Las Vegas Weekly

‘Flock’ to Donna Beam for David Adey’s provocative work

David Adey’s ‘Flock’ is great to look at — but not quite so easy to interpret.

Knowing nothing of San Diego artist David Adey, one might assume his installation, Flock, opening this week at Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, takes a jab at religion. Forty ceramic sheep made from the same mold are leashed together by electrical cords connected to the same power source that lights a pink neon halo around each sheep’s head. As Adey says in a short video about the “homogenous nature” of the group, “They’re dependent upon their position in the group for their identity.”

But, of course, if the halos represent faith and religion, it’s only seen as a mockery by those who prefer to stand apart from the herded flock, choose a different light source, and wander their own path.

What seems so black and white is pretty gray in this piece loaded with symbolism by Adey, a conceptual installation artist who teaches at Point Loma Nazarene University. And it’s not the first time that Adey, who is a Christian and says he bases his works on his faith, has viewers questioning a work’s message and, likely, themselves.

Adey’s works, seemingly straightforward, most often come with implications that turn to questions. That includes Flock, which was featured at the 2010 California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art.