Oliver Arms USA, b. 1970
Oliver Arms’ (b. 1970, Arlington, VA) works are characterized by the process in which he builds up and wears down oil paint. His abstract works reflect the tension between man and his experiences.
While working in construction, Arms was exposed to the layers of undercoats of paint while sanding down each wall. Applying this same principle to his technique, Arms utilizes different shades and layers of paint, waits for them to dry, and begins his process of sanding with an industrial sand belt to reveal layers of the multitude of colors underneath. Similar to Jacques Derrida’s theory of Deconstructionism, through his works, Arms explores “how constructs create a dependence on arbitrary components.” In this way, the construction of the final image is interdependent with the “residual effects of time.”
Arms builds up layers of paint only to destroy them—to add only to negate. This counterintuitive nature is the characterization of his process, which in turn is the physical evidence of memory. The contrast between the brittle surfaces and the cancerous concentrations of paint evoke a sense of place, people, and time. The specific titles that Arms gives his works “reaffirm, echo, or cement” the emotionally charged essence of his works. His works are creations that perpetually strive to find reconciliation within destruction.
Born in 1970 in Arlington, VA, Arms launched his career as an artist with a solo exhibition at Western Project, Los Angeles, CA in 2005, followed by different venues, including the Charles Cowles Gallery, New York, NY and Ameringer/McEnery/Yohe, New York, NY.
Arms currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
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jason haam: five years, part one
22 Dec 2022 - 14 Feb 2023On the occasion of the gallery’s fifth anniversary, Jason Haam will present a special two-part exhibition celebrating its five-year mark with artists who have shaped and developed the identity of...Read more -
Oliver Arms: Don't Take My Sunshine Away
25 Feb - 13 Apr 2021Jason Haam is pleased to present Don’t Take My Sunshine Away, an exhibition of new paintings by Oliver Arms. This will be the artist’s second solo show, since his inaugural...Read more -
ABSTRACTION: between Representation and Non-representation
Oliver Arms, George Condo, Derek Fordjour, Antony Gormley, Yayoi Kusama, Linn Meyers, Chris Ofili, Ugo Rondinone, Emily Mae Smith, Mary Weatherford 10 Sep - 3 Nov 2020Jason Haam is pleased to present ABSTRACTION: between Representation and Non-representation, a group exhibition featuring works by Oliver Arms, George Condo, Derek Fordjour, Antony Gormley, Yayoi Kusama, Linn Meyers, Chris...Read more -
Group Show
Ahmed Alsoudani, Oliver Arms, Peter Buggenhout, Marie Cloquet, Jung Jae Ho, Linn Meyers, Jin Meyerson, Anthony Pearson, Florian Schmidt, Mircea Suciu 25 Jan - 12 Mar 2019Jason Haam is pleased to present a group exhibition featuring a selection of works by: Ahmed Alsoudani, Oliver Arms, Peter Buggenhout, Marie Cloquet, Jung Jae Ho, Linn Meyers, Jin Meyerson,...Read more -
Oliver Arms: Inaugural Exhibition
25 Jan - 20 Mar 2018Jason Haam is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by Oliver Arms which inaugurates the Gallery's very first venue on 73, Seongbuk-ro 31-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Korea. Recent works...Read more
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Oliver Arms: Don't Take My Sunshine Away
INTERIORS, April 1, 2021 -
다채로운 컬러의 향연 속 '명상과 치유'
조 수영, 한국경제, March 10, 2021 -
내 햇살을 뺏지 마오
조 현대, Art In Culture, March 8, 2021 -
재현과 비재현 사이
남 웅, Art In Culture, November 1, 2020 -
제이슨함갤러리 그룹전 '추상'
장 선화, 서울경제, September 29, 2020 -
제이슨함, 올리버 암스 개관전, JASON HAAM, Oliver Arms Inaugural Exhibition
이 현화, 문화예술의전당, February 23, 2018 -
Packed with Colors and Textures
David Pagel, Los Angeles Times, January 11, 2008 -
Dense, Fiery and Downright Strange
David Pagel, Los Angeles Times, April 8, 2005