OHR O’KEEFE MUSEUM (Biloxi, MS)
In James Macdonell’s first solo museum exhibition titled ‘SAFE PASSAGE’ the artist invites the viewer into an examination of our lives, objectively and subjectively, and how art and life intersect.
With dignity and appreciation, he investigates familiar subject matter like survival, loss, abandonment, the forces of nature, mythology, and history through the lens of metamorphosis, transmutation, and regeneration.
At the core of this exhibition is art incorporated from the observation of daily life. It is meant to inspire people, to give them a new appreciation of self and their surroundings; and serve as affirmation that works can be a catalyst for change in how we view others and our environment.
The Safe Passage exhibition is a gateway to connect the conscious and the subconscious worlds through the earthly realms of uncertainty. The art weaves a narrative appreciation for nature and the human experience.
Safe Passage redefines the found object as a precursor. Its intent, theory and practice relate to two of the most influential artists of the 20th century: Marcel Duchamp and Robert Rauschenberg. Both were known for taking everyday objects out of their original context and presenting them as art.
“So as far my legacy goes, I’d like to be remembered as someone who was as determined as they were… to leave something behind that causes people to take pause, to experience in the work something that strengthens their ability to feel connected.”
The exhibition in the Frank Gehry designed space incorporates a wide range of mixed media: painting, sculpture, photography, and collage. With Safe Passage James Macdonell creates a sacred space for us to reflect on our respective passages as vessels on this journey. It confronts us to view our lives differently and acknowledge mutual beliefs, connections and or disconnections. It points toward the beauty hidden in mundane things. It is a reminder that art and life have something in common: that their greatness endures only when it is built upon, and arises from, small meaningful acts.
Read about SAFE PASSAGE on the OHR O’Keefe Museum website
‘SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION’ at SMITH contemporary (New Orleans, LA)
LANGSTON ALLSTON / ERIN CURRIER / NIMAI KESTEN/ RICHARD ‘DICKIE’ LANDRY/ JAMES MACDONELL / SUCHITRA MATTAI / SIMPHIWE NDZUBE / TODD SERLIN / CARL JOE WILLIAMS / KRISTOPHER WRIGHT
Curatorial Statement: Six Degrees of Separation is a group exhibition about our collective humanity. As humans, and creatives, we must foster our respective humanity, and revere what makes our reality have purpose, significance and positivity. Six Degrees of Separation is an art exhibition that will resonate with everyone on different levels. Our hope is that the viewer sees a reflection of him or herself in every piece exhibited to feel a sense of community, hope and empathy. Six Degrees of Separation’s primary intent is that we have more in common with each other than our differences. That we are more connected, than detached. Six Degrees of Separation features the work of American, emerging, mid, and late career artists articulating the human condition.
‘TRANSITS’ at SMITH contemporary (New Orleans, LA)
“Hermitizing for the last 20 years in New Orleans has been a lot like living in one’s own personal Walker Percy novel. It been a good place for me to work. Artists always seem to find something here [New Orleans} that infects them, that they take with them, back to wherever, something transformative, and it keeps them returning here from time to time. To reacquaint with it, it teaches things that New York does not. I can speak to this because I have spent over 2 decades in both cities, and I know first-hand that both are invaluable. They have shaped me for better or worse, I was home on 9/11 and I was home for Katrina.” – James Macdonell
