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Freight + Volume is pleased to announce Loren (aka James Kalm-artworld-bicycling-reporter-at-large) Munk’s first solo exhibition at the gallery. Munk lives, breathes and thinks art. He is a: painter, draftsman, teacher, curator, art writer, and videographer. He wears many interchangeable hats, but most importantly he is an artist, and he depicts the artist’s history. Munk asserts, “It's my contention that for far too long forces outside the arts community have exerted control over the ‘history’ and therefore the ‘value’ of artistic production…. I have attempted to provide an alternative ‘history’ and therefore a different set of values for consideration. I would hope this provokes other artists to greater self-actualization, and to take the ideas of ‘history’ and ‘legacy’ into their own hands.”
A ubiquitous figure throughout NYC and boroughs, at countless art events and openings (riding his bike in all seasons) Kalm/Munk interviews artists on their work, passions, and inspirations through his series The Kalm Report. He mines the collective consciousness about what art is and what artists are creating. The videos serve as documentation of what artists are undertaking today. Through both his video series and paintings Kalm/Munk focuses on documenting the art world. He literally paints a historical path that explains the journey art has taken to get where it is today. In an interview with Hrag Vartanian, for Art 21’s blog, Kalm states, “My announced goal with The Kalm Report has always been to show people not only the art in the New York City scene, but to dig deeper and try and show the real art world, the behind the scenes stuff…”
The paintings in You Are Here are vibrant maps depicting a moment in history, and they tackle the subject of art itself through an historical and diagrammatic lens. When talking about his interest in maps Munk explains, “Well, in brief, I was a boy scout and we had to learn to read maps when we went camping so as not to get lost. Later, while serving in the Army in Germany, I was tasked with training soldiers to read maps so they could plot nuclear fallout.” For Munk, maps equate survival, the ability to know where one is, and the capability to survey an environment.
Munk is filled with a spirit of optimism, enthusiasm and liveliness. He loves art and artists. He is making the work because he deeply believes in art. He mapped the histories of artists so the right stories – the artist’s stories – get told. He states, “I started thinking about what the most important thing about ‘art’ was. It didn't take long to realize that the community of artists and its history were paramount… If creative people were able to relate to all this historical information and see how they fit in, it might support and inspire their own work and reduce their sense of alienation. I hoped it would help reinforce the connections of community.”
For additional information visit the Freight + Volume website.
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