'Gods of the Plague' by local artist Darin Latimer is now on display in our window as part of Purple Window Gallery's initiative to bring artwork that has been created during this pandemic to the public. We are not currently open but you can take a socially distant stroll past the gallery and check out the work until May 15th! Contact us with inquiries on the artwork and THANK YOU for your continued virtual support!
'Gods of the Plague' by Darin Latimer . May 5th - May 15th, 2020
‘Gods of the Plague’ is a painted set of cardboard box sculptures, that resemble both individual figures and a cityscape, all executed since the City of Chicago’s ‘Stay at Home’ order was enacted during the current Covid-19 crisis.
‘The last day my wife and I went out before the virus crisis truly came down, we were privileged to visit a collector’s private home and there I saw an early iteration of Hebru Brantley’s iconic character ‘Flyboy’ painted on a cardboard box. Taking away that inspiration and not yet knowing the full situation to come, I found myself, a couple weeks later with a pile of panic-buying, pantry-filling delivery boxes and I start painting them both as a lark and with a bit of a material shortage. Then I started thinking about it, with some personal experience (let’s just say I have toiled), and realizing what it took for these boxes to get to me – in this new, dangerous context, their initial distribution, the necessary direct re-packaging, that subsequent delivery, the handling of the boxes upon arrival, the privileged conceit of letting them sit for 24 hours before I picked them up (as per instructions). I started thinking of them seriously as a work. I hope they are both exuberant and appropriately awful. I’ve stopped receiving deliveries. I’ll just figure it out.' - Latimer
Artist Bio
I have made art my entire life but only recently begun to exhibit. My primary mediums are Krink Ink (developed by the street artist Craig Costello or ‘KR-1’) and plush sculpture fabricated by ‘Budsies’, a website intended to turn children’s doodles into 3-dimensional plush animals.
Artist’s Statement
It took me 30 years to learn, from my constant drawing practice to make paintings in 30 minutes…but I’ve noticed it’s getting longer again. I have little formal training. The crux of my work is usually discovering then developing methodology by trying materials and learning the way they work together. Or don’t work together.
‘The last day my wife and I went out before the virus crisis truly came down, we were privileged to visit a collector’s private home and there I saw an early iteration of Hebru Brantley’s iconic character ‘Flyboy’ painted on a cardboard box. Taking away that inspiration and not yet knowing the full situation to come, I found myself, a couple weeks later with a pile of panic-buying, pantry-filling delivery boxes and I start painting them both as a lark and with a bit of a material shortage. Then I started thinking about it, with some personal experience (let’s just say I have toiled), and realizing what it took for these boxes to get to me – in this new, dangerous context, their initial distribution, the necessary direct re-packaging, that subsequent delivery, the handling of the boxes upon arrival, the privileged conceit of letting them sit for 24 hours before I picked them up (as per instructions). I started thinking of them seriously as a work. I hope they are both exuberant and appropriately awful. I’ve stopped receiving deliveries. I’ll just figure it out.' - Latimer
Artist Bio
I have made art my entire life but only recently begun to exhibit. My primary mediums are Krink Ink (developed by the street artist Craig Costello or ‘KR-1’) and plush sculpture fabricated by ‘Budsies’, a website intended to turn children’s doodles into 3-dimensional plush animals.
Artist’s Statement
It took me 30 years to learn, from my constant drawing practice to make paintings in 30 minutes…but I’ve noticed it’s getting longer again. I have little formal training. The crux of my work is usually discovering then developing methodology by trying materials and learning the way they work together. Or don’t work together.