First up, James Worsham. Who IS James Worsham??

The odds are you have encountered one of his genius installations along your way through Nashville. The trouble with James’ brilliance is his fine art visions and ideas get gobbled up by designers (and rightly so because he makes dreams come true. Honestly, I don’t think there’s an idea you can throw at this man that he cannot make real - and then take it even further into unimaginable realms…) Finally James is lifting his skirt and using the Pop Up to show us his most pure and personal work to date.

Artist Statement:

I don’t have a diary.

Not much for journaling.

Instead, I make art. A lot of art.

I employ symbols, objects and materials to convey life experience. Some of the stories are beautiful, hopeful and uplifting; others are sardonic, ironic or tragic. However, the audience is allowed to project their own interpretations; my stories are no more important than anyone else’s. Some view my work as just pretty, and that’s fine with me.

This show features examinations of disparate materials and drawing correlations between the resulting objects and important personal events. Thousands of pieces of costume jewelry appear poured over the silhouette of a watchful, flower faced policeman. A violin drips with copper chain while anarchy adorns the wall decked out in high gloss floral print wallpaper.

The materials are totally at odds with the subject matter - beautiful, somewhat dark and more than a little tongue-in-cheek. In ‘American Violence’, more gems and jewels adorn a found axe, but the bits and baubles are representations of blood splatter, and even feature the artists handprint on the pommel, as though the piece were used for a very fabulous murder.

The work thumbs its nose at authority, challenges our expectations of traditional artwork and proves that art doesn’t have to be safe to be beautiful. Some of these works make me incredibly uncomfortable, while others feel more like an inside joke between old friends. All of this, the good and the bad, are worth spending time with. I’m honored to share the meticulous, detailed work that arises from these meditations. Each piece is a page from my diary, and in this showing, I’m an open book.

Take your time.

Look closer.

And please enjoy the show.