Jimi Dams

Jimi Dams (born June 1963) is a Belgian-American contemporary artist.

Early life

Dams started drawing from a young age. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium but eventually moved on to Brussels to continue his studies. He worked primarily with Belgian minimalist Luc Claus and graduated summa cum laude in 1984.

Career

1986–1990

Dams’ first solo exhibition ''PunkMe'' (1986), Jordaenshuis, Antwerp, featured linocut portraits evocative of his life in the underground Punk scene.

Inspired by British post-punk ballet dancer Michael Clark, Dams started exploring ''movement'' as a subject matter for his work. A series of drawings and linocuts, featuring Clark, was exhibited in ''MOve'' (1987) an exhibition at Harrods, London. He went on to explore movement in series with dancers.

In 1988, Dams’ artwork moved towards drawings, murals and installations. During that time, he also began to develop a strong interest in collaborating with other artists. His work with writer Tom Lanoye, ''Cocktale'' (1988), was the first in a series of collaborations with artists from different disciplines such as writer Peter Verhelst, artist Amanda Lear, novelist and poet Dennis Cooper, curator Joshua Compston and artist Devon Dikeou ( Zingmagazine).

The first book on the artist’s work, ''78 Linos'' (1990), was published by De Carbolineum Pers, Belgium.

1990–2004

In 1991, Dams was the subject of a RTBF (French Belgian public service Radio and Television) documentary. He continued to exhibit throughout Europe.
After his ''LR.Lear'' (1993) exhibition at Galérie Oz, Paris, galleries such as Gracie Mansion, New York, Torch, Amsterdam and Galerie S&H De Buck, Ghent started representing his work. In 1997, Dams’ ''ANP'' exhibition at S&H De Buck gallery, Ghent, was featured on BRTN (Dutch Belgian public service Radio and Television). An interview for Studio Brussel (Dutch Belgian radio) aired the same year.

From 1991 on, Dams’ work has been exhibited in museums in Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the U.S. and China as well as in art galleries worldwide.

Envoy enterprises

2005–present

In 2005, Dams opened envoy enterprises, an independent contemporary art space, in Manhattan. Currently located in New York’s Lower East Side, in 2007, envoy enterprises was the first to leave the Chelsea Art district for the Lower East side.

In June 2017, ARTnews and Artforum reported the closing of envoy enterprises’ exhibition space. Dams addressed his disgust with the way the art world was evolving and announced that his exhibition program would, at some point, return albeit in a different format.

envoy enterprises continues to represent artists from its 87 Rivington Street address.

References

Artforum
article 22 June 2017

ARTnews
article 20 June 2017

The Conversation Pod
interview with Jimi Dams, 26 August 2017

Art in America
article

Vernissage TV
interview with Jimi Dams, New York, 5 March 2012

Time Out New York
article 24 July 2010

Vernissage TV
interview with Jimi Dams, Paris, 29 October 2006
Eyemazing
Eyemazing Magazine issue #2, 2 March 2004; article and interview with Jimi Dams; pages 22–37

Phantom der Lust
Weibel, Peter. Exhibition catalogue, Neue Galerie Graz, Austria, 2003, Belleville publishers, pp. 512
# Fiers, Els, ‘Jimi Dams, Killing Time’, Knack (magazine), 15 January 2003; p. 85

Zing Magazine
''Persistence of Memory'', interview with Jimi Dams and Amanda Lear, Zingmagazine, Issue 16, spring 2002

kunst aspekte
Blondies and Brownies exhibition at Aktionsforum Praterinsel, Munich Germany, 2001
# Kaufman, Hayley, “Glam Not Gone”, The Boston Globe, 2 November 2001; p. C2
# Cotter, Holland, “Not a. Lear”, The New York Times, 12 October 2001; p.E37
# McCormick, Carlo, “Jimi Dams Masters the Art of Anguish”, Paper (magazine), May, 2001, p. 38
# Doove, Edith, “Verrassingen uit Amerika”, De Standaard, 3 February 1999 p. 2
# Lindgaard, Jade, “Angelus Novus”, Les inrockuptibles, 11 March 1997


''Zodiac of the Satin Altar'', poems by Peter Verhelst and drawings by Jimi Dams, published by De Carbolineum Pers, Antwerp, p. 80
# Jacobs, Peter, “Jimi Dams”(Kultuur, Interview Jimi Dams), Het Nieuwsblad, 19 December 1991, p. 30
# ''Hanestaart'', poems by Tom Lanoye and art by Jimi Dams, published by Bert Bakker, Amsterdam,1990, pp. 68


''Hanestaart'', poems by Tom Lanoye, art by Jimi Dams, published by Sub Signo Libelli, The Netherlands, 1988

External links

envoy enterprises Website

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Living people
1963 births
Belgian artists
Artists from New York (state)