Ensemble: Jimmie Durham 1980 - 1993
©image: Philippe De Gobert
In the period between 1973 and 1979 Jimmie Durham was full-time involved with the American Indian Movement and did not make art. He was the director of the International Indian Treaty Council and UN representative. In 1980 he left the AIM, became involved with the New York art scene and re-started making art. His art from that period is full of references to American Indian identity and more importantly it was often a response to the public’s expectations regarding a Native American artist. In 1985 Jimmie Durham made a show in the Alternative Museum in New York called A Matter of Life and Death and Singing. Two years later, he moved to Cuernavaca in Mexico, marking the start of a period in which he exhibited and performed widely worldwide, such as at Documenta IX, M HKA in Antwerp and Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. In this period, he frequently wrote essays as well as poetry, and published a poetry book in 1988 and in 1993 the collection of essays A Certain Lack of Coherence.
Works
>Jimmie Durham, On Loan From the Museum of the American Indian, 1985.Installation, mixed media, variable dimensions.
>Jimmie Durham, Bedia's Stirring Wheel, 1985.Sculpture, aluminium, leather, fur, paint, feathers, skull, string, cloth, steering wheel, 115 x 46 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Pocahontas' Underwear, 1985.Object, feathers, beads, fabric, fasteners, 31 x 25 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Bedia's Muffler, 1985.Sculpture, metal, leather, beads, shells, acrylic paint, 86,4 x 115,2 x 12 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, New York Gitli, 1985.Sculpture, skull, braid, acrylic paint, shell, turquoise, metal, 120 x 29 x 70 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Tlunh Datsi, 1985.Sculpture, skull, feathers, turquoise, acrylic paint, shells, wood, 103 x 91 x 81 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, A Dead Deer, 1986.Sculpture, skull, bone, wood, paint, string, plastic, 120 x 72 x 14.4 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Self-Portrait, 1987.Sculpture, canvas, wood, paint, feather, shell, turquoise, metal, 173 x 87 x 29 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Two Legs of Wood, 1988.Other, 70 x 22 x 22 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Four Scenes for the British Army, 1988.Performance.
>Jimmie Durham, The Two Johns, 1988.Sculpture, wood, paint, 54 x 61 x 6 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, La Malinche, 1988-1991.Sculpture, wood, cotton, snakeskin, watercolour, polyester, metal, 168 x 56 x 84 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Raccoon (Skunk), 1989.Sculpture, mixed media, 170 x 62 x 52.
>Jimmie Durham, Heisenberg Principle, 1989.Sculpture, mixed media.
>Jimmie Durham, Articles 2 and 3 from the 1986 Pinkerton's Agency Manual, 1989.Installation, ceramic, wood, paper, polyester, 132 x 24 x 24 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1989.Sculpture, moose skull, wood, antler, paint, metal, 244 x 144 x 137 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Footnote, 1989.Sculpture, bronze, chain, card, 10 x 31 x 7 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Crazy for Life, 1990.Video.
>Jimmie Durham, Rabbit, 1990.Sculpture, skull, shells, wood, paint, text, 51 x 66 x 120 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Maria Thereza Alves, Savage, 1991.Performance.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled (Squirrel), 1991.Sculpture, cast head, beads, paint, wood, 127 x 63 x 28 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Cortez, 1991.Sculpture, metal, wood, pvc, paper, 225 x 145 x 52 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Language is a tool for communication like a city or a brain, 1991-1992.Installation, ink, paper, 360 x 510 mm.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled, 1991.Sculpture, wood, canvas, paint, shells, 150 x 70 x 70 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled (Armadillo), 1991.Sculpture, cast head, beads, paint, wood, photograph, 125 x 60 x 23 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Maria Thereza Alves, Virginia/Veracruz (Madrid), 1992.Performance.
>Jimmie Durham, Maria Thereza Alves, Virginia/Veracruz (London), 1992.Performance.
>Jimmie Durham, Maria Thereza Alves, Virginia/Veracruz, 1992.Performance.
>Jimmie Durham, Approach in Love and Fear, 1992.Installation.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled (Amenemope, an Egyptian soldier, 1370 BC), 1992.Sculpture, wood, iron, bone, paper, 45 x 30 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled, 1992.Mixed Media, brass, mud, glue, wood, 49.2 x 38.4 x 6 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled, 1992.Mixed Media, papier mâché, marble dust, wood, 38 x 25 x 11 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled (Caliban's Mask), 1992.Sculpture, glass eyes, button, mud, pvc pipe, glue, 24 x 16 x 5 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, I Forgot What I Was Going to Say, 1992.Sculpture, wood, metal, bone, paper, wire, 78 x 55 x 5 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Die kleine Fulda, 1992.Sculpture, pvc pipe, 265 x 20 x 120 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Himmelfahrt [Ascension], 1992.Sculpture, wood, iron, acrylic, 29 x 55 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Treff [Encounter], 1992.Sculpture, wood, iron, acrylic paint, 215 x 205 x 107 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Jesus. Es geht um die Wurst [Jesus. It's about the Sausage], 1992.Sculpture, wood, iron, steel, ink, paper, acrylic, mud, glue, 152 x 40 x 113 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled (Zipper), 1993.Sculpture, mixed media, 142 x 11 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled, 1993.Sculpture, painted wood box, bone, glass, 4 x 6 x 10 inch.
>Jimmie Durham, Untitled, 1993.Sculpture, plastic tube, wood, tape, 15 x 28 x 4 inch.
>Jimmie Durham, ελθων δ΄ εξ ορεος μεϒας αιετος αϒκυλοχειλης πασι κατ΄ αυχενας ηξε και εκτανεν, 1993.Sculpture, axe handle, canvas, metal, 19 x 12 3/4 x 1 1/2 inch.
>Jimmie Durham, mishap in the jungle. The rest of them were mostly Indians: tough young fellows with wiry strength and impassive faces. The whitest, 1993.Sculpture, plywood, paper, paint, 6 1/4 x 31 x 1 1/8 inch.
>Jimmie Durham, Sonderbar kam es mir vor, daß sie diese Übung an einer alten Stadtmauer ohne die mindeste Bequemlichkeit für die Zuschauer vornehmen; warum sie es nicht im Amphitheater tun, wo so schöner Raum wäre!, 1993-2012.Sculpture, viewmaster, flood light bulb, 39 x 15 x 15 inch.
>Jimmie Durham, Types of Murder Weapons, by Maigret, 1993.Mixed Media, wood, metal, pvc, 61 x 61 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Types of Pipes, by Magritte, 1993.Mixed Media, wood, metal, pvc, 61 x 61 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Gilgamesh, 1993.Sculpture, wood, iron, pvc, axe, metal, 355 x 63 cm, 300 x 140 cm.
>Jimmie Durham, Miscellaneous Ludlow Characters.Collage, ink, paper, canvas, 32.4 x 160.2 cm.