Jimmie Durham | Klash ! L'art en acte | ARTE

Summary

On July 7, 2007, in Mexico, American artist Jimmy Duham performed a radical act of crushing a popular American Chrysler Spirit car with a massive 9-ton red basalt rock from the volcanic Chiclé, which had destroyed a pre-Columbian city over 2000 years ago. Known for his demolitions, Duham's work symbolizes the earth's revenge on technology, contrasting Mexican heritage with American consumerism, and turning the car into a foundation for the rock, in a poetic and irreverent display.

Takeaways

• 🎨 Jimmy Duham is an American artist known for his radical art performances.
• 🗓️ On July 7, 2007, in Mexico, Duham performed an act of crushing a car with a massive rock.
• 🚗 The car was a popular and family-oriented American Chrysler Spirit model.
• 🏔️ Duham sourced the rock from the volcanic mountains near Mexico City, specifically from the volcano Chiclé.
• 🔨 The rock used was a red basalt block weighing over 9 tons, from an ancient pre-Columbian city destroyed over 2000 years ago.
• 💥 The artist has a history of demolitions and crushing objects, including smashing a refrigerator with paving stones in 1996.
• 🎭 The performance symbolizes the clash between modernity and nature, with the car representing modern vanity.
• 🌋 The act is a metaphor for the earth's revenge against technology that has conquered its territory.
• 🗿 The crushed car becomes the base for the rock, reversing the typical relationship between car and rock.
• 🇲🇽 The performance also highlights the contrast between Mexican memorials and American consumerism.

Q & A

What significant event did artist Jimmy Duham perform on July 7th, 2007 in Mexico?

Jimmy Duham performed an act of crushing a car with a massive rock brought from the volcanic mountains near Mexico City.

What is the significance of the rock used by Jimmy Duham in his 2007 artwork?

The rock used was a huge basalt block, red in color, weighing more than 9 tons, taken from the foot of the devastating Popocatepetl volcano which destroyed a pre-Columbian city over 2000 years ago.

What type of car did Jimmy Duham choose for his crushing artwork?

He chose a popular and family-oriented American car, a black Chrysler Spirit model.

What is the symbolic meaning behind crushing a car with a rock in Jimmy Duham's artwork?

The act symbolizes the reduction of modern vanity to nothingness, representing the revenge of nature over technology that has conquered its territory.

What is the name of the volcano from which the rock was taken for the artwork?

The rock was taken from the Popocatepetl volcano.

What other demolitions or crushing acts has Jimmy Duham been involved in prior to 2007?

In 1996, he demolished a refrigerator with paving stones, and in 2004, he methodically smashed objects brought by visitors with 'Smashing'.

How does the artwork represent the clash between Mexican memorials and American consumption?

The artwork stages a clash between Mexican memorials and American consumption by using a car, a symbol of American consumer culture, as the foundation for the rock, which is a mysterious and ancient mass.

What does the car represent in the context of Jimmy Duham's artwork?

In the artwork, the car becomes the base for the rock, symbolizing the ultimate punishment and the reversal of the usual relationship between the car and the rock.

What is the intended effect of the artwork on the viewer?

The artwork is intended to make viewers reflect on the groundlessness of modernity and the overconsumption of technology, by presenting a stark contrast between nature's power and human-made objects.

How does the music in the transcript contribute to the overall message of the artwork?

The music serves as an auditory backdrop that enhances the dramatic and symbolic nature of the artwork, emphasizing the themes of confrontation and the revenge of the earth.

What is the broader message that Jimmy Duham aims to convey with this piece?

The broader message is a critique of consumer culture and a reminder of the impermanence of human achievements in the face of natural forces.