Jim Denomie: Oz, the Emergence

Jim Denomie: Oz, the Emergence

The premiere of artist Jim Denomie’s most recent project, a mural-size painting Oz, the Emergence, at Bockley Gallery.

Using the celebrated 1939 film The Wizard of Oz as a thematic stepping-stone, Denomie has conjured up a fantastical landscape where Dorothy and her pals become immersed in new, darkly imaginative adventures. However, this is not The Land of Oz, as we know it, but rather “a spooky and surreal landscape full of symbolism and tense situations” where the protagonists face a host of contemporary, 21st century issues.

 

As a narrative point of departure, Denomie used the cinematic sequence where Dorothy, the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow walk along the yellow brick road, only to be harassed by the apple trees that suddenly come to life. However, Denomie’s Dorothy is topless and wearing pants, and looks “all strung out,” and the Tin Woodman and the Scarecrow wear fraught expressions of concern. The apple trees have morphed into ominous-looking totems, and the landscape has been fouled with toxic waste, car parts and other debris. The Tin Woodman carries a pistol and sports a spigot for a penis. An eagle carries off what might be Toto, and the Munchkins are anthropomorphized animals. Oz, the Emergence also references contemporary political figures and topical events such as Newt Gingrich and the Dakota Access Pipeline controversy.

 

With Oz, the Emergence, Denomie continues to employ his visceral figurative style and his palette of saturated colors. However, the mood of the painting is far darker than most of his earlier works and is more psychologically tense than ironic. The sky is a deep midnight blue and the planets and stars cast a pale ominous light on all who roam the landscape below.

 

About The Artist
Jim Denomie lives and works in Franconia MN. Born in 1955 on the Lac Courte Oreille reservation near Hayward WI, the Annishanabe artist has won numerous awards including fellowships from the Bush Foundation and the McKnight Foundation. He has recently completed the Joan Mitchell Foundation Artist-In-Residence program at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans, LA. His work is found in the collections of the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, the Minnesota Museum of American Art in Saint Paul, and the Eitlejorg Museum in Indianapolis, among others. Denomie’s work has been shown in Germany and extensively in the U.S.

Gallery Hours:

Wednesday through Saturday, Noon to 5 pm

Artist Talk
Jim Denomie will share his thoughts about his exhibition Oz, the Emergence Thursday May 25th 6:30PM

Cover Image Credit: Oz, the Emergence (detail), 2017, 98 x 140 inches, oil on canvas


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