A New Westminster artist is exploring the many faces of evil in a new exhibition in Vancouver.
David A. Haughton’s work is on display in Bad Guys II: Explorations of the Face of Evil, running May 11 to 24 at the Visual Space Gallery.
The exhibition includes three suites of paintings: Mug Shots, Evil in Disguise and Gangsters.
Haughton – whose father was an Episcopalian minister who left active ministry early - notes that the work is connected to his own questioning of faith.
“From an early age I have had a silent, ongoing ‘internal discussion’ with the Judeo-Christian God. I have found myself asking: ‘O God, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent … why allow suffering by innocents?’ During the past decade I have been asking: ‘Why have you created evil?’ and ‘Why does evil so often triumph?’”
Haughton noted that the existence of evil has eroded his belief and, at the same time, pushed him to explore in paint.
“These works are the extension of that ‘conversation’ into the realm of art – catapulting dialectic into lines and brush strokes,” he said.
He also noted that the faces of “bad guys” are of endless fascination to people.
“We find it endlessly absorbing, searching in the facial bone structure, or the skin colour, or the facial hair for a pattern we can recognize as dangerous, trying to discover some clue of expression that would identify and warn of evil within,” he said.
An opening reception is being held on Saturday, May 13 from 4 to 7 p.m. An artist talk is also set for Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m. Refreshments will be served, and everyone is welcome.
The Visual Space Gallery is at 3352 Dunbar St. in Vancouver.
See www.haughton-art.ca for more information.
