Todd James

Copenhagen

Luminous colored Somali pirates, smoking cigarettes as the sun sets, drinking tea, making hostage demands on satellite phones, brandishing AK 47’s and rocket propelled grenades populate Todd James new body of work that is currently on view at V1 gallery. Entitled Free To Be You & Me, the exhibition shows artworks that are marked by duality – a typical tool of Todd James, who passes judgement, rather illuminating contradictions in contemporary society. James‘ work is informed by the images we know from the constant stream of media we are swimming in. He distills these images, giving the viewer a chance for brief contemplation, in a time that rarely offers that.

As opposed to this first part of the exhibitions, which includes oil paintings, the second one is a recreation of the Vandal’s Bedroom – a large-scale installation – that premiered at the Art In The Streets exhibition at the MOCA in Los Angeles. The changing installation, mimics a teenage graffiti vandals bedroom and working headquarter, with hundreds of rough sketches pinned roughly to the walls, pop culture references, slogans, appropriated cartoon characters and art supplies. The piece is an homage to the environment Todd James grew up with and in part informed his later practice.

According to Todd James, both vandals and pirates step over invisible boundaries put in place by faceless power structures every day. Both also anonymously make claims (to space or to cargo), their deeds forcing society to confront the undeniable complexity of right and wrong. The exhibition and title poetically questions the inherent dilemmas of freedom in our world.

Todd James

V1

October 5th – October 27th, 2012
Flæsketorvet 69
1711 Copenhagen V
Denmark

Calendar