Simon Lee Gallery and Zuecca Projects are pleased to present a joint exhibition of works by Jim Shaw and Marnie Weber at Squero Castello in Venice, Italy. The works of Shaw and Weber span a wide range of artistic media and visual imagery, from the detritus of American culture to the surreal worlds of fantasy and folklore, both drawing from the subconscious as their source of artistic creativity. In parallel with the theme of The Milk of Dreams, the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, both Shaw and Weber transform the personal, the commonplace and the uncanny into dream-like narratives and magical worlds that unfold the mysteries of our subconscious and imagination.
Jim Shaw and Marnie Weber grew up in the booming economic landscape of post-war America. In the 1970s both artists began creating character-driven works inspired in part by this culture of abundance. In 1972, Shaw moved to Los Angeles where he attended CalArts with Mike Kelley, forming a band called ‘Destroy All Monsters’. By the same token, Weber rose to prominence in the Los Angeles punk music and performance scene in the early 1980s, co-founding an art rock band called the ‘Party Boys’ which then inspired the artist to give countless solo theatrical art rock performances in the late 80s and 90s. At the time, Los Angeles was a hotbed of innovation filled with rock and roll influences that brought a non-traditional edge to both Shaw and Weber’s artistic practice.
