Jacob Arden McClure
b. Chattanooga, Tennessee
Lives and works in Los Angeles, California
Jacob Arden McClure is a contemporary American artist, whose works include video, sculpture, painting and collage. Though frequently altering his materials and format, the artist’s style remains distinctly recognizable, with an emphasis on symbolism, iconography, texture and layering.
A prolific artist, McClure's personal work has been shown in galleries and collections around the world, and has been published both here and abroad. He’s best known for his engaging multimedia installations that highlight his ability to work cohesively with a variety of mediums. His signature aesthetic usually includes sharp lines, desaturated colors, palpable surfaces, a definite element of classical beauty and challenging, often provocative subject matter. His design style is always a delicately orchestrated balance of classic and modern, beautiful and ugly, reassuring and tense. McClure’s works offer conceptual explorations of relationships, society, and the hierarchy thereof.
Creating a sense of nostalgia, and the contrast of old and new, are also important elements in McClure’s creative process. Paying homage to history, the artist recreates relics of the past, with his handmade, electrified, light up signs. Inspired by classic American signage and advertising that used to flank Main Street USA, McClure’s sculptures evoke memories of childhood and reflection upon better times. Through a process of hand-aging, his sculptures’ false patinas represent a visual narrative of the passage of time, and stand like totems warning us of our impending modernity.
By integrating mediums and pushing boundaries McClure is an artist examining the best and worst of scenarios, documenting his personal exploration, and challenging viewers to trust in beauty… and question everything else.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Scout, Curio Studio And Collection Venice, CA, curated by Anne Faith Nicholls
Life on Display, Outer Edge Studio, Monterey, CA, curated by Andrew Jackson
Life on Display, Covivant Gallery, Tampa, Fl, curated by Carrie Mackin
Mosi Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa, Fl
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
The View Gallery The modern fabulous show Bristol, England, curated by Richard Scary
Curio Evidence show Gallery, Los Angeles,CA
New Puppy Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Bristol Museum of art, Bristol, England, curated by Richard Scary
Tampa Museum of Fine Art, (two man show), Tampa, Fl
Applegate Gallery Santa Monica, CA
Keep Calm Gallery, London, UK
New Brow Film Premiere, Monterey, CA
Lab 101 Culver city, CA, curated by Freddi C
Harold Golen gallery " Subjective Reality show" Miami, Fl
Madeleine Castaing, Film Installation The New York School of Interior Design, New York, NY
Applegate Gallery (2 man show) Santa Monica, CA curated by Anne Applegate
Youngblood Galley Atlanta, GA
Toyroom Gallery Sacramento, CA
The Venice Contemporary venice, CA
Applegate Gallery "Bombshell Show", Santa Monica, CA
Outer Edge Studio print/poster show, Monterey, CA
Shooting Gallery Instant Gratification, San Francisco, CA
Parallel Universe Miami, FL, Curated by Harold Golen
Museum Works Gallery, (Curator) 3 Man Show, Deconstructing the American Image, Los Angeles, Ca
Unusuelle, Video Installation, Shooting Gallery San Francisco, CA
Vitale Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL
Elements of Distraction (Curator) St. Petersburg, FL
The Artillery Art Benefit Auction, St. Petersburg, FL
Covivant Gallery five year retrospective Tampa, FL, curated by Carrie Mackin
St. Petersburg Center for the Arts 13th All Florida Juried Art Exhibition St Pete. Fl
American Stage Shakespeare in the Park Benefit Auction, at the Vinoy Hotel, Snell Is, Fl
Soft Hard Ware, Video Installation, Salt Creek Gallery, St. Pete, Fl
St. Petersburg Art Center, St. Pete, Fl
Clearwater Arts Foundation, Clearwater, Fl
Studio 1935 'Concerns of the Day" (Curator) St. Petersburg, Fl
Objex Arts Space, Miami, Fl
FL FAS Gallery, University of So. Florida, Tampa, Fl
Octagon Arts Center, Clearwater, Fl
Coviviant Gallery, Tampa, Fl, curated by Carrie Mackin
Tampa Convention Center Democrat Political fundraiser, Tampa, Fl
PUBLICATIONS
Debacle magazine artist review
Keep Calm Gallery Print release, London, UK
Interview Juxtapoz Magazine
Art review Beautiful Decay
Illusive Contemporary Illustration Book, Gestalten books