JAMES CROAK A Survey
JAM
Lunchbox Vest, 1995. Child’s metal lunchbox that opens into a bullet proof vest. Courtesy of Sunny Goldberg
JAMES CROAK A Survey: 25 Years December 12, 2020 - January 17, 2021
MM FINE ART
4 North Main Street, Southampton, NY 11968 www.mmfineart.com
James Croak comparing a photo of Duchamp with his classical sculpture of Duchamp, The Democracy of Objects
MM Fine Art Gallery is pleased to mount the first East End solo show of James Croak, a widely collected and published American artist. During Croak's long career he has shown in a dozen countries and is published in thirtytwo art and critical theory books, including surveys by Phaidon, Harpers, and a monograph by Harry N. Abrams. Our survey show includes major works from private collections not seen in public in over twenty years. Croak works in series, often in unusual materials, and we are showing examples of his Dirt Man series, the Dirt Baby series, all made of cast dirt. The included New Skins for the Coming Monstrosities were a media sensation in 1995 predicting pandemics, censorship, and school shootings. This work has not been shown in twenty-five years. Central to the show is Croak's version of Antonio Lopez Garcia's Hombre y Mujer (1969 -84). In Croak's 1999 version he uses his trademark "cast dirt" (dirt with binder) and improves on the age consistency of the two figures, his material provides a resonance not achieved with Lopez Garcia's wood carving. Croak's seminal Wolf on Books is on display for the first time in two decades. Western philosophers associate the nonpredictive wolf as the antithesis of organizing one's thought according to enlightenment philosophy. Such was the theme of Deleuze and Guattari's "One or Several Wolves", and other contemporary texts. Shown for the first time is Croak's classical life-size sculpture of Marcel Duchamp playing chess. This cast sculpture entitled The Democracy of Objects shows Duchamp, the inventor of both pop art and conceptual art, in his real life day job as a chess master, but instead playing with the great sculptures of the 20th century, all of which were reinterpreted in lieu of his insights. Also included in the exhibition are examples from Croak's Disaster of War series, an update of Goya's Los Deastres de la Guerra. A reminder of the brutal ramifications of war, Croak's drawings use a medium of dirt on paper, and continue Goya's series with a frank look at the consequences of 20th century warfare. Croak's The Other Twelve Hours series comprises some of his most recent work. As digital cameras displaced film, Croak observed many cameras could shoot in the dark, opening up the other half of the day. Here we show some of his The Other Twelve Hours series of night landscape photographs.
Hand Series #3, 1998 Hand Series Edition 4/12 Cast dirt
Dirt Baby, 2000 Dirt Baby series Edition 8/10 Cast dirt
Man & Woman (after Lopez Garcia),1999 Cast dirt
Woman (detail)
Man (detail)
New Skins for the Coming Monstrosities and Lunch Box Vest installation view
Trash Suit, 1995 New Skins for the Coming Monstrosities series Latex rubber, trash
Interpersonal Relationship Suit, 1995 New Skins for the Coming Monstrosities series Latex rubber, blood colored lava rock
Cradle Camouflage, 1995 An appliance to disguise an infant as a pet so it will get humane treatment. New Skins for Coming Monstrosities series Latex rubber
Handshake Condom, 1995 Hand condom for use during pandemics Latex rubber
Decentered Skin, 1995 New Skins for the Coming Monstrosities series Latex rubber, dirt
Lunchbox Vest, 1995 Child's metal lunchbox that opens into a bullet proof vest. Courtesy of Sunny Goldberg
The Democracy of Objects, 2006 Portrait of Marcel Duchamp, the inventor of both pop and conceptual art, was a competitive chess player. Resin
The Democracy of Objects (detail)
The Democracy of Objects (detail)
Wolf on Books and New Skins installation view
Wolf on Books, 2001 Cast dirt, books
Wolf on Books (detail)
Wolf on Books (details)
Direct Action Day, 1995 Disasters of War series (after Goya) Dirt on paper Courtesy of Gerry Reid
Trophy, 1995 Disasters of War series (after Goya) Dirt on paper Courtesy of Gerry Reid
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, 2016 The Other Twelve Hours series Photographic print framed
Backyard, 2007 The Other 12 Hours series Photographic print framed
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