Comprising over 70 individually cast bronze figures of animals, David Breuer-Weil’s Ark is now on display at E&R Cyzer. This contemporary reinterpretation of the iconic subject Noah’s Ark, explores an image that has fascinated artists for centuries.
Breuer Weil’s comments, “The subject appeals to children because it is a whole zoo in miniature, but actually the theme is deadly serious. The Ark was an attempt to save every species of the animal kingdom from extinction. That theme has never been more relevant than it is today, and my work is partly about the tragedy of threatened animals, as vulnerable as the occupants of an ark on a stormy ocean. Noah created this ark that saved the world that saved endangered species that were sure to die in the great flood. Many of my paintings depict images of floods and tsunamis. I have long regarded water as something symbolic. It both creates and destroys life, and in my sea paintings the duality of threat and beauty is ever present.”
In the sculpture, Noah himself is seen inebriated on his hands and knees, and the animals are not just known species, but invented forms and creatures that are now extinct. Noah has evolved from a series of mutating quadruped figures, combining both human and animal features and bringing into question the intimate connections between the animal kingdom and humanity. In this work, Breuer-Weil also references the rich tradition of the depiction of Noah’s ark in both high art and as a children’s fantasy toy created in various materials. The evolutionary aspect of this work connects it with Breuer-Weil’s 2012 work Emergence.
The installation is part of a group exhibition 20th Century Masters, including works by Modern and Contemporary masters who often explored animal, tribal and mythical motifs including Dubuffet, Picasso, Chagall, Leger and Brauner.
Breuer-Weil’s sculptures are currently on display in a major outdoor exhibition with Christie’s with works seen in Cavendish Square, Portman Square and Saint Pancras Church on the Euston Road.
Location: E&R Cyzer, 23 Bruton Street, London W1J 6QF
Exhibition Dates: until December 2017
Opening Hours: Monday-Friday, 10am – 6pm
