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Dick Der
Dick Der

Dick Der

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BiographyAccording to the late arts journalist Gilbert Bouchard, Hong Kong-born and University of Alberta B.F.A. (1974) painter Dick Der possesses a “love of all things urban” that he expresses through “geometric works [that] depict abstract inner-city vistas [and] boast actual objects salvaged from downtown streets—metal rods, lengths of wire, hunks of rebar, bits of wood, cardboard, and squares of metal screen.” Such materials, said Bouchard, demonstrate “Der’s particular love of more derelict aspects of city life—old buildings and abandoned warehouses… [and] aged portions of legendary cosmopolitan megacities [such as] New York or Paris.”

Der says he aims at evoking a “tranquil, mystical, and spiritual experience” through his mixed-media collages and paintings, which may also contain Chinese calligraphy whose meanings he does not intend to be taken literally, but whose forms suggest a “connection between the past, present, and future.” For some of his pieces, Der’s process begins with creating quick sketches and taking scores of digital photographs while he is touring the decaying streets of his current subject. Back at his studio, he assembles his raw content into compositions demonstrating his considered reflections of his experiences. According to Der, “New Yorkers responded quite well” to his work based on their home because “they understand it [and] identify with it more.”

Der’s solo exhibitions in Edmonton include Studio Watch at the Edmonton Art Gallery, In the Rough at The Works Festival, and Chinatown Tango and Snapshots at the Scott Gallery in Edmonton. Several public, corporate, and private collections house Der’s work, including those of the Grand Prairie College, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Camino Foundation, Anglo Continental Limited in Hong Kong, and the Singapore Eromatic Company.