Recent Paintings by James K-M
September 9 – November 27, 2010
Opening Thursday, September 9, 6-8 PM

BARON GALLERY
293 Columbia Street,
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6A 2R5

In the past several years, Vancouver’s public and independent galleries have worked to revive the abstract in art. Relatively new to the Vancouver art scene, the Gastown-located Baron Gallery has a New York sensibility with a strong appreciation of abstract painting and its history.

“James K-M’s paintings not only evoke the history of abstract painting but point to a metaphysical interpretation,” says Baron. “I’m particularly happy to be presenting over 35 paintings of James’ recent work over the past two years that have not been previously exhibited.”

For the last 30 years K-M has worked with geometric, hard edge, colourist and Kabbalistic abstraction. The paintings in this exhibition are all square, 24″ x 24″, stain and acrylic on plywood.

“I see my paintings as contemporary pictographs and abstract icons of energetic fields,” he says. “Like many artists, my paintings are made in isolation and I am very happy for the opportunity to share so many of my recent paintings together at Baron Gallery.”

James K-M’s most recent painting exhibitions were at the Simon Fraser University Teck Gallery (2008) and at the Council Of Fine Arts Gallery in Camagüey, Cuba (2009/10). Both exhibitions featured catalogue essays on K-M’s work.

EVENT

  • Artist talk: Where Does Art Come From?, Sat., Sept. 18th, 2 – 4 pm
    Art comes from the primal, carries paradox and gestures beyond itself. I will show examples of paintings I made starting in 1977 while still a student. I recall the sensation of these paintings, in a way, making themselves. This began a conscious relationship with a primal force, seemingly outside myself, that I have honoured ever since. I do not believe that there can be any art that doesn’t come from this relationship. Real art cannot ultimately be about anything else. To summarize differently, art is the convergence of profound metaphysics with profound materialism, that is, the meeting of the primal relationship with the inherent language of our materials. Yes, this is a paradox and one of many that art carries. In the end, I see my paintings as contemporary pictographs and abstract icons of energetic fields, which means that they are about and point to something beyond themselves, to an abstract non-rational language beyond mind.
  • Artist talk: The Contemporary Pictograph, Sat., Nov. 13th, 2 – 4 pm
    In his 2nd artist talk for the exhibition COLOURING James K-M will focus on his current work and its relationship to primal and Kabbalist forces that sustain creative life. He will relate his current work to the notion of an art after-the-fact, and working backwards through his past work, show how his paintings are contemporary pictographs and abstract icons of energetic fields.