On Thursday, 1xRun launched two prints (“Unity of Mind” and “Theory of Form“) from Adam Caldwell which are only available until November 15th. 1xRun also featured a great interview with the artist on his ideas of the fallacy of Cartesian duality, and its resulting harm, that have been informing his art throughout the year. The culmination of these ideas can be seen in Adam’s solo show Empty Room, opening tonight at Shooting Gallery, from 7-11pm, and which will contain a new limited edition print, “Archery,” available through the Shooting Gallery.

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Take a look and some process shots and interview excerpts after the jump.

1xRun: Tell us how the idea and execution came about?

Adam Caldwell: These paintings are centered on the idea that the mind and body are separate things. In the west there has been a traditional boundary between the physical and the mental. This division is seen in Christianity as the separation of body and spirit and has profound implications for how we perceive the self and the world. The body is seen as shameful and Nature is fallen from grace while the mind or spirit exists in a state of potential purity and perfection. In philosophy Descartes famously defended the idea of dualism. I wanted to examine these ideas and show how badly they have affected our culture, influencing everything from legal decisions about responsibility, the destruction of the environment, to our very concept of identity. I also intend this show to be a critique of technology and its deteriorating effects on the notion of self.

In the paintings pieces of history, broken and abandoned buildings, isolated figures, lines of text about dualism, advertising, and machinery all collide. The space and scale of the paintings are broken up. The light can come from multiple sources. These elements convey the flickering, fragmented world we have inherited and symbolize the life that exists within the context of a split between the mind and the body, between the self and the rest of nature.

1xRUN: Tell us a little bit about these two pieces, when were they created and with what materials?
Adam Caldwell: Both of these pieces are oil on canvas. I first draw my ideas in pencil on paper and then make photo-collages in Photoshop to use as reference for a traditional oil painting. My paintings and drawings juxtapose elements of abstract expressionism and classical figuration. Both of these pieces were finished in June of 2024.

1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work? If so what? If not then what is your environment like when you work?
Adam Caldwell: Almost any music. Been listening to Foxy Shazam, Kate Bush, Battles, Classical, Queen.

1xRun: What else do you have in the works currently?
Adam Caldwell: My solo show at The Shooting Gallery in San Francisco on Nov 10th titled “Empty Room” It features ten new large paintings. Including two huge triptychs.

via 1xRUN dot com