA
• So, Chiang Mai Art Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand

2018 Summer Sessions, Vessel Gallery, Oakland CA

2017
•Motive, Vessel Gallery, Oakland CA
•Reimagine Montana, Butte/Bozeman/Helena, MT

2016 Disruptus, Vessel Gallery, Oakland, CA

2015
•Notions of Romance, Vessel Gallery, Oakland CA
•Back from the Beach, Autobody Fine Art, Alameda, CA

2014
•Autobody Collective, Aqua 12 Hotel, Miami, FL
•Infrastructure, San Pablo Art Gallery, San Pablo, CA
•Urban Grit, Gary Francis Fine Art, Alameda, CA

2013
•Mayhem, Arc Studios & Gallery, San Francisco, CA
•Transport, Pro Arts, Oakland, CA

2012
•Autobody Collective, Aqua 12 Hotel, Miami, FL
•AB 25/Collective Memories, Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA
•Courage, Pro Arts, Oakland, CA

2011
•Collateral Damage, Arts Benicia, Benicia, CA
•“Paper”, Chiang Mai University Faculty of Fine Arts Lecturer Exhibition, CMU Art Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand

2010
•Thai-Vietnam Contemporary Art, Chiang Mai University Art Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand
•Abstract, Angkrit Gallery, Chiang Rai, Thailand
•International Art Exchange 2010, Chiang Mai University Art Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand

2009
•Think For The World: International Sculpture Symposium, Faculty of FineArts Gallery, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
•Chiang Mai University Faculty of Fine Arts Lecturer Exhibition, CMU Art Center, Chiang Mai, Thailand
•Artificial Nature, Auto Body Fine Art, Alameda, CA

2008
•Good Things Come in Small Packages, Auto Body Fine Art, Alameda, CA
•R/DEvolution, Olympic Mills Gallery, Portland, OR


PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
University of Maine Museum of Art
Rainin Foundation

RESIDENCIES
2016 Reimagine Montana, Butte MT

GUEST LECTURES
2016 Imagine Butte Resource Center, Montana
2012 Cal State University East Bay
2006 Castro Valley Art Foundation, Castro Valley, CA
2002 Rhode Island School of Design, Rome, Italy
2000 Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA

AWARDS/ FELLOWSHIPS
2014/15 Zero1, American Arts Incubator Representative in Vientiane, Laos
2001 Tyler School of Art, University Fellowship for Graduate Studies

CURATING
2010 Weather or Not, Meo Jai Dee Gallery, Chiang Mai, Thailand

PUBLIC PROJECTS
2018 Bay Area Mural Festival Participant, Oakland, CA

2017-present Muralist for University of California CalFresh Nutrition Program, Oakland CA

2011-present Art Director & Mural Consultant for Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project, AHC Oakland, CA

2014-15 Zero1 American Arts Incubator Grant Recipient: Laos

2005-2013 Mural Artist for Kaiser Hospital Oakland, CA

1998-'01 Mural Artist in collaboration with the Hollywood Beautification Team, Los Angeles, CA


PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2020
Mural Instructor at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco CA

2014-present
Co-Founder/Instructor: Autobody Bridge Program for Emerging Artists, Alameda, CA

2011-present Art Director & Mural Consultant for Oakland Super Heroes Mural Project, AHC Oakland, CA

2009-'10
Visiting Lecturer at Chiang Mai University Fine Arts Department in Painting, Thailand

2007-'09
Adjunct Professor at Patten University Oakland, CA

2002-'09
Art Teacher at Saint Elizabeth High School, Oakland, CA.