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About

Born in Seattle, Washington

Lives and works in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

“Develop action, thought, and desires by proliferation, juxtaposition, and disjunction…” - Michel Foucault, preface to Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, Deleuze and Guatarri, 1972

“I decided by an early age to dedicate my life to making art. Over the years, I have gravitated towards an experimental, investigative approach as have many artists of my generation who search for a way to assimilate the complexities of contemporary life. My work is a heuristic exploration that questions how we relate to each other and our environment. I develop my projects with an interest in aesthetic, social and historical relationships.” –Davis Birks

In 1985, Birks attended the Universidad Autónoma, in Guadalajara, Mexico, through a study grant. After graduating in 1986 with a BFA from Arizona State University, summa cum laude, Birks returned to Guadalajara via Puerto Vallarta and became an early proponent of contemporary art in both communities.

The work of Davis Birks is defined by multiple investigations through diverse disciplines. Using sculpture, installation, painting—and more recently, photography and social practice—Birks explores a wide range of interests including social inter-relations, geo-politics, economy, the environment, and history.

Birks has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Mexico, US, Europe and Asia. His work forms part of private and public art collections including the Museum of Latin American Art (MoLaa), Long Beach; the Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH), Houston, Texas; the Santa Barbara Museum (SBMA), California; Museo de Las Artes (MUSA) and Instituto Cultural Cabañas, Guadalajara.

In addition to his work as a visual artist, Birks has dedicated time to the development of contemporary art in Puerto Vallarta since 1987, assisting recently in the foundation and project development of the cultural institution Oficina de Proyectos Culturales (OPC). Davis Birks is also a member of the advisory committee for the Visual Arts Department of the Centro Universitario de la Costa, Universidad de Guadalajara, and the advisory committee for the Instituto Cultural Vallartense.

photo: Susana Birks