From Erin Cluley Gallery:

"In his artistic practice, James Gilbert traverses a breadth of media all with an eye for whimsy, sincerity and style. His obsessive repetition of objects—rarely without his signature pink and white coloring—gives scale to the overwhelming accumulation of contemporary social injustices. Nonetheless, his flair for humor betrays a certain optimism, a willingness to play not as a coping mechanism, but as an exercise in possibility. Across his work, Gilbert allows for introspection: as viewers are encouraged to see clearer the blemishes and devastating absurdity that color our shared histories.

For his solo exhibition, I Don’t Know, You Don’t Know, They Don’t Know, James Gilbert explores themes of cultural heritage and genetic lineage—all with cutting wit. His bold figures show the talent of an artist fully confident in his abilities. Incorporating drawing and sculpture, Gilbert’s new work acknowledges the messy nature of community, not helped by the equally messy political and social climate of the past few years.

Gilbert’s use of raw, naturally-flawed materials—wood, wax and metal—conveys an honest uncertainty in what to make of the unfolding future. Half-human, Half-abstract figures continue their creator’s line of questioning; What is the legacy of contradicting ideologies in education and culture? How can we reconcile a dangerously forgetful history? Who knows what are the right questions to ask?

Presented in the gallery will be a selection of sculpture alongside a body of drawings – a dynamic and complex intersection of Gilbert’s practice. An installation of 130+ drawings will cover one of the large walls in the gallery reinforcing the artist’s fascination with the stories told by faces and the changing of information over generations.

Gilbert states, “I believe in making work that unveils our human condition and also gestures toward the effort to understand cultural history and memory of being, time and place. For in this moment, I want to remain optimistic as sometimes you find yourself in a strange place and other times in a strange place you find yourself.”

I Don’t Know, You Don’t Know, They Don’t Know will be the artist’s second solo exhibition in Dallas. Gilbert’s first solo exhibition was in 2010 at Dallas Contemporary. His exhibition Warnings and Instructions was the inaugural exhibition in the museum’s Glass Street location.

James Gilbert is a Los Angeles based Multidisciplinary artist. Gilbert works include sculpture, installation, drawing, painting and video. His work tackles contemporary political, social and cultural issues. Previous projects focused on the destruction of significant cultural architecture, the relationship between objects, environments and community, houselessness, workers’ rights, criminal justice and capital punishment, the exchange of private information via social media and fear levied on the general public.

Gilbert’s work has been exhibited in prominent museums, galleries and universities internationally. His work has been reviewed by well-respected publications such as Art Forum, Artillery, Hyperallergic, The Huffington post and Sculpture Magazine. Further, numerous international collections have acquired his work. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions at the 4Ground Midwest Land art Biennial, Torrance Art Museum, San Diego Art Institute, Dallas Contemporary, and PYO Gallery in Seoul, South Korea.

Erin Cluley Gallery is a contemporary art gallery representing emerging, mid-career, and established artists from Dallas and the United States. The gallery presents a provocative program of artists working in both traditional and alternative forms including painting, sculpture, new media, photography, sculptural installation and public intervention.

In 2014, Erin Cluley Gallery ignited a creative movement in West Dallas acting as a hub for visual arts and community engagement. After nearly five years on Fabrication Street, the gallery has moved its operation to Riverbend – a development in Dallas’ Design District celebrating the intersection between culture and commerce.

In April 2021, Cluley opened Cluley Projects – a satellite location in West Dallas acting as an incubator space focusing on regional artists and providing a platform for discovery and mentorship."