Jim Shaw (b.1952, Midland, Michigan, USA) is a multimedia artist producing drawings, collages silkscreens, photographs, sculptures, films, installations and paintings. Shaw received his BFA from the University of Michigan in 1974 and his MFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 1978. Shaw was also a founder of the short-lived but influential punk-noise band Destroy All Monsters 1973-76. He lives and works in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Shaw’s work explores the countercultures and the underbelly of American culture, interwoven with personal history. He mines the debris of pop culture and refuses to rest on a singular style or medium, choosing to play with naturalistic or Surrealist styles. He is a keen collector and observer, drawing inspiration from thrift shop paintings, comic books, rock albums, current and historical events, art history and personal history, consumerism, conspiracy theories, cults and homespun religions. For Shaw, objects and aspects of everyday life aptly reflect the shifting social and political values of American society.

Photo credit : Cara Robins