bioglyphs: art from living matter
this art does not portray objects or entities - it discloses events
it is not concerned with classification but with revelation
the method uses film but not a camera
it is not optical but physical
the black film is loaded with colour
waiting to be released
the creativity of this project does not reside solely with the artist
it also includes countless micro-organisms
the art is in the performance of these subjects
their play of interaction leaves an indexical trace
this work is made by a range of biological activities
these include eating, defecating, wriggling, procreating
when carried out by micro-organisms these activities are commonly known
as decomposition
in exposing film to such activity
the art realises the creative potential of decay
it is composition by decomposition
everything is in the process of becoming something else
creativity is the natural state of living matter
living matter is the embodiment of creativity
this art makes visible the unseen events of the micro-organic world
the insignificant is brought into signification
in a universe in which all things are connected
it is a celebration of cosmos
Artist's statement initially published in Sci-Art catalogue, 1998
Education
2000 PhD Bioglyphs: Generating images in callaboration with nature's events - University at Hertfordshire
1994 MA Photography - Royal College of Art
Solo Exhibitions
2001 Purdy Hicks Gallery, London
2000 Caren Golden Fine Art, New York
The Economist. London
1996 Windlesham Arboretum, Surrey
1994 Bibliotheque Multimedia de Valenciennes, France
1993 Freshfields, London
1992 Musee de St. Malo, France
Plymouth Art Centre
Poole Heritage Centre
Bridport Art Centre
lslingtan Arts Factory
Selected Group Exhibitions
2000 Somewhere, someone is doing something - VTO Gallery, London
Summer exhibition - Purdy Hicks Gallery, London
Research into practice - University of Hertfordshire
Revelation - Carlisle Museum and Gallery
1999 Revelation - Purdy Hicks Gallery. London
Phenomena - The Friends of Photography, San Francisco
Unnatural - Catherine Clark Gallery, San Francisco
This is not a photograph - Pace University Gallery. New York
1998 Near - Museum of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Flowers - Hartlepool Art Gallery
The Citibank photography collection - The Photographers Gallery, London
Royal College of Art, London
1997 lslington International Festival - London
slip Art Museum, New York
1996 Caren Golden Fine Art, New York
Exposition d Suivre - Bruneck Castle, Italy
1995 Possibilities of Extension - Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth
Heaven's Embroidered Cloths - National Museum of Photography, Film & Television. Bradford
Conferences / Symposiums
2000 Between nature: Ecology & performance - Lancaster University
1996 The cutting edge: Art & science - The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts. Norwich
Awards
1996 Research award. University of Hertfordshire
1994 Bankers Trust Pyramid Award 1994 Fletcher King Award
Chesterton Award
1992 Arts Council Commission
Publications
1997 Yew - artist's book. Limited edition hardback, ISBN 0 9518293 5 1. Paperback ISBN 09518293 4 3.
1992 Facing the Sea (Face a Ia Mer) - artist's book, ISBN 0 951829300.
Bibliography
2001 This is not a photograph - Pamela Auchincloss I Arts Management
2000 Art Works: British & German Contemporary Art 1960-2000 - Deutsche Bank
Somewhere, someone is doing something - VTO Gallery
Nature tracing itself: Chris Townsend on Daro Montag's Bioglyphs - Hotshoe International, May-June 2000
1999 Revelation - Purdy Hicks catalogue 1998 Near - Museum ot Sharjah catalogue
1998 Sci-Art - The Weilcome Trust partnership in science and art 1995 Possibilities ot Extension - Aspex Gallery catalogue
1995 Exposition à Suivre - Acte de Naissance catalogue
Faux-tographies - Acte de Naissance catalogue
1994 Soil Thou Art... - RCA exhibition catalogue
e-mail: daro.montag@falmouth.ac.uk
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