Jammie Holmes

Pop Gun

2020

Jammie Holmes’s brushy, expressive figuration captures the texture and minutiae of Black life in the Deep South. The self-taught artist, who was born in Thibodeaux, Louisiana, and now works in Dallas, includes richly textured backgrounds, strikingly simple figures, and enigmatic patches of writing on his canvases; the resulting paintings straddle realistic representation and a pared-down, symbolic mode. Holmes has exhibited in Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Detroit, and Rome, and his work has sold for six figures on the secondary market. In May 2020, Holmes garnered particular attention when he commissioned planes to fly over major U.S. cities with banners emblazoned with George Floyd’s last words. Holmes names Gordon Parks as an inspiration: Like his predecessor, Holmes makes raw, unflinching portraiture that captures both the daily exuberance and enduring traumas that mark Black life in America.