Jimmie Durham is an American sculptor, essayist and poet. He represents Neo-Dada and Postmodernism movements. Also, Jimmie gained prominence as a performer and writer during the American Civil Rights Movement. His artistic practice can be seen as an extension of his political activism. Through his works, he reveals the prejudices and assumptions of a Western-centric view of the world and gives voice to alternative, non-Western modes of thought.
Background
Jimmie Durham was born on July 10, 1940 in Houston, Texas, United States, although he claimed he was born in Nevada County, Arkansas, and Washington, Hempstead County, Arkansas. He is a son of Jerry Loren Durham and Ethel Pauline Simmons Durham. Jimmie was raised in Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, as his father traveled a lot, searching for work.
Education
In 1965, Jimmie entered the University of Texas at Austin. Some time later, he left for Geneva, Switzerland, and in 1969, he enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, graduating with Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture degree in 1972.
Career
At the time, when Jimmie studied at the University of Texas at Austin, he started to exhibit his works. In 1965, the sculptor held his first solo exhibition in Austin. In 1973, Durham became an active participant of the American Indian Movement (AIM). During the period from 1973 to 1980, he held the post of a political organizer of the movement, later becoming a member of the movement's Central Council and claiming himself to be a Native American.
Some time later, Jimmie became a director of International Indian Treaty Council and its representative before the United Nations, thus becoming the first official representative of a minority within this organization. However, in 1979, Durham left the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) and then the American Indian Movement (AIM) over disagreements about AIM's support of Cuba and other Soviet allies.
In the early 1980's, Jimmie focused his attention back to art, but remained concerned with the stereotypes of American Indians, that were widely accepted and disseminated in American culture. During the period from 1981 to 1983, he acted as a director of the Foundation for the Community of Artists in New York City.
In 1987, Durham moved to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he was based until moving to Europe in 1994. During that period, he took part in numerous exhibitions, including Whitney Biennial, documenta IX and others.
In 1994, Durham left for Europe, initially settling down in Berlin and then in Naples. Since that time, focused primarily on the relationship between architecture, monumentality and national narratives, and created a number of anti-architectural sculptures, performances and videos. The aim of his work was to free architecture's privileged material, namely stone, from its metaphorical associations with monumentality, stability and permanence.
During his time in Europe, Jimmie took part in many exhibitions, including "A Grain of Dust A Drop of Water: the 5th Gwangju Biennale" in 2004. Also, he held numerous solo exhibitions at different museums, galleries and art institutions, including those at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp in 2012, the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma (MACRO) in 2013 and others. In 2010, Durham presented his "Rocks Encouraged" in the Portikus exhibition hall in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. In 2017, he was the subject of the controversial and critically acclaimed retrospective "Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World", which took place at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
Currently, he divides his time between Berlin and Naples.
Politics
In the 1960's and 1970's, Durham was an active participant of the civil rights movements of African Americans and Native Americans in the United States.
Views
Quotations:
"I feel fairly sure that I could address the entire world if only I had a place to stand."
Personality
Jimmie has long claimed to be Cherokee, but that claim has been denied by tribal representatives. Calling himself an "interventionist", Durham is often critical in his analysis of society, but with a distinctive wit, that is simultaneously generous and humorous.