Yams: Ways and Actions
@ Elephant Room Gallery
704 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605
Opening Saturday, March 11th, from 5PM - 9PM
On view through Saturday, April 15th
“Ways and Actions” by Yams is an Art Exhibition That Explores the Elements That Construct His Signature Letters as a Graffiti Writer
Chicago: Elephant Room Gallery is excited to present “Ways and Actions”, a solo exhibition by Chicago-Based Artist Yams (Lewis Taylor). The exhibition opens on Saturday, March 11th with a reception from 5 to 9pm and is on view through April 15th. The gallery will be open as a part of Expo Chicago’s Art After Hours on Friday, April 14th from 6 to 9pm and additional open hours can be found on the gallery’s website: www.elephantroomgallery.com. Elephant Room Gallery is located at 704 S Wabash Ave. in the South Loop Neighborhood of Chicago.
“Ways and Actions” is a body of work focused on the elements that construct the signature Yams style. In this exhibition, we see some of the classic characters as well as stylized letter forms Yams uses in his public graffiti works. The media used in this exhibition, such as indelible ink, spray paint and paper, are typical in Yams’ studio practice as well as public expressions.
Yams views himself as a practitioner of an ancient form of typography. (Graffiti) Writing is one of the four elements of Hip Hop and all of the elements, including DJing, MCing, Breakdancing, are modern forms of language. The same materials modern writers use, such as paper and ink, have been used since antiquity. “Ways and Actions” celebrates these ancient crafts and traditions with modern day representations and usages of hidden and esoteric symbols. The ways in which these art forms (writing, speaking, music and dance) manifest through the unification of mind and body result in congruent action. Hence the title of the exhibition, “Ways and Actions”.
About the Artist
Yams is a Chicago-Based graffiti writer and abstract painter. Originally from Virginia, where he graduated with a BFA in painting and printmaking in 2005, he moved to Chicago in 2006. A graffiti writer for over 30 years, Yams has always had an interest in studying the history of writing and how that has impacted classical and contemporary art, as well as graffiti writing today. He is a community activist, mentor and cosmic mixologist specializing in the alchemy of mixing culinary arts with his visual arts practice.
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Tags: Chicago, Elephant Room Gallery, Loop, Ways and Actions, YAMS
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