JAMES RENIER
Second Chances, sign (to be installed in a shop window)

James Renier earned a BFA in printmaking and papermaking from the University of Iowa in 1983. He lives and works in Europe, and his course of production and discovery recently led to a museum exhibition in The Netherlands.

My project is a satirical look at the price we must pay for everything. The idea stems from one of the oldest advertising techniques: window signs. Through such signs we are attracted into shops and stores and enticed to purchase, often mindless products... I want to make consumers (passers-by) re-evaluate where their thoughts and money are flowing. I would not only like to question our position in a global economy, but also our loss of attention span. We see a summer sale sign, feel fortunate and go buy something...I wish not to make a protest but strive to tell a story in a way our cultures have done for centuries. Perhaps we will soon realize that we hold so many qualities within ourselves. We simply do not take the time to realize them.

James Renier's website