August 26 — October 7, 2023

Gardener of Peace

Reinhard Ziegler

 

 

Conduit Gallery is pleased to present the solo exhibition, Gardener of Peace, by Dallas-based artist Reinhard Ziegler.

Reinhard Ziegler’s recent body of work, entitled Gardener of Peace, reveals new artistic territories intertwined with the artist’s deeply held spiritual practice. Ziegler was asked by a longtime friend and collaborator to create images to accompany the text of his freshly translated and reinterpreted “Peace Prayer” (attributed to St. Francis of Assisi and here named “Gardener of Peace”).

After several disappointing attempts to fulfill the request, it became clear to Ziegler that an entirely different approach was called for: namely, interpretation, not illustration. Rather than trying to depict the antithetical phrases (hatred-love, despair-hope, discord-music…) he began to develop new work inspired by the underlying intentions of the prayer. Weaving together materials and imagery related to both gardening and peace-making brought cohesion to the project.

Photographically-based art (using current technology as well as vintage processes) continues to be a central medium, along with the exploration of a wide range of new materials and processes including metals and patinas, wood working and furniture design, found and collected objects, book design, and digital media animation.

Ziegler’s dominant use of the specific blue pigment ‘International Klein Blue’ in this exhibition draws on Yves Klein’s association of the color with “Pure Spirit” and speaks to both artists’ connection to the natural world.

In total, the project has provided the opportunity to develop an extended range of “voices” for sharing the artist’s experiences and intentions. Reinhard Ziegler’s works invite us to consider reconciliation and restoration as akin to preparing and tending a garden.

Reinhard Ziegler has been creating art for five decades. He has exhibited in New York City, Santa Fe, Austin, San Francisco, and Dallas and his work is included in numerous private and corporate collections across the USA. Ziegler became an American citizen at 12, along with his parents, who emigrated from Stuttgart, Germany. He holds a B.A. degree in European History and a minor in Photography from Southern Methodist University, as well Master's and Doctoral degrees from the Cognitive Psychology/Visual Scholars Program at the University of Iowa.

Following 9 years in academia, Ziegler joined Accenture, LLP, where he served as Global Managing Partner for the Technology-based Learning and Innovation practice. This business combined emerging visual and creative learning solutions for Fortune 50 clients. Throughout these various "lives," Reinhard continued to produce new bodies of work and exhibitions every 3-4 years. The "Gardener of Peace" exhibition is Ziegler's 11th show at Conduit Gallery spanning the past 29 years. Seventeen years ago, Reinhard Ziegler and Lori L. Lovelace co-founded the non-profit "The Vessel" (www.thevessel.world), whose mission is to support individuals passionate about serving others through humanitarian, teaching, and mission projects across the world. The Vessel also supports a program focused on reconciliation among individuals and peoples. (www.reconcile.world). The Peace Prayer is also a prominent aspect of that initiative.

Artists in this Exhibition

Artist Video