older work

Jim enrolled in art school in 1967 at Fort Hayes State College, where he completed both his Bachelors and Master's degrees in art.  Biographically, this moment marked a huge change in his life, and it was reflected in the work he began making.  Prior to studying art, Jim had been a practicing architect (which was his career until he retired a couple years ago), and much of that practice informs his design sensibilities both directly and indirectly.  It's interesting to look back at some of his early work, and recognize not only the influence art movements of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s had on him, but also to see images that have been mixed and amalgamated into the sort of life collage that his his self portraiture has become.  

 

 

As with the art world at large, computers and digital media marked a big transition in Jim's work.  Starting in the mid 1990s, he began condensing and using digital collage to combine more traditional media--his paintings, film photographs, and drawings--with his self-image in a new way.  Many of his photos are performative, and when collaged with other works, become the narrative component to his self-portrait.  Looking at his newer digital works you can see fragments of work from decades prior, and, through repetition and progression you can almost begin to trace a history, hence the exhibition and the book's title: the beginning of now.

 

 

 

Press Release for the exhibition!

 

the beginning of now

a solo exhibition by Jim Williams

June 10-June 25, 2011

opening reception: June 10, 6-9pm

art walk reception: June 17, 6-9pm

at Westgate Lofts, ground floor: 328 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Salt Lake City based artist and former architect Jim Williams will exhibit his most in-depth project to date—the beginning of now—a culmination of the last twenty-plus years of his work that he has been creating and installing, unviewed, inside his home.  The exhibition will also mark the release of a limited edition, hand-made book documenting the state of his house (which instigated the exhibition) written by Cara Despain, with photographs by Tj Nelson, and hand-bound by Mary Toscano.

the beginning of now will serve as a grand gesture that will be the crescendo of the project:  Williams will re-create and stage a part of his home outside of his actual domicile. Working across several modes of expression (drawing, painting, photo, collage, installation, sculpture, and performance), Williams aims to expose each facet of self through the lens of the narcissistic and isolated artist in his decades-long (and counting) self-portrait.  His practice has extended to encompass his entire life and living space—taking fragments, pictures of pictures of his early work, and life “dander” (personal events, photos, mementos), he creates generational, fractal-like sets that span decades.  By removing the work from the home, he will literally use time as media, and present an installation that contains artifacts from his life as a portrait.  The notion of façade, a prevalent theme in his work, will be embodied in part by an impersonator of him who will attend the opening to represent the removed self that results from the acting of putting personal work on public display.

Mary Toscano, binding away!

Artist Mary Toscano, talented printmaker and bookmaker extraordinaire, has been hired by Jim to hand bind and design the limited edition version of the book documenting his home.  This edition will be the centerpiece of the exhibition, and will be awesome when it is complete.  Jim is making unique jacket covers and boxes for each one in the set. 

this is the place..

Westgate Lofts is officially the venue for Jim William's major exhibition!

Everyone involved in the book and exhibition project, and especially Jim himself, have been working hard and we are excited to have found such an incredible venue.   the beginning of now, an exhibition of Jim's work that will feature a limited edition hand-made book documenting his home that he has constructed (photographed by Tj Nelson, written by Cara Despain, and hand-bound by Mary Toscano), will serve also as a grand gesture:  Jim will re-create and stage a part of his home outside of his actual domicile--the place where he has been making and installing his work for twenty-five years.  He has shown rarely--in NYC, at Finch Lane, and in GARFO Art Center's first show);  this will be his largest and most in-depth exhibition to date, and his (re)introduction to Salt Lake City viewers.

The spot in Westgate is lovely.  It's on the ground level, with floor to ceiling windows facing the street, and is a raw cement and brick space that the company is generously letting us use for the show.  We are so excited to build it out and transform it into a version of Jim's world!  328 W 200 S.

The openings:  June 10: opening reception

                         June 17: public opening during art walk

the skins

One of my absolute favorite things in Jim's house is his t-shirt table.  If you've ever met him, you know that virtually all of the shirts he wears are, true to his work, an extension of his house, and are hand-made collages that he irons on.  The further down in the piles you dig, the further back in time you go--some of his earlier shirts (and some of my favorites) have just screen prints of the simple, figurative line drawings he used to do in the 70s. 

Many of the shirts contain a mixed-age self portrait that mashes up photos and artwork that spans decades.  Others are friends or family presented in an uncanny format.  Sometimes it's difficult to discern whether he wears his shirt with a sense of humor, in all seriousness, or with just a twinge of irony.  It could be very well be a combination of all three in varying degrees from day to day.  The shirts are a direct play into his interest in camouflage--I sometimes wonder how he chooses which shirt he will wear on any given day.  He can choose which fragment of his life, from which period, he wants to fit himself with, or hide himself in; his skin for the day.

maybe I do know how he chooses..

a series of the t-shirts have become wall pieces.

introducing Jim Williams...

I have been working with Jim Williams for almost two years on a project that has evolved into an exhibition of his work to take place in Salt Lake City, UT next month (June).  The first time I met Jim, I visited his house in the avenues--which is the focus of the project.  It felt perhaps similar what it must have been like to discover Henry Darger's room;  an entire domicile made into an installation that contains all of the objects of a person's life.  I have written a book about Jim and his home, Tj Nelson photographed it, and it sparked the idea to display the home outside of itself--a unprecedented gesture for Jim, and unusual and interesting art exhibition for Salt Lake.  This has been a long time coming, and we are very excited that the project is near fruition.

A little more about Jim:

 

Working across several modes of expression (drawing, painting, photo, collage, installation, sculpture, and performance), Williams aims to expose each facet of self through the lens of the narcissistic and isolated artist in his decades-long (and counting) self portrait. 

As a student of art in the late 1960s and early 70s, Williams witnessed and was influenced by key art movements that are ultimately evidenced in his current self portrait project—one he has been working on for the past twenty-five years.  Through the meticulous and constant arranging, collaging, and staging of his work in his home, William’s practice has expanded to include the very gestures of his everyday life.  Taking fragments, pictures of pictures of his early work, and life ‘dander’ (personal events, photos, mementos), he creates generational, fractal-like sets that span decades and occupy his entire living space.  His self-image, at different ages, and as different egos, permeates the house, his clothing, and almost any object that leaves or intersects with the home.  All of the works he has been creating are parts to a whole, and singularly function as mere components to a composite self portrait that extends beyond objects created in a studio. 

In June, 2011, the work of the last twenty-five years, seen mostly by those who physically visit his home, will culminate in a major exhibition; the crescendo of the project being the gesture of removing the work from the home and re-creating its environment in another location.  In this way, he will literally use time as media, and present an installation that contains artifacts from his life as a portrait.  The notion of façade, a prevalent theme in his work, will be embodied in part by an impersonator of him who will attend the opening to represent the removed self that results from the acting of putting personal work on public display.