Miles Jaffe Exhibition 2024

Miles Jaffe Recent Works

MILES JAFFE American, b. 1958

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

Some of my earliest memories are of taking things apart, usually in such a way that they could not be put back together again. How things are put together - how they work - was a mystery that I had to unravel. As Arthur C. Clark said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." I wanted to learn the secret.

Trying to discover how things work was eventually followed by trying to find out why things workincluding human and social factors like behavior and economics. Using the rigorous analytical methods of my industrial design training I try to figure out why things don't work. As such I’ve been called cynical, but only by those who lack the power of accurate observation. I prefer to think of myself as a sardonic optimist.

That some of my work is displayed upside down is a reflection of my world view. Art - long before the capital 'A' Art of the Renaissance - has been driven not by creative vision but by commerce and as such is a near-perfect reflection of society.

I blame Warhol ("Art is what you can get away with")although he clearly wasn't the first. Andy just took the anti-art of Dada to The Factory floor. Some artists find success by being the first to exploit some tiny previously unexplored niche; some find it by being outrageous in some way; others capitalize on marketing - for which being outrageous is a perfect vehicle. I do not consider this to be either art or success.

This becomes my point of departure. My work contemplates the relationship between artist, medium, and product – and thus the very nature of art itself. It is a parody of parodies, which makes it a tribute as well, with no small irony.

detail fromHokusaiSurfShop

Munch'sHouseofHorrors aluminum, stainless steel, PVC, wood, pigment, digital print 37 x 15 x 7 inches

ConceptualArtist'sSet(v.0) wood, paper, metal, paint

25 x 44 x 2 inches

detail fromConceptualArtist'sSet(v.0)

ExplodedView

HirstTaxidermy

digital print on aluminum, wood, 3D print, paint, stainless steel

Art-O-Meter

reconstructed salvage / unique 13 x 13 x 2 inches

SweetTreats

metal, polymer, paper, pigment, 3D print

58 x 70 x 12 inches

detail from SweetTreats

Portfolio

digital print on aluminum, wood, 3D print, paint, stainless steel

38 x 15 x 7 inches

detail from Portfolio

NotetoSelf:Emphasis

polymer, pigment

x 30 x 8 inches

detail from BlackandWhite

Spex digital print on aluminum, wood, 3D print, paint, stainless steel 38 x 15 x 7 inches

detail from TomatoRed Inquire

digital print on aluminum, wood, 3D print, paint, stainless steel

38 x 16 x 7 inches

NotEnough digital print on aluminum, wood, 3D print, paint, stainless steel 38 x 15 x 7 inches

BunAppetit digital print on aluminum, wood, 3D print, paint, stainless steel 38 x 15 x 6 inches

from LineRed

ArtIs...

digital print on aluminum, wood, 3D print, paint, stainless steel

38 x 15 x 7 inches

Basquiat'sApothecary

aluminum, stainless steel, PVC, wood, pigment, digital printing

37 x 18 x 7 inches