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Provocations
Jamie Wimberly
is pleased to introduce his new series, "Provocations," which is intended
to use art as a means to critically and creatively examine contemporary
art. The "Provocations Series" debuted in 2002 at two solo shows at the
Fraser Gallery in Washington, DC, and The New Light Gallery in Abingdon,
Virginia, and continues to be shown in group shows at District West Fine
Arts Gallery in Leesburg, Virginia
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some time, I have had a growing sense that the art world has lost its way
in regard to being able to critically look at "contemporary art," or for
that matter, to ask the most basic question-what is art? "Provocations"
is a new series which I have been developing for over a year now that is
intended to critically and creatively discuss art. The series examines the
influence of the market on contemporary art and, on a deeper level, addresses
many of the age-old questions in art. The questions addressed in the series
range from the relationship of the artist to the viewer, the artist to the
model, why artists do what they do, the role of artististic influences,
compositional questions, mediums and materials, etc. Much of what I see
in the contemporary art world is sterile, dated as soon as it is exhibited
(especially if it is political propaganda for one interest or another),
lacking in references to what preceded it, not well made, and is in short,
boring. I attribute this to many forces at work in the art world: the relentless
search for "the new" in art, the market pushing for product, art schools
failing to teach basics, the artist-as-star mentality, a facile rejection
of art history (and whole mediums like painting for that matter), to name
but a few of the reasons. If you add up Marcel Duchamp's position that everything
is art ("ready mades"), with Andy Warhol's exhortation that everyone is
an artist, then, logically speaking, you arrive at: nothing is art and nobody
is an artist. You get a contemporary art world where everything is relative
and there are very few standards. And what standards do exist are dictated
by the market. So, "provocations" is actually a series of thoughtful reflections/criticisms
of the contemporary art world. It is meant to both serve as a discussion
starter and a harbinger of change. The series further leads into the idea
that there are some standards-attention to craftsmanship, an intellectual
framework and understanding of art history, an element of spirituality,
and most importantly for painting, a sense of beauty and aesthetics-which
still matter. You will find all of these standards in my work, oftentimes
explicitly addressed. And as such, the pieces in "provocations" are seen
as something very unique. The work consciously bridges the various movements
and brings together elements of classical painting, the conceptual, the
abstract, in an entirely new way. It is the combination of form with content
that has drawn a lot of critics and collectors to the work. And of course,
the skill exhibited ("the wow factor") underlying a vision. |
Icon,
2000
Mixed media, 24" x 12" |
Absalom
# 2, 2000
Mixed media, 30" x 22" |
Humming,
2000
Mixed media, 24" x 12" |
Power
of Red, 2000
Mixed media, 30" x 22" |
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