Our Dark Arts collaboration features artists who promote the mystery and beauty of life, through their creative works.
Dark Artist | Cole James
Cole M James is an interdisciplinary artist with work that explores the intersections of digital production and the analog collecting of lived experiences. Zi received a MFA from Claremont Graduate University in Installation & Digital Media and a BA from Cal State San Bernardino in Painting. Zi was also awarded the Alfred B. Friedman Grant, Walker Parker Artist Fellowship, Mignon Schweitzer Award and was the 2019-20 Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation Artist in Residence. Zhir’s work has been exhibited in New York, Miami, Korea, and throughout Los Angeles including Holding Half The Sky at Roberts Projects curated by Jill Moniz and Betye Saar as well as Wayward a two person exhibition curated by LA Times Critic David Pagel.
In addition to zhir’s art practice, James is a Human Rights Advocate and community collaborative partner having worked with organizations such as Justice LA, artworx LA, Amnesty International, Liberated Arts Collective, Los Angeles Nomadic Division, Project 51, Hammer Museum, LACMA, California African American Museum , Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and Michelada Think Tank. Zi is a Professor at Otis College of Art & Design and Lives in Los Angeles CA.
Enter Darkness
At night when most of the world is silent and the skies are dark, I find my most clear minded self. My interest resides at the intersections of climate justice and social justice. Since justice is a construct that is as elusive as ever these days, I have centered my explorations of where these intersect in my mind. The grey matter within my skull creates the connectivity between growth and darkness often. There are processes and vital functions that can only happen in darkness. Seeds begin their germination process in darkness and only in darkness. The world would collapse in its own waste in less than a day without nature's decomposers. Fungi, the most diligent of all, can only give life nutrients if it has the comfort and care of darkness in its beginning.
Since energy cannot be destroyed and only converted the fungi carry the energy of my ancestors the named and unnamed in the darkness, I call you in.
Dark Sightedness
Humans have a hard time discerning the edges of things in the darkness. We have been conditioned to do so. Digital screens emit pure light into our optical receptors. It is the presence of darkness that allow us to see what is depicted on these screens Dark Sightedness is an activity to practice and train our eyes to perceive darkness in all its shades and hues.
Time & Universe
At some point in the past a human being sat down and created all of the structures we move around the world in. It is time to take a seat, close our eyes and ascend into the darkness of creation. We need new structures, let us start in the darkness and recreate time & universe. The two images are printable outlines for exploration. They were created for system impacted youth for Liberated Arts Collective.
Call Them In
Recognition of my guides. They rest & work from the darkness.
Created as an extension of my teaching into the zoom void practice, published in Remote Control Astral Projection in Higher ED a East of Borneo Publication.
We take for granted the presence of written words so when we speak them, they often carry even less meaning & intention. I have always imagined poems as being just words until they are ingested in the unseen corners of human beings where feelings are engendered, of course in darkness.
For centuries the usage of the phrases Dark Arts and Black Magic have cemented the words darkness and black to evil. This prejudicial usage is a cornerstone of empire culture. Our Dark Arts Feature will highlight artists who create human freedom by pushing back against this mythology and dogma.
DARK ARTS ARCHIVE
Viva la Vulva LA
Phoenix Savage (Part 1)
Phoenix Savage (Part 2)
Chris Wells
Cole James
Dra. Rocio Rosales Meza
Xiana - Black Sun Academy