“There’s a strong pacifistic statement in the choice of sand. Do no harm. Divest ourselves of possessions. Life is short. ” -- Wayne Coe
Artist Statement
I'm an interdisciplinary artist using performance, painting, ceramics and drawing. I was drawn to sand painting after the near death of my brother.
Sand is quintessentially about time, about mortality and meaning. Sand painting comes from a long tradition of sacred and temporary art. My public sand paintings performances refer to the intersection of male exploitation advertising and fine art. Warhol exhibited "Lonesome Cowboy" and "Flesh" at the 55th Street Playhouse introducing the use of male exploitation and film hyperbole for art marketing. My work is about transience of community.
My art portrays imagery from the 70’s and 80’s, the coming of age of my generation and of AIDS. It deals innocently with a forbidden nostalgia. The evocations contributed by the passers by is much of the work and my pursuit of those “speakers” who offer stories of their experiences create links between myself as a “strait” man/artist and invaluable seminal contemporary of homosexuals to culture. Sufi, Tebetan, Mexican Catholics, Hopi, and many religions are direct connections to sand painting. A ephemeral activity generates tremendous cross-cultural interaction, beyond age, language geogrpahy or sexual orientation.
First sand paintng, in barn.
Jim Ryce