BRAWLER ART - James Diaz
The one thing we always agree on…freaking sick art
Since this is our first art curation, here’s the ground rules:
We both have to agree! That’s it.
Scroll for the author bio/photo/statement, and why we liked these pieces!
I Don't Envy The Moon
The Summer I Turned Infinite
Saint Eleanor, At The Mouth of The Great Wide Open
Artist Statement
Collaging to me is in many ways a practice of self-care and a way to access a more playful, child-like part of my brain that has for so long been disconnected from the rest of me. Many of the pieces I make seek to explore working-class characters who straddle the border between magical realism and the supposed limits of everyday dreaming and desire. I try to tease out and highlight the infinite capacities we each of us have for creativity and dreaming beyond our lot in life. I love how beyond my control the process often is, wherein I intend one thing but something entirely different often emerges. The beauty of the art form for me is its capacity to exceed us, which is reflective I think of something that is most true to our own lives: what we intend has a way of slipping the knot and transforming us in those spaces where we cannot have total control, which is also where deferred dreams slip in and often make us hopeful, even in the most painful of places. To riff on a well-known Leonard Cohen quote: through the cracks, that’s how the beauty gets in.
James Diaz
James Diaz is the founding editor of the literary arts intentional community Anti-Heroin Chic, as well as the author of three full length poetry collections; This Someone I Call Stranger (Indolent Books, 2018) All Things Beautiful Are Bent (Alien Buddha, 2021) and Motel Prayers (Alien Buddha, 2022). Originally a southern native, they currently call upstate New York home.
Why we loved these:
Why Martheaus loved It: Seriously, ever since James Diaz sent us these pieces, I’ve been scouting for collage materials. Almost brought myself to cutting out one of my Doom Patrol comics–can you believe that?! I’ve gone mad.
Here’s what hits me about collage: the diffusion of context. Ha! Look at me coming up with fancy phrases; better copyright that. But no seriously. Take a look at each piece, now take a look at each piece that has been recontextualized within it. Somehow, for me, I can’t even really bring myself to wonder where the black and white character from “The Summer I Turned Infinite" or the amazingly sturdy "Saint Eleanor” came from. All I know is they are here now in their new worlds.
One last thing. I told James this, but I wanted to tell you too. "The Summer I Turned Infinite" is quite striking, isn’t it? The centered character is almost like an optical allusion: their expression, fit, and position demand attention, yet their lack of color leads the eye away, landing us on the vibrant surroundings. Isn’t that so neat!
Okay fine! I’m too inspired. I’m getting a pair of scissors and hacking Elasti-Girl and Robotman out right now.
Why Taylor loved it: Martheaus really said it all tbh. I too am inspired by collages and the brain type needed to see parts and make them whole. To be a fly on the wall of the room where the collagist (?) works would be an immense honor. Martheaus and I were both immediately in love with “The Summer I Turned Infinite,” but since looking at them my mind keeps returning to "Saint Eleanor, At The Mouth of The Great Wide Open.” Who is this woman Eleanor? What are her bins for? Of what is she the patron saint? Are we all not at the Mouth of The Great Wide Open waiting to see what comes next? For this woman, I hope only the best things. And I hope you all are as enthralled with these as we are.