Russell Shoemaker

Region: Midwest

City / State: Kansas City, MO

I began this series immediately following a long trip through South Asia, influenced by the fragmented remains of so many once-prominent temples. For me, seeing stacks of precious remnants in those sites contributed to a growing dialogue in my work—the accumulation of bits of histories long after they have lost their modernity.

Sanding down failed paintings and building on their remaining surfaces, I take care to work in a way that preserves their history. Through painted constructions, I reflect both a ghost of memory and a sober nowness. I consider our memory a tentative lexicon— subject to outside influence, both true and untrue. This continues to inform the tendency of these works to be erratic, while uniform, fragmentary, and repetitious.