j o h n  r o s

statement for: earthstewards coalition exhibit

part one.

i erect monuments, construct icons, unveil relics and immortalize the vestiges of an over-stimulated existence.

this absurd contemporary moment solicits images and obsessions created by the ordinary becoming extraordinary. approached with responsibility, the fleeting can evolve to form meaning and illicit purpose beyond any of our expectations. it is the silent pulse of objects reflecting off a viewer that negotiates the essence of time and informs the scope of space.

meditative and surreal, the absurd post-industrial objects i create respond to their disposers in terms of industrial architecture versus nature. it is the overlapping of the two that blurs the point-of-view and inspires this work. by proceeding with concern for the environment and out of respect for our communities, my work reflects the evolution of art with a consciousness of the future. it is this appreciation and redefinition that shifts the meaning of objects — from formal to conceptual — and continues to redevelop the language of art.

part two.
it seems the concept of sustainability is everywhere. ‘reusable’, ‘low impact’, ‘carbon foot print’. sustainability need not be an environmental term. what is sustainable in life? in self? in production? what has the most efficacy with the least amount of impact?

it is easy to look elsewhere for salvation. the savior is alluring because it allows for a scapegoat to failure… and/or ever really trying to better a situation. the essence of what is at stake is monumental. to fully be sustainable we must look at ourselves, our resources, our futures — in our present state and in our presence.

if we continue to take from this land — her people, her resources — not only do we fail our stewardship over her, we also fail ourselves, our neighbors and our future generations.

part three.
it is not enough to simply bring the ‘unnecessary’ [disposable] to a conscious level — a shift must come in action against melancholy and it’s lackluster.

concrete reductive art and the sustainability of art making and it’s audience. limits and ability — changes and meaning.

john ros, february 2010