University at Buffalo (UB)
James Drake grew up in an environment shaped by the relatively lawless border towns of El Paso, Texas, and Juárez, Mexico. Between his earlier snakeskin works and his latest, Drake created several bodies of work dealing with sign systems and the universal will to communicate that were couched in the vernacular, or a specific place and experience. He balances the symbolic power of the snake with the formal qualities of the emotional reality of the El Paso/Juárez environment, which is harsh, powerful and starkly beautiful.
Curated by Karen Emenhiser.