One artisit explores the juxtapositions in our lives while the other helps celebrate the importance we place on self-indulgence.


"Requiem for Art & Life, to de la Tour and Lorrain, 1999," by David Bierk. One of 27 paintings that make up the exhibit "AfterHISTORY : The Paintings of David Bierk."

If you go AfterHISTORY : The Paintings of David Bierk The Magical Self: African-American Hairdos in Savannah June 26-Aug. 26 Telfair Museum of Art, 121 Barnard St., (912) 232-1177

The paintings of contemporary artist David Bierk are fueled by a passionate interest in landscape painting and art history, through which Bierk explores the relationship of the planet to its occupants. In juxtaposing art history with contemporary society and culture, Bierk seeks to discover in the past the essentials of life in the present. His paintings, which incorporate fragments of masterpieces as well as his own imaginary landscapes, are often combined with photography and surrounded by surfaces of rusted iron or steel.

A Canadian citizen since 1978, Bierk studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts and received his MFA at Humboldt State University in California. His work is represented in the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, the London Regional Art Gallery, the Dayton Art Institute, and the Samuel P. Harn Museum amongst others, and is also included in numerous corporate collections.

Bierk's paintings, bearing titles that often include words like "eulogy" or "requiem," betray a bittersweet nostalgia for the past that is often juxtaposed with pointed reminders of the contemporary industrialized and commercialized world. Bierk began adapting images from art history during the early 1970s, long before the concept of "appropriation" became popular with contemporary artists of the 1980s.

Bierk's great respect for the artists who preceded him is manifested in his own skillful, loving manipulation of paint and imagery. His luminous coloration, achieved through up to 10 or 12 layers of oil paint, is strikingly apparent in "Requiem for a Planet, Hudson River Evening." This imaginary landscape references the famous 19th century Hudson River School painters, who found spiritual and artistic succor in America's unspoiled wilderness, while simultaneously lamenting the contemporary despoiling of our natural environment.

The exhibition, organized by the Montgomery Museum of Art, features 27 major paintings. It is accompanied by a 144-page full-color book on Bierk's art, featuring an essay by Donald Kuspit, one of America's most distinguished art critics and a contributing editor at "Artforum."


"Moss Hairdo," by Maria von Mathieson. Photograph, one of 33 images that make up the exhibit "The Magical Self."

Those of us who live here see them on a daily basis - and likely take for granted the human art form that passes us on the street, greets us from across a cubicle wall or makes change at our favorite coffee shop.

As three-dimensional as stone sculpture and as complex to execute as a well done Cubist painting, African-American hair styles are eye-catching, evocative, artful - and fired the creative spirit of a celebrated photographer.

Both conceived and developed in Savannah, "The Magical Self" features 33 photographs by Maria von Matthiessen celebrating hair as an art form.

The late von Matthiessen was a photographer for over 30 years. She began her career producing portraits of celebrated individuals including Jimmy Stewart, George Bush, James Dickey and Phillip Johnson, which appeared in such well-known publications as "Life," "Town & Country" and "Harper's Bazaar." In the early 1990s, von Matthiessen earned accolades for "Songs from the Hills," (Macmillan 1993), a book exploring the relationship between country music stars and the unique landscape of the South.

"The Magical Self" was inspired during a visit to Savannah after von Matthiessen observed the elaborate, creative hairstyles of some local women. She soon determined to create a series of magical photographs depicting local women within the context of the distinctive urban and natural environments of the Lowcountry. Inspirational local settings included the Owens-Thomas House, the Olde Pink House, First African Baptist Church and the Old Cotton Exchange, along with the squares, live oaks and marshlands that characterize this region. These memorable works, produced in collaboration with local hairstylists and members of the African-American community, explore the creative possibilities of both hair and photography.

The photographs are enhanced by von Matthiessen's own text, capturing the personal stories and vibrant spirits of her subjects and poetically connecting their hairstyles and lifestyles with ancient African traditions.