I had the extreme pleasure of attending the opening reception of David Tibet’s first art gallery show in the United States, “The Invocation of Almost” on March 9th, 2019 at the CSUF Begovich Gallery in Fullerton, California. Cate and I drove out early from Colorado to hang out in California, and attend a private walk through of the show, and David’s birthday party, on Tuesday before the opening. On Sunday we went to the Huntington Library, Museum and gardens, and by sheer synchronicity, we ran into David, his manager Mark Lewis, and gallery show curators Jackie Bunge and Shaun Richards on the grounds.
On Tuesday we attended the private walk through, which was an incredible opportunity to spend quality time with both David and the work, and really get to soak in the dreamlike, hallucinatory atmosphere of the show. Curators Jackie and Shaun did an amazing job creating a show worthy of David’s vision, and combined with the new soundtrack, it was a full sensory, nearly overwhelming, experience in the best of ways. The art itself, and it’s presentation with lighting, layout, music and video, transports you to another world. David’s drawings, paintings and sculptures are numerous, and exude an aura of magic and mystery. This environment is the best way to experience David’s art. The beings, creatures, demons, children, ghosts and visions in the art come alive in the space; they are there with you as you walk through the strange land of the show, whispering in your mind, eyes and ears. Also displayed are some of David’s notebooks, including the notebooks he wrote “The Light is Leaving Us All” and “Sleep Has His House” in, and pages from “Soft Black Stars”, which are beautiful to view, and give a glimpse into the process of the creation of those masterpieces. After the walkthrough, we enjoyed some of David’s birthday cake and had food and drinks to celebrate David’s birthday.
The Reception on Saturday, March 9th was a scene worthy of the special nature of this event. Along with food and wine, there was a string quartet playing Current 93 songs. Hundreds of people showed up, with lines out the door, and the curator’s talk was standing room only, the walls lined with people. Jackie, Shaun and David spoke about the work, the show, and their cats. I was particularly moved by Jackie’s story about how, after thinking about the possibility of a gallery show of David’s work, she had a dream that she was walking through the show, with David, holding a copy of the book representing the show and work. The next morning, she contacted David, and began to make it a reality. The people who attended this show were a mix of the most interesting and creative people you can find in one place, and we made many new friends. The show has been a huge success, and is so far the definitive statement on David’s work as a visual artist. Spending quality time with David and his work, along with Mark, Jackie and Shaun, was incredibly fun and profound, and inspiring to say the least. Luckily, a documentary is being produced on David and the show itself, for which I did a short interview. Congratulations and deepest gratitude to Jackie Bunge and Shaun Richards for creating a life changing experience for all who were there, and for honoring David as he truly deserves. Biggest congratulations to the most inspiring of humans, my friend David Tibet, for making the world more beautiful and mysterious through your expression of words, music, visuals and presence. As Jackie said in her curator’s talk, David is one of the geniuses of our time. We are lucky to have this exhibition here in the United States for a magical moment. “Invocation of Almost” is open at the CSUF Begovich Gallery, 800 N. State Collage Blvd., Fullerton CA until May 25th, 2019. Do not miss it. It was beyond worth the 30 hour round trip drive we made to attend.
Cate, David, and myself
