Jim Dingilian

"Much of my work involves the gentle modification of found objects which function as indicators of history, chance and memory. I draw, etch or erase images onto the surfaces of these ordinary objects resulting in fragile or ephemeral works of art that never overshadow their commonplace origins.The drawings done with permanent marker on school desktops are meant to be both nostalgic and a slight transgression. The medium suggests the wayward doodling and daydreaming of youth. The locations depicted (the edges of lonely parking lots) transform the fringes of suburban spaces into unsettling or slightly menacing vignettes. Under typical circumstances these are the banal empty areas through which we pass heedlessly each day. Only a slight change in perception is required to recall a distant summer night when a similar space seemed quietly and powerfully charged with potential and mystery."—Jim Dingilian