Photo courtesy The Springs Resort.
Pagosa Springs river artist Dan Dempster has been chosen for inclusion in the Bermuda National Gallery’s 2026 Bermuda Biennial.
The Bermuda Biennial is a critical platform for Bermuda’s contemporary art community. Organized by the Bermuda National Gallery since 1994, and sponsored by the Green family, the exhibition showcases the dynamism of local artists as well as international artists living on the island, and serves as a platform for programs on art, culture and dialogue.
As a member of the International Biennial Association, BNG is proud to host an exhibition representing the excellence of local contemporary art, providing Bermudian artists the opportunity to engage in an internationally juried process overseen by established international curators.” – Bermuda National Gallery website
The Bermuda National Gallery’s 2026 Bermuda Biennial opens with free admission to the public on Saturday, September 26, 2026 and will run through the end of March 2027.
Wet Sand is a large-scale text installation by Dan Dempster pointing out the experience of evanescence in the liminal zones between sky, water and land at sunrise and sunset.
Mr. Dempster writes:
“Having this piece selected for the biennial validates the best part of three years spent working on this series of haiku-like contemplations on water and light.
“Distilling the experience of over 35 years’ practice into stanzas of four lines was a challenge. A serious ski accident on the mountain three years ago meant major reconstructive surgery on my leg, no weight-bearing and months of physical therapy. Unable to sit, stand or drive, my river explorations came to an abrupt halt.
“While laid up I turned my attention to investigating what made river painting so compelling. How and why does art do what it does? How can it help? Everybody’s going through something, but not everybody wants to paint or draw.
“What if I could teach how to see as an artist does? The artistic process focuses one’s ability to see, but producing things is not a requirement of seeing. That’s why when I teach figure drawing, we use newsprint. A lot of it! Art can be precious, but it doesn’t have to be. There’s the art of making things, and then there’s the art of what happens when we’re making art. That’s what I call the art of seeing.
S”o, I began translating the art of seeing into practical gathas or vignettes. The vignette selected by the jurors is what I consider the epitome of the collection, designed to provoke people to stop, look and see. A koan. It is designed to seize and expand attention quickly through recognition of common elements and curiosity in the juxtaposition of them.
“In the moment between contemplating one thing and the next is a critical opportunity for seeing things as they are instead of through the screen of assumptions. Learning to appreciate the beauty in the detail that surrounds us is a critical skill to cope with exhaustion and anxiety in this age of information overload.
“Pagosa Springs, situated in the San Juan Mountains with the San Juan River running through the center of town, is ideal for finding freedom in the exhilaration of playing in water and in the quiet contemplation of its ever-changing aspect. Between the vastness of the Colorado sky and surrounding mountains to the intimacy of water trickling into our hot mineral spring pools right at the edge of the river, what better place to enjoy nature with profound gratitude?”
For more information, visit www.dempstercontemporary.art