Art

In Don't cross streams while trading horses, Reames dismantles symbols associated with American economic and political power. Referencing Abraham Lincoln's acceptance speech for a second-term nomination, in which he modestly stated that it was best not to "swap horses while crossing the river," Reames inverts the sentiment to draw focus to the transactional nature of the expression while using humor to editorialize business as usual. Reames usurps emotion-saturated metaphors and codified visual signs-logos, mottos, anthems, seals-everything that stabilizes status quo is placed on the chopping block. Snakes lose their heads. Cars drive off cliffs. Painting is protest and Reames' paintings are akin to burning flags that illuminate the dusk by setting fire to the establishment. These paintings depict symbols perforated by tromp l'oeil singes and torch-burned holes; metaphoric destruction can be as revelatory as the real thing. Reames appropriates ideas that stand-in for American identity, using the familiar and abstractions of the familiar as an apparatus to critique. Reames channels his training as a printmaker and his knowledge of the history of printed matter, highlighting the notion of the free press as a vehicle for mass dissemination of revolutionary ideas. Don't cross streams while trading horses reflects on a new age of violence and turmoil with constant reminders of the role that image creation plays within it. Josh Reames (b. 1985, Dallas, TX) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He earned his MFA (2012) from the Art Institute of Chicago and BFA (2007) from University of North Texas. Reames has exhibited in a number of institutions and galleries, including Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, LVL3, Devening Projects, Andrew Rafacz, Carrie Secrist, Hyde Park Art Center, and the Union League Club, Chicago; The Hole, Muelensteen, and Monya Rowe Gallery, New York; Circuit 12 Contemporary, Dallas; and Dittrich & Schlechtriem, Berlin, among others. In 2012, Reames was artist-in-residence at Ox Bow (funded by Joan Mitchell Foundation) in Saugatuck, Michigan. He is represented by Luis De Jesus Los Angeles.