ARTIST STATEMENT
My art is a harmony of forms. Most of my work includes natural, figurative, and architectural motifs as associations of beauty and memory. Ornate and decorative Eastern textiles are also sources. Whether boldly or obscurely, grid-like or lattice structures are also present and intertwine themselves with these elements.
Since Summer 2019, my recent body of work is based on gravesites located in the Père Lachaise and Montparnasse cemeteries in Paris. I am interested in the various styles and meaning of ornamentation adorning these graves and family mausoleums. Over centuries, artisans created designs reflecting the interred’s religion, culture, and social status. Sculptural motifs symbolizing nature, religious affiliation and the supernatural are omnipresent. In addition, many graves are in disrepair and suffer from neglect, specifically where natural elements have become intrusive and have come to reclaim their space.
This new series represents both a synthesis and distillation of styles and symbolism extracted from these sculptural gravesites. Additionally, personal references and motifs are interjected, that refer to the passage of time, which for me reflects a strong bond to the past.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Peter Dubeau is an artist, arts administrator and curator living in Baltimore City. He received his BFA in General Fine Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). For 15 years, he was Associate Dean of Open Studies at MICA. Prior to that position, he was Director of School 33 Art Center in Baltimore.
His artwork has been exhibited in the Baltimore/Washington area including group exhibitions at Maryland Art Place, Goucher College, The Park School, Carroll County Arts Council, Loyola College, Arlington Arts Center, and Stevenson University. Internationally, his work has been exhibited in Japan and Nepal. Solo exhibitions include Catonsville Community College and Notre Dame of Maryland University
in Baltimore. He has served as curator and juried numerous exhibitions in the Baltimore/Washington area, as well as participated on exhibition panels for Flashpoint Gallery in Washington DC, the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District and the Maryland State Arts Council.