About

“My work explores some of the fundamental aspects of art making. How are objects and images produced, and what alchemical techniques and authorial constraints are involved? By positioning process as a conceptual means of abandoning traditional modes of authorship, the work is allowed to, in a way, create itself independently.

I recently began painting reproductions of commercial signage from around my neighborhood in Queens, NY. It started with illustrations of washing machines from different laundromats, but I’ve since expanded the imagery to include other ubiquitous items like apartment mailboxes, security cameras, architectural details, and intercoms.

On the one hand the imagery that I’m drawn to might appear insignificant, but on the other it depicts the balance of solitude and togetherness of our daily life and shared environment.”

Japeth Mennes is an artist and musician who lives in New York City. From 2012 to 2019 Mennes was a member of the music group Dead Painters. Recent exhibitions include the 2023 solo show “Waltz” at 65 GRAND (Chicago), a 2022 two person show at My Pet Ram (NYC), the 2021 solo show “City Paintings” at Ampersand Gallery (Portland, OR), as well as group exhibitions at Taymour Grahne (London), 57w57 Arts (NYC), The Ekru Project (Kansas City, MO), and a 2022 three person show at Stockton University (NJ). He received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and his BFA from Kansas City Art Institute. His work is in the collections of Agnes Gund, NYC and Fidelity Investments, Boston, MA.

Contact

:::::::: japethmennes (at) gmail (dot) com ::::::::::