Published in conjunction to Oliver Arms: Inaugural Exhibition, the artist's first-ever catalogue features works from 2011 to 2017 that were shown in the gallery space of Jason Haam from 25 January to 20 March 2018.
Oliver Arms’ works cannot be contained within the simplicity of the word “painting.” Multiple colors and layers of oil paint amass into a thick consolidation on the canvas with the repeated process of dousing and drying. Once the coats dry completely, an industrial belt sander breaches through the wall, baring the amorphous, polychromatic nature of the works. With such variation in color and texture, one would expect that the image would clash and be counter-productive; on the contrary, they meld into each other with such innate, effortless ease that makes the pieces all the more rapturous. These characteristics reveal Arms’ works for what they are: masterpieces. And in order to fully appreciate them for what they are, the viewers should not limit themselves to passive observation; rather, they must experience the color, depth, and spirit behind the works and the journey Arms took to discover his practice.
