From the Archive: Daniel Erban (CAROUSEL 21)

Mark Laliberte/ August 29, 2020/ Featured Artist

Lens Irritant

— DANIEL ERBAN Portfolio

Montréal based artist Daniel Erban (1951-2017) creates printed images and large drawings that, in his own words, “scratch at the viewer’s retina and bleed into their conscience”. He has spent the better part of three decades hell-bent on exploring society’s dark impulses through the production of thousands of loosely figurative, near-profane images. Unapologetically provocative, Erban sees the role of the artist in contemporary culture as a “disturber of social and cultural peace”. Through highly charged expressions full of distress and angst, Erban frequently challenges traditional notions of ugliness and beauty in artmaking.

In navigating his long career, Erban has taken a complicated route through the image world, often ending up in some pretty dark places. His prolific wanderings have led him to explore strange inner landscapes, allowing him to contemplate the imaginary delights that visual violence and violent gesture offer the willing eye.

Daniel Erban (b. 1951, Israel) was a Canadian artist who lived and worked in Montreal until his death in 2017. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in art in 1980 and a Master’s degree in science in 1983 from Concordia University. In his lifetime, Erban participated in over 120 exhibitions, including about 35 solo. More: here + here

Portfolio: Lens Irritant
appeared in CAROUSEL 21 (2007) — buy it here

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