“Flowers value stones.

Stones love flowers.

No matter where I leave my heart

It finds me in the morning. "

- Jimmie Durham -

The means with which he communicated his art appear to have been very heterogeneous in fact, over the years, he has used techniques ranging from drawing, photography, video, to the most famous sculptural works. What was the importance of the means of expression with which to convey your thought and above all what led you to work with different techniques?

JD - I simply didn't get an "academic" education when I was a boy, I didn't go to any kind of school or university, I had a formal education, so to speak.

I knew that I wanted to make art even if not aware of what kind of art it was and this prompted me to try with all the means at my disposal.

I created, experimented, with everything that went through my head, with the constant desire not to do it for myself but for other people; I like to look around, see what's in the world and try to create something curious to know the opinion of those who will later discover my works.

Europe and America represent different societies, which although belonging to the Western world present contradictions at times quite different; having lived both of them, would you be able to tell me if the role of the artist changes in response to the society she lives in?

JD - They totally change and I can tell after living between the United States, Mexico and Europe.

I arrived in Europe immediately after living in Mexico and what I can say is that America is still very violent and aggressive and that Europe, on the other hand, was once.

Europe has given me a freedom and a peace that I could not have in America and what I wanted to do with my freedom was to engage with people, to be participatory in Europe, observing Europe as a foreigner, looking at its architecture and its monuments which represent the essential element of Europe to me. As I said to someone a few nights ago “In America there is no architecture, there are only thefts”.

In conclusion, what does architecture mean to you, but above all how does it differ for you from other forms of art?

JD - It's about space, simply space.

"SOLID GROUND"
Permanent installation by Jimmie Durham

edited by ZERYNTHIA.

No Man's Land

Contrada Rotacesta, Loreto Aprutino (PE), Italy.