James Benjamin Franklin

Proyectos Monclova inaugurates Something in Mind, the second individual exhibition of the American artist James Benjamin Franklin, whose work is mainly recognized for its incessant material exploration and use of vibrant colors. The exhibition brings together the artist's most recent pictorial production, made on different supports.

In each of his pieces, the artist uses materials that are not properly identified with those used in traditional painting, for example, found textiles, whether from carpets, kitchen cloths or bathroom mats, plaster cloths, sand, glitter. , and even soft polymers such as epoxy resin on a polystyrene base; although he also makes use of colorful acrylic paint. According to curator and historian Andrew Satake Blauvelt, some of the items Franklin uses as materials are purchased new, while others come from the artist's own home or from second-hand stores in Detroit. In this way, the artist honors each object, “which endows the artworks with a sense of local history and personal memory.”

In turn, James Benjamin Franklin reflects on the rectilinear support that has predominated in painting and decides to transform the spatial limits of the supports in his works, creating irregular pieces, some even circular; and he molds the edges with plaster in such a way that they become part of the works themselves. The process of making each work results in the superimposition of material layers, which provides volume and texture to the pieces and gives them a sculptural sense. At first, he works with the canvas support and the molding of the edge to later incorporate textiles and other found materials. Finally, he covers these materials by slowly pouring paint and waiting to see how it spreads across the canvas until it dries.

James Benjamin Franklin (Tacoma, Washington, 1972) holds a BFA from Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA) and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI). His work has been characterized by moving away from the traditional support of the canvas to create paintings. From an organic and tactile support of his own invention, the artist creates deep surfaces containing layers of materials. As such, Franklin pursues the unknown and welcomes chance, unable to predict how his materials will accept or reject his movements in the painting.

Among his notable exhibitions are those held at the Cranbrook Museum of Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI); KMAC (Louisville, Kentucky); FRONT International, the Cleveland Institute of Art (Cleveland, OH); Broadway (New York, New York); Museum of Contemporary Art (Detroit, MI); Kings | Finn (Detroit, Michigan); and Proyectos Monclova (Mexico City, MX). He currently lives and works in Detroit, Michigan.

— Proyectos Monclova