Jim Arendt

AUGUST 26 – OCTOBER 22, 2017
Jim Arendt explores the shifting paradigms of labor and place through narrative figure painting, drawing, prints, fabric and sculpture. Influenced by the radical reshaping of the rural and industrial landscapes he grew up in, he investigates how transitions in economic structures affect individual lives. The body of work in the exhibition is made from reclaimed denim–often donated by those depicted–to bring a stronger bond to Arendt's content and the people portrayed.  

Arendt explains his work by saying, "Art making is a way for me to explore how we relate to work. I've paid witness to the demise of opportunities to engage in meaningful work and seen cities ravaged by the absence of industry. As the landscape of work and labor continue to shift around us, I use art making as a way to investigate how the division of labor and alienation from work has impacted individual lives. Casting the people I know best into the center of my work, I explore how the changing landscape of work and labor has defined them, not as they were or are, but as I know them to be. I choose materials seeking to create a greater relevancy between content and form.”