Arte Fuse: John Mellencamp: “Life, Death, Love, Freedom” at ACA Galleries
“An artist creates, and what comes out, comes out. I have no control over
what other people might think. Creation, whether it’s songs or paintings try to
tell a story and try to engage the viewer or the listener,” explains John
Mellencamp when asked about the relationship between the paintings in his latest
exhibition at ACA Galleries in New York City, entitled “Life, Death, Love,
Freedom” and his 2008 album by the same name. Rolling Stone called the album one
his best. When asked about this Mellencamp replied “I pay no attention to what
Rolling Stone says about my records. On one hand, they say this; on one hand,
they say that. I never could figure out what they were saying that mattered, and
that’s just about anyone.” Ah, John, so nice to have you here in New York!
I am reminded of Billy Joel’s words to Mellencamp when he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame “Stay ornery, stay mean. We need you to be pissed off
and restless, because no matter what they tell us, we know, this country is
going to hell in a handcart.” And that was 10 years ago. Whether it’s the plight
of farm workers, poverty, racism, gun control, or some other social injustice,
at 66, Mellencamp continues to tell the stories and struggles of common people.
In this exhibition, he doesn’t hide away from his singer song writer roots, he’s
not saying, I was a rocker then, now I am a painter. Nor does he hide from his
fame – there are references to “A little ditty about Jack and Diane,” there are
photos of Meg – it turns out that visual art too, is just part of who he is and
the stories he is trying to tell. Mellencamp in fact, originally came to NYC in
the 70’s to study art at the Art Students League before the whole music thing
took off. Growing up in Indiana, his mother was a painter. So none of this is
new to him, but for some us it is. Yes, John Mellencamp is a painter, and as it
turns out, a damn fine one at that.
The exhibition is his second solo show at ACA galleries, an appropriate venue
given its progressive history. Established in 1932, it hosted the inaugural
meetings of the American Artists’ Congress and was later associated with the WPA
and the federal programs that aided American artists and public art projects
throughout the Great Depression. When asked about the gallery, Mellencamp
affirmed, “Yes, I wanted to be somewhere that had a long history and a certain
type of reputation. Nothing too hip for me.”
According to the curator, Mikaela Sardo Lamarche, Mellencamp was very involved
in the installation of the show. If you are expecting art displayed carefully
side by side, at eye height with complementary lighting, that is not what you
will find here. This show, the pictures hang salon style with uneven spacing,
some works suspended with leather belts, some on the floor, and the room is
deliberately dark and dramatic. The installation echoes the art – like one big
assemblage itself. That, coupled with some of Mellencamp’s songs playing in the
background, the viewer is immersed in an environment of the artist’s making. “I
use the same palette as Rembrandt. Any colors that may occur are created out of
those primary colors. That is, unless of course, I decide to use house paint;
and that changes everything.” He goes on to explain, “I always start with a
vague notion, but I let the painting go where it wants to go. I do not try to
control what happens on the canvas. I paint dark to light. Sometimes I listen to
music, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I just enjoy the quiet.”
As you stroll through the space, like a dark street or late night tavern, your
eyes are drawn to different characters along the way – some historic and
recognizable, like Arlo Guthrie, Tennessee Williams, the boxer Jack Johnson,
Martin Luther King Jr, and James Dean, but mostly a lot of unknowns, like in the
large painting “Used People.” There are assemblages which include bullets, and
handcuffs, clowns and boots and cigarette packs. When I remarked that I felt a
sense of sorrow in his work he replied, “What you are seeing as sorrow is great,
but that is not particularly what I had in mind. If that’s what the viewer sees
that’s great. I have no control over what the viewer might think. This world
will continue on without us. As I wrote in a song many years ago, “This world is
a graveyard, it will swallow our bones. It was here long before us. It’ll be
here when we’re gone.”
For someone who grew up in the 90’s with a certain image of John Mellencamp,
with those catchy tunes, that hair and t-shirts and jeans, it is inspiring to
see this prolific artist still writing good songs – he just released his 23rd
album last year, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies – and making art, over 30 works in
this show alone, which a new generation of listeners and viewers can appreciate.
While Indiana may still be home, Mellencamp has taken up residence in NYC. He
describes, “I was walking down the street the other day. A young man stopped me
and said, “Hey, Mellencamp, welcome to the hood. It’s good to see you here. Can
I welcome you to this area? I always thought you were a real person, not like
some of the other pretenders.” John Mellencamp has proven over the years that
you can be popular and still be authentic.
John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Love, Freedom
ACA Galleries | 529 West 20th Street
On view: April 26 – June 2, 2018.