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Artist information:
Jay Van Dam
Ada, MI

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Jay Van Dam is showing at:
The B.O.B. The B.O.B.
20 Monroe Ave Nw
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
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Jay Van Dam
Artist bio: Originally from Ada, MI and now based in Sarasota, Florida, Jay Van Dam's artistic practice implements photographic imagery in considering issues of the softly obscure and displaced. Currently attending Ringling College of Art and Design and entering his third year majoring in photography and digital imaging with a minor in fine arts.
Artist statement: With his projects "Revelation" and "Wednesdays" he crafts dreamlike and mundane connotations of the repetitive tasks of everyday life. And shows that life doesn't always have to be as boring as it seems. His recent works have grown to incorporate alternative ways of presenting images with max/msp and custom installations. With project "Virtual Burrito" one uses the window of a laptop to peer into locations that may never be visited in a lifetime. These projects and others are rooted in a need to recover a sense of relief from a typical job that is increasingly static and uneventful.
About the work:
Title: Revelation

Art form: 2-D

Medium: Photography

Year created: 2008

Description of work: The work is a a series of 6 photographs which run horizontal along a wall space. In each of the images resides a box, always changing and adapting to the owners environment. The pictures are uniform yet varied.

Work statement: Revelation is meant to symbolize the state of mind of a young artist. Through the growth from thinking inside the “Box” to thinking outside the “Box”. Thoughts are signified through the clouds that loom overhead, as well as in the potted plant that coexists. The enclosed box supports the idea of being restricted in reasoning and abilities, which grows with every image. The first four images are about everyday life: sleeping, thinking, eating and working. The last two photographs have more of a self-discovery/nirvana-esque connotation to them. I have a revelation that there is more than just a world full of repetitive tasks inside of the “Box”. In the penultimate image I lay awestruck on the floor of the box. Lastly, I become free from all restraints, and find what ultimately makes me happy. Freedom.

Technical details:
Work width: 25 inches
Work height: 25 inches
Work depth: 3 inches
Required venue ceiling: n/a
Required venue door height: n/a
Required venue door width: n/a
Required wall linear footage: 13 ft.
Required venue square footage: n/a
Additional considerations:
Audio/video needed: No
Electrical needed: No
Lighting needed: Yes
Internet access needed: No
Ground floor access needed: No
Indoor space needed: Yes
Outdoor space needed: No
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