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Jason Myers The rigor that Jason Myers brings to his work is impressive and palpably felt through the stunning force his art projects to those who spend time before it It is serious work posing serious questions The industrial materials he uses underscore this point The making requires stamina physically intellectually and psychically It is intricate complex and impeccably made His work is a reflection of his personal history and an exploration of our relationship to complex political and social issues of our time The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is pleased to host this exhibition We are indebted to Rhonda Long Sharp and her team at Long Sharp Gallery for bringing it to fruition Claire Orologas Executive Director Polk Museum of Art

Jason Myers The rigor that Jason Myers brings to his work is impressive and palpably felt through the stunning force his art projects to those who spend time before it It is serious work posing serious questions The industrial materials he uses underscore this point The making requires stamina physically intellectually and psychically It is intricate complex and impeccably made His work is a reflection of his personal history and an exploration of our relationship to complex political and social issues of our time The Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College is pleased to host this exhibition We are indebted to Rhonda Long Sharp and her team at Long Sharp Gallery for bringing it to fruition Claire Orologas Executive Director Polk Museum of Art

Status Fluid Dynamic Status Fluid Dynamic captures the dynamics of the world by illustrating the way our lives react to the fluid stream of information surrounding us The intent is to capture the emergence or destruction of a form by exposing the evolution of the process Energy from the working process influences its trajectory through cyberspace then reacts once again when it returns in a material form A mark born in the physical world navigates a virtual universe in dot matrix then reappears in the natural realm A dialogue is formed corrupted questioned and reformed throughout the duration of the piece LIFE itself is broken down into selective layers by extracting content directly from the world around us Each layer of content contains literal conceptual and visual assets reduced or enhanced to their purist form The act of weaving similar and contrasting parts of each layer teases an addition to the 2 dimensional planes a flirtation with the Z axis The newly created fusion of elements challenges the question of space within an abstract thought Space re emerges through a different vocabulary forcing itself upon around and through the form in contradictory ways The collective area on the canvas which records the layers of expressive residue displays the conscience interaction with these abstract ideas The residue is the manifestation of this work

Status Fluid Dynamic Status Fluid Dynamic captures the dynamics of the world by illustrating the way our lives react to the fluid stream of information surrounding us The intent is to capture the emergence or destruction of a form by exposing the evolution of the process Energy from the working process influences its trajectory through cyberspace then reacts once again when it returns in a material form A mark born in the physical world navigates a virtual universe in dot matrix then reappears in the natural realm A dialogue is formed corrupted questioned and reformed throughout the duration of the piece LIFE itself is broken down into selective layers by extracting content directly from the world around us Each layer of content contains literal conceptual and visual assets reduced or enhanced to their purist form The act of weaving similar and contrasting parts of each layer teases an addition to the 2 dimensional planes a flirtation with the Z axis The newly created fusion of elements challenges the question of space within an abstract thought Space re emerges through a different vocabulary forcing itself upon around and through the form in contradictory ways The collective area on the canvas which records the layers of expressive residue displays the conscience interaction with these abstract ideas The residue is the manifestation of this work

In Whom We Trust 2015 Series of 3 works IWWT 1 v 1 IWWT 5 v 2 IWWT 20 v 1 Mixed media and resin on panel 43 x 67 inches The walk of life As human beings with only basic needs of food and shelter we find ourselves walking down a very different path All that we discover is that everything has a monetary value in contemporary culture All consumption has a negotiable price A monetary standard printed on paper envelopes our lives A belief in the system is the keystone by which ALL modern transactions occur Enslaved by our means of provision we turn the daily grind expecting more each year While Fiscal Cliffs and Hyperinflation always remain on the horizon the price of happiness seems further still Steady and valiant we soldier on earning and paying the bills Fed adjustments and Treasury notes overseas will steady the course for now Forecasts of upward market swings tick by on the screen driving us further into known unknowns The Economy is our life sustenance a machine that provides and consumes our entire existence A culture of CREDIT finds it harder each day yet we still hope for a lot more never enough The illusion of SECURITY is a delicate balance It s all IN WHOM WE TRUST

In Whom We Trust 2015 Series of 3 works IWWT 1 v 1 IWWT 5 v 2 IWWT 20 v 1 Mixed media and resin on panel 43 x 67 inches The walk of life As human beings with only basic needs of food and shelter we find ourselves walking down a very different path All that we discover is that everything has a monetary value in contemporary culture All consumption has a negotiable price A monetary standard printed on paper envelopes our lives A belief in the system is the keystone by which ALL modern transactions occur Enslaved by our means of provision we turn the daily grind expecting more each year While Fiscal Cliffs and Hyperinflation always remain on the horizon the price of happiness seems further still Steady and valiant we soldier on earning and paying the bills Fed adjustments and Treasury notes overseas will steady the course for now Forecasts of upward market swings tick by on the screen driving us further into known unknowns The Economy is our life sustenance a machine that provides and consumes our entire existence A culture of CREDIT finds it harder each day yet we still hope for a lot more never enough The illusion of SECURITY is a delicate balance It s all IN WHOM WE TRUST

Paper Tiger 9 2015 Mixed media with resin on panel 36 x 48 inches We The People find ourselves being protected by and under enslavement by the same means Rule of law has become a cyclical matter that is manipulated differently with each cycle of administration rather than the will of the people We have become a culture that does not even remember its most recent past The politics of our system has suppressed our interest in how we are governed and inflamed our emotional reaction to everything Our Constitution bears only the strength we allow it

Paper Tiger 9 2015 Mixed media with resin on panel 36 x 48 inches We The People find ourselves being protected by and under enslavement by the same means Rule of law has become a cyclical matter that is manipulated differently with each cycle of administration rather than the will of the people We have become a culture that does not even remember its most recent past The politics of our system has suppressed our interest in how we are governed and inflamed our emotional reaction to everything Our Constitution bears only the strength we allow it

Godsize 2017 Mixed media with resin on panel 26 x 34 inches GODSIZE The inevitability of our own narcissism is as predictable as the fall of the ancient religions Living our assumption of being made in God s image has been the cornerstone of our existence enlightenment At the moment our civilization removes the noun GOD from its vocabulary and employs the Science and technology of its own birthright we have become our own GOD Our creation is Artificial Intelligence and the cycle repeats itself AI has become more intelligent than its maker GODSIZE

Godsize 2017 Mixed media with resin on panel 26 x 34 inches GODSIZE The inevitability of our own narcissism is as predictable as the fall of the ancient religions Living our assumption of being made in God s image has been the cornerstone of our existence enlightenment At the moment our civilization removes the noun GOD from its vocabulary and employs the Science and technology of its own birthright we have become our own GOD Our creation is Artificial Intelligence and the cycle repeats itself AI has become more intelligent than its maker GODSIZE

The Oracles of Camp David 2017 Installation of Blind Capitulation 12 16 17 Mixed media virtual painting with LED panel 96 x 49 inches Blind Capitulation Reflecting upon our culture proves less than a mirror yet we find ourselves entrenched in the seduction of our ego We create value in the contempt by transforming greed into apathetic complacency Fixated on selfpreservation GOD has become a cognitive relevance of one s narcissistic forbearance of self control Justification is merely a predictable taxation away Granted to those who deserve everything exempt are the rest What was once a determination of will has been exchanged for a soft seat of entitlement LOVE is LUST and happily doing so The measure of worth can be traded in the economic exchange if you have the right people Shoes watches and corner offices define the stock of our shepherds who pave the path to extinction Measurement of Life is a sliding scale more than a moving target Buying the upper hand is the only trump card Wrong is Right and Taking is Giving depending on your media outlet An insatiable conquest of governmental control under the guise of what is best for the children We accept we live we forget we repeat New is now tomorrow may never exist Credit IS The sounds of the nature LIFE the buzz of an informational society digital noise it is more beautiful than a full moon thru the Wisteria I have been told Well done propaganda shapes our fragile opinions but celebrities sell our souls back to us with interest We find our SELF between the commercials Canada has it on sale but it is not Lilly and it is illegal if you don t have your ticket punched Permit only LOVE I am not for sale but I am open to negotiation I am still able to see beyond myself My compass has been calibrated to MSNBC and CNN I deserve more QE 28 is on the referendum ballot and is union backed by more than 129 according to most blind polls accuracy range 48 2 This is a disclaimer that absolves me from responsibility of manipulating your opinion Monetary reimbursement for damages are limited to retail price only Any additional costs incurred during or after use of such information are the sole responsibly of user and manufacturer will not be held liable for any such irrationality Use at your own risk and discretion In other words nothing

The Oracles of Camp David 2017 Installation of Blind Capitulation 12 16 17 Mixed media virtual painting with LED panel 96 x 49 inches Blind Capitulation Reflecting upon our culture proves less than a mirror yet we find ourselves entrenched in the seduction of our ego We create value in the contempt by transforming greed into apathetic complacency Fixated on selfpreservation GOD has become a cognitive relevance of one s narcissistic forbearance of self control Justification is merely a predictable taxation away Granted to those who deserve everything exempt are the rest What was once a determination of will has been exchanged for a soft seat of entitlement LOVE is LUST and happily doing so The measure of worth can be traded in the economic exchange if you have the right people Shoes watches and corner offices define the stock of our shepherds who pave the path to extinction Measurement of Life is a sliding scale more than a moving target Buying the upper hand is the only trump card Wrong is Right and Taking is Giving depending on your media outlet An insatiable conquest of governmental control under the guise of what is best for the children We accept we live we forget we repeat New is now tomorrow may never exist Credit IS The sounds of the nature LIFE the buzz of an informational society digital noise it is more beautiful than a full moon thru the Wisteria I have been told Well done propaganda shapes our fragile opinions but celebrities sell our souls back to us with interest We find our SELF between the commercials Canada has it on sale but it is not Lilly and it is illegal if you don t have your ticket punched Permit only LOVE I am not for sale but I am open to negotiation I am still able to see beyond myself My compass has been calibrated to MSNBC and CNN I deserve more QE 28 is on the referendum ballot and is union backed by more than 129 according to most blind polls accuracy range 48 2 This is a disclaimer that absolves me from responsibility of manipulating your opinion Monetary reimbursement for damages are limited to retail price only Any additional costs incurred during or after use of such information are the sole responsibly of user and manufacturer will not be held liable for any such irrationality Use at your own risk and discretion In other words nothing

Fiat Freedom 2017 Mixed media and resin on panel 43 x 67 inches The invention of paper money is the fabrication of a belief system based on the credit of government Money itself is the destruction of the self A slow but rigid reduction of one s self worth As with all systems of belief the known unknown is the keystone of its hierarchy Similarly to the US economy the individual is created established scanned exploited and finally consumed At that point GOD and GOV have a repurpose for the consumed individual To be recycled reconstituted reformed and re educated according to the modern mythology Freedom and wealth have become synonymous in the Fiat American Dream

Fiat Freedom 2017 Mixed media and resin on panel 43 x 67 inches The invention of paper money is the fabrication of a belief system based on the credit of government Money itself is the destruction of the self A slow but rigid reduction of one s self worth As with all systems of belief the known unknown is the keystone of its hierarchy Similarly to the US economy the individual is created established scanned exploited and finally consumed At that point GOD and GOV have a repurpose for the consumed individual To be recycled reconstituted reformed and re educated according to the modern mythology Freedom and wealth have become synonymous in the Fiat American Dream

Ourselves Divided we fall 2017 Mixed media and resin on panel Two panels 76 x 38 Inches Modern society associates skulls with death and evil However to some ancient societies it is believed to have had the opposite association where objects like crystal skulls represent life the honoring of humanity in the flesh and the embodiment of consciousness It is an absolute abstract symbol of our essence as human beings Today we seem to be fit neatly into the subverted two categories of American politics dividing us completely and insuring our lack of compassion for others Propaganda fueled ideologies have replaced our human spirit with sensationalized partisan drama and by design a lust for conflict

Ourselves Divided we fall 2017 Mixed media and resin on panel Two panels 76 x 38 Inches Modern society associates skulls with death and evil However to some ancient societies it is believed to have had the opposite association where objects like crystal skulls represent life the honoring of humanity in the flesh and the embodiment of consciousness It is an absolute abstract symbol of our essence as human beings Today we seem to be fit neatly into the subverted two categories of American politics dividing us completely and insuring our lack of compassion for others Propaganda fueled ideologies have replaced our human spirit with sensationalized partisan drama and by design a lust for conflict

Visible Noise 3 Contamination 2015 Mixed media sculpture and LED video wall 41 x 48 x 91 inches Visible Noise Our lives are forever changing into a digital world becoming further removed from actual human experience Communication and most all forms of interaction are processed through a digital technology Our advancement as individuals hinges on just how plugged in we can become Exponentially expanding sizes of data received stored and transmitted has enveloped our very existence The amount of information on the planet doubles every 18 months shrinking the half life of knowledge The steady acceleration by which it moves and the increased amount of bytes per second is the descent into our future The speed at which we are able to process and store is our only limitations Integration into the virtual cogs of the digital age has become merely a way of life As we attempt to adapt in this interconnected reality assimilation is a moving and unpredictable target What was once designed to make us more efficient has now become burden on our soul

Visible Noise 3 Contamination 2015 Mixed media sculpture and LED video wall 41 x 48 x 91 inches Visible Noise Our lives are forever changing into a digital world becoming further removed from actual human experience Communication and most all forms of interaction are processed through a digital technology Our advancement as individuals hinges on just how plugged in we can become Exponentially expanding sizes of data received stored and transmitted has enveloped our very existence The amount of information on the planet doubles every 18 months shrinking the half life of knowledge The steady acceleration by which it moves and the increased amount of bytes per second is the descent into our future The speed at which we are able to process and store is our only limitations Integration into the virtual cogs of the digital age has become merely a way of life As we attempt to adapt in this interconnected reality assimilation is a moving and unpredictable target What was once designed to make us more efficient has now become burden on our soul

The 99 United We Stand 2017 Installation of 99 paintings from the Myselves series Mixed media and resin on panel in bronze frame 11 x 17 inches installation 360 x 84 inches I am citizen 303 no name or face one of the 99 Is it GOD or GOV in which I trust Is there a difference Who am I You will never know me but the IRS and NSA always has and always will Exactly who are we What is relevant the similarities or differences between us Our strength is in our numbers and being united is our only path to overcome the system that controls everything around us We are not only defined by our lack of control of wealth but more significantly our lack of political influence on our government An order carefully maintained to ensure a continuation of consolidated power among few rather than representation of all of us

The 99 United We Stand 2017 Installation of 99 paintings from the Myselves series Mixed media and resin on panel in bronze frame 11 x 17 inches installation 360 x 84 inches I am citizen 303 no name or face one of the 99 Is it GOD or GOV in which I trust Is there a difference Who am I You will never know me but the IRS and NSA always has and always will Exactly who are we What is relevant the similarities or differences between us Our strength is in our numbers and being united is our only path to overcome the system that controls everything around us We are not only defined by our lack of control of wealth but more significantly our lack of political influence on our government An order carefully maintained to ensure a continuation of consolidated power among few rather than representation of all of us

Becoming Together 2013 Chromed steel Patinated Steel and Flame Cut Cinder Blocks 25 x 72 x 18 inches We are bound by our fate restrained by will and divided by our system Our will to overcome and persevere diminishes more with each passing generation Human beings tend to gravitate towards one another instinctually but ideologies keep us apart Our leaders polarize our cultures while the masses compliment one another s scars from the last war candidly Even when only skeletons remain our transparent souls are still magnetically attracted to tipping the balance on the sum of our totality in the universe

Becoming Together 2013 Chromed steel Patinated Steel and Flame Cut Cinder Blocks 25 x 72 x 18 inches We are bound by our fate restrained by will and divided by our system Our will to overcome and persevere diminishes more with each passing generation Human beings tend to gravitate towards one another instinctually but ideologies keep us apart Our leaders polarize our cultures while the masses compliment one another s scars from the last war candidly Even when only skeletons remain our transparent souls are still magnetically attracted to tipping the balance on the sum of our totality in the universe

Dorothy Chao Jenkins MIDFLORIDA Credit Union CNP Clark Nikdel Powell The Mosaic Company Core Wealth Advisors Inc Polk State College Margaret M Decker Foundation The Dr Alan Linda Rich Fund within the Give Well Community Foundation Furr Wegman Architects PA Rodda Construction Inc The Thelma C Kells Endowment Fund within the Give Well Community Foundation Share Foundation Lanier Upshaw Insurance Southern Strategy Group Published by Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College 2018 Foreward by Claire Orologas Special thanks to Long Sharp Gallery Indianapolis New York ISBN 978 0 9992729 1 6 Printed in PRC

Dorothy Chao Jenkins MIDFLORIDA Credit Union CNP Clark Nikdel Powell The Mosaic Company Core Wealth Advisors Inc Polk State College Margaret M Decker Foundation The Dr Alan Linda Rich Fund within the Give Well Community Foundation Furr Wegman Architects PA Rodda Construction Inc The Thelma C Kells Endowment Fund within the Give Well Community Foundation Share Foundation Lanier Upshaw Insurance Southern Strategy Group Published by Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College 2018 Foreward by Claire Orologas Special thanks to Long Sharp Gallery Indianapolis New York ISBN 978 0 9992729 1 6 Printed in PRC