DMC – Jim Puntigam
Zeitgeist

A good title can encapsulate so much about a body of work. In this case, “Consulting Demons” is just that, an asking of questions to multiple aspects of the artist’s personality past and present to investigate concepts of identity, and is thus about confronting such demons as well.

Jim Puntigam, born David Marion Campsmith (DMC) (he was adopted at one month of age and renamed), puts on an impressively extensive solo show – a psychological investigation of identity carried through in raw, expressive multitudes of laughing, growling, and leering faces (these could be seen as masks of sorts - think of the "7 Deadly Sins" from Shazam comics) – distorted and amorphous as befits their emotional not physical state. Often these are not just multiple figures in a composition, but faces within faces, a signature element of Puntigam’s work. One might describe the work as fitting in between Art Brut and Surrealism, but the breadth of what Puntigam has created defies such categorization. He’s carving out his own personal territory, and despite this wide range of styles and means of expression, the body of work is overall quite consistent and one can easily recognize that each piece clearly emanates from the hand and mind of a single artist.

A brief look around the gallery includes expressive faces rendered in intense primary colors, playful part human/part demon almost bird-like forms take residence on rough, granular surfaces, there are also sculptural pieces, and a great use of collage throughout. Often, if not exclusively Puntigam has built these up on recycled, reclaimed materials which add another layer of information and an element of history to the multi-faceted imagery.

In fact, not only are the surfaces recycled, but also Puntigam has dug back through his own work and cut it apart to make use of in this newer body. Puntigam has converted slices from an exhibition of more minimal rubbings from some years back into patterned backdrop for his figures to emerge from. It works aesthetically and reinforces the idea of investigation into oneself, as old and new mingle together, and create a dialogue between one another.

Puntigam also conceptually incorporates the works of others who have show in this gallery. As the gallery director of Zeitgeist, he both hangs and frames the work of all the “outsider” artists that come through this space. We might recognize elements of the French painter Gerard Sendrey in terms of a display of raw, gorgeous color, and then see that some of the figures and the use of surreal perspective could have been appropriated from Detroit’s own Maugre, to name a few influences on display. In this show, one could almost get a sense of the range of works and artists that pass through the gallery as rendered through Puntigam’s distinctive style.

As past work informs present, so too do the various means of working which Puntigam employs help to inform one another. He displays a number of aluminum sculptures created through lost sand foam casting. Because of the nature of this delicate process, it was necessary to pare down and simplify his imagery. This reduction in three-dimensions, then extends outward into the painted works. Similarly the surfaces and materials too contribute to determining the forms. A series of paintings on fragments of slate shingles have their figuration determined by the shape of the pieces they are painted upon. Sand poured on panels and glued down, gives the surface a character which interacts with the design of the figures upon it.

This combination of elements, of forms, and of different periods in the artist’s evolution is a collage of identity, and here Puntigam literally makes use of collage to great success. The aforementioned patterned elements serving as backdrops for paintings, is one way in which Puntigam utilizes collage, but he also takes photographic elements from magazines and other sources, and weaves them into this personal exploration. To mention but one particularly striking piece, Puntigam has placed a cutout black and white photo of a thumb and used it as a nose in an expressive portrait. This sort of juxtaposition is a delightful surprise, as the integration of the paint and photo is seamless.

This show offers a rich and engaging visual experience. As much as it is clearly a deeply personal exploration for Puntigam, it’s quite accessible and enjoyable for the viewer. These may not be our particular demons staring out from the compositions, but we can still relate to them in their ugliness, honesty, and beauty, and appreciate the complexity of expression Puntigam has achieved. – Nick Sousanis
ws@thedetroiter.com

For a review of the current play at Zeitgeist, click here.