If you haven’t already done so, make sure to drop by Circa to see David Moore‘s evocative exhibit Colère druide. Moore’s series of sculptures are a violent catharsis, expressing the rage felt by the artist as forests are razed to the ground in the industrialized world. This “sacrilege” has inspired a series of works which speak of the grief felt at the loss of an ancient treasure. The eviscerated remains of large, rugged tree trunks dot the gallery, the insides emptied out with sharp tools, the cut-marks still evident. Massive circular saw blades slice through a row of hollow tree stumps, menacing a three foot tall gnome whose root-shaped hat makes him look as though he grew out of the earth at this very spot. Another gnome sculpture has been sawed in two and splayed open; there is a pair of wooden legs dangling upside down from a heavy hemp rope. The very materiality of Moore’s work speaks of destruction: his sculptures bear burn marks and saw cuts. Sawdust and small wooden chips give evidence of past violence.
But despite the rage expressed, Moore’s works have a beautiful, mournful stillness. Maybe it’s the spirit of the aged wood, the tactile, thick tree bark, the subtleties of the wrinkled lead sheets, the smell of the wood chips. Or maybe it’s the magic of the druid.

Centre d’exposition Circa
space 444
David Moore
Colère druide
April 10 – May 8, 2010
www.circa-art.com