Man- a failed experiment? “What failed experiment is man, that he destroys what he depends on to survive.”
— Jimmy Greenfield
Opening Reception: Sat., Oct. 14, 5:30 - 8pm
Man - a failed experiment? - Installation by Jimmy Greenfield Curated by FiveMyles
Jimmy Greenfield: Abraham, cast earth, 4ft. 6", 2010
FiveMyles receives many requests from artists to present their work. Space and time being limited, we often regret not being able to show some of the interesting and challenging art that is proposed to us. We are exploring this program FiveMyles curates to propose exhibitions of the work that interests us to other spaces and neighborhoods.
Man - a failed experiment? presents sculptural works by Jimmy Greenfield at Soapbox Gallery. It is not an easy exhibition. This group of life-size, dirt-cast figures carry the burden of human sorrow and hardship. These bent-over, emaciated figures show us our dark future if we do not immediately pay serious attention to the harm we have caused to ourselves through the callous destruction of the environment. The figures are a warning that Man will indeed be nothing but a failed experiment. A sculpture of small wooden houses and a figure walking away from them carrying firewood gives a glimpse of a simpler way we humans could live.
But the figures in the exhibition also represent the wrought relationship with God that the Old Testament speaks of. Abraham’s anger at God’s insistence that he sacrifice his son, Adam’s helpless rage at a lifetime of hard labour and suffering. Other figures are bent from the despair of the endless sorrow, pain and mourning death brings with it. By having eaten from the forbidden tree of knowledge, we gained the knowledge of our own destruction.
With this exhibition FiveMyles is glad for the opportunity to bring these darker topics to light through Greenfield's intensely focused and unfiltered lens.
Artist bio:
Jimmy Greenfield has been making sculpture since arriving in NYC in 1977. Not having been formally trained, he has had the freedom to experiment with different materials and techniques, developing his own unique sculpting processes.
Greenfield’s work has always been concerned with the problems of our world: climate change, the degradation of our natural world, starvation, mass migration et al. This is the watershed moment in history where the accumulated effect of our reckless actions from the past now demand extraordinary attention to inspire change and lead to true social evolution.
Jimmy Greenfield
jimmygreenfield.com
For more information, contact Hanne Tierney, FiveMyles Director at hanne@fivemyles.org
Soapbox gallery hours: Thurs.-Sun., 1-6pm Soapbox, 636 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY 11238