{"id":6570,"date":"2021-02-15T13:49:30","date_gmt":"2021-02-15T13:49:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/artist-interview-with-david-breuer-weil-how-the-pandemic-became-the-catalyst-for-his-newest-book-golden-drawings\/"},"modified":"2021-02-15T13:49:30","modified_gmt":"2021-02-15T13:49:30","slug":"artist-interview-with-david-breuer-weil-how-the-pandemic-became-the-catalyst-for-his-newest-book-golden-drawings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uaaglobal.com\/artist-interview-with-david-breuer-weil-how-the-pandemic-became-the-catalyst-for-his-newest-book-golden-drawings\/","title":{"rendered":"Artist interview with David Breuer-Weil: how the pandemic became the catalyst for his newest book, Golden Drawings"},"content":{"rendered":"
For artist David Breuer-Weil<\/a>, art and art making became what he described as a \u201clifesaver\u201d during the onset of the pandemic and the months that have followed. Breuer-Weil, who is based in London and well-known for his \u201cProject<\/a>\u201d installations and large-scale bronze sculptures<\/a>, has released a new book that compiles some of the work that he\u2019s created during the pandemic. Fittingly titled Golden Drawings,<\/em> the book showcases a series of work that are somewhat different to his oeuvre but offer a stunning reflection on life during the pandemic.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n On the 20th<\/sup> of March last year, just days after the whole of the UK was plunged into what would be its first national lockdown, Breuer-Weil began to experience COVID-19 symptoms. For the next six days, as his symptoms worsened, he began a series of drawings embellished with gold leaf that became like a buoy. Thankfully, Breuer-Weil recovered from the virus, but he continued the series of drawings for weeks as the pandemic and lockdown continued, making 66 drawings in total.<\/p>\n Dubbed the \u201cGolden Drawings,\u201d Breuer-Weil brought them together to create his newest book by the same name. Alongside each of the 66 drawings, which are on view in an online exhibition through June<\/a>, Breuer-Weil recorded his thoughts which accompany his drawings offering incite and context for the works.<\/p>\n If I\u2019m honest, when I cracked Golden Drawings <\/em>open, I was a bit hesitant; if 2020 taught us anything, it was to be cautious, right? If I was nervous that the book might offer too lofty a perspective on the state of the world or that I might leave its pages feeling forlorn as the UK perseveres through its third national lockdown, I wouldn\u2019t have been more wrong.<\/p>\n <\/a> Golden Drawings<\/em>, while rooted in Breuer-Weil\u2019s personal and intimate experience with the pandemic, offers a sense of connectedness in a time when physically connecting has become difficult if not impossible. The drawings are a beautiful interpretation of the artist\u2019s walk through the early months of the pandemic. Meanwhile, the juxtaposition of graphite against gold leaf is stunning and each time you look at one of the drawings, there\u2019s something new that catches your eye.<\/p>\n All 66 of the drawings are beautifully complimented with excerpts of Breuer-Weil\u2019s thoughts, that read much like a running journal entry. Golden Drawings <\/em>is somewhat of a narration of the lived experience of the pandemic.<\/p>\n This is the first time that the artist has written his own accompanying text, his words are relatable, thought-provoking, and comforting. Therapeutic undertones run through Breuer-Weil\u2019s drawings and writings, connecting artwork after artwork, page after page. I found it impossible not to let those threads run out of the book and into my own experiences.<\/p>\n I sat down, planning to start the book and just a few hours later, I was turning the last page; I couldn\u2019t put the book down. What struck me about Golden Drawings<\/em> was how refreshing it was in being immersed in another\u2019s pandemic experience and realising the commonalities we shared. Breuer-Weil\u2019s drawings became an opportunity to meditate on the past year in a way I\u2019ve yet to do.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to chat about\u00a0Golden Drawings<\/em> with Breuer-Weil on the phone. Today, we\u2019re sharing that interview<\/a> with you:<\/p>\n Katherine Keener: Your drawings and writings feel cathartic. Was publishing them together as a book kind of the culmination of that experience?<\/em><\/p>\n David Breuer-Weil: Normally, when I\u2019ve created books before, I have an art critic or a scholar write the introduction to the book. But in this case, the words came as I was drawing and so it was a decision to put my own words with the drawings, which I like as an idea. There\u2019s a tradition of doing that in the past with people like William Black, who published poems with pictures at the same time. It\u2019s not done that often these days, but I think it could be quite a nice genre, that thing of words with pictures.<\/strong><\/p>\n KK: I do agree, your writings offered context and incite without pigeonholing the drawings or even what the viewer or reader was meant to experience. You touched briefly on your process, but how did you choose your subjects? Did your drawings come first, dictating your writing? <\/em><\/p>\n DBW: I would say that the drawings are primary, because that\u2019s my primary expression. I don\u2019t really consider myself a writer, although I have written quite a lot. So, I tried to make the writings as natural, heartfelt, and simple as possible. And people did actually respond to it well as writing, which was quite interesting, so I think that\u2019s a question of just being modest and natural about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n KK: The first six \u201cGolden Drawings\u201d were created quite quickly, one each day while you were sick. After that, you can see by the dates found on the drawings that some took a day while others were completed over a few days. Was that simply the natural progression of the series? Or, as time went on, were they requiring more preparation?<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n DBW: I think in the first few drawings, I\u2019m discovering a new medium, because I hadn\u2019t really used much gold before. Actually, I resisted using it because it\u2019s too decorative. But I found the gold was quite uncanny; it added a level of unreality and allowed a look into a different world. The gold brings a different psychological dimension. With the first drawings, I didn\u2019t know what to expect. I was exploring. Then as time goes on, as I\u2019m using the medium more and technically becoming more familiar with it, I\u2019m using it to express more and expanding outwards. In fact, since Golden Drawings<\/em> was published, I\u2019ve been working on a new, very ambitious piece, which is large scale drawings in many parts kind of based on the Bayeux Tapestry. So, the early \u201cGolden Drawings\u201d are about finding a new medium and running with it.<\/strong><\/p>\n
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