ARTIST

In Jim Shaw’s hands familiar symbols of American culture are rendered absurd thanks to his amalgamation of such varied image sources as kitsch ads, army propaganda, comic book illustrations and public figures. Calling on the visual language of modern America, Shaw creates an eclectic world of commercial and political abundance, a twisted tribute to glorification and grotesquery.

Shaw’s practice has always been inherently ‘American’, imbued with national references and critiques, some contemporary, others historic. Study for “Gate of Hell”, 2018, is a drawing that speaks to the political climate in the United States that was ever present during and in the two years before Shaw made this work. A deranged face and gaping mouth leads a faceless group of people through a tunnel straight into the Central Park underworld. This absurd theme came to Shaw after seeing an image of Fred Christ Trump - Donald’s father - who, to the artist, looked the spitting image of Christopher Lee’s Dracula.

Born in 1952 in Midland, MI; lives and works in Los Angeles, CA

CHARITY

Doctors Without Borders is an independent, global movement that works in more than 70 countries and provides medical humanitarian aid where the needs are greatest. Doctors Without Borders often goes to places where other organizations can’t or won’t operate.