James "Casper" Jankowiak
Sample Work
"Untitled" 17" x 14"
"Southside Spiritual" 43" x 43"
Detail of "Triop Season #2"
James Jordan Center
Artist Discipline: Visual Arts
Artist Bio
James “Casper” Jankowiak was born and raised in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. Although his early forays in the Chicago graffiti scene proved to be influential upon several generations of spray can artists, he always took risks with his art and continues to evolve as a painter and installation artist. As a teaching artist/activist, James looks back to his teenage years as a young graffiti artist, and remembers when he was given the opportunity to take part in art programs offered in the Pilsen community: “I was kind of on the edge, either I was going to make it a s an artist or I was going to succumb to the pressures of my environment…it really mattered that there were teaching artists who saw the good inside of us as young people, and made us believe we had something to offer. I realized how important they were instantly, and decided that I’d like the chance to be a mentor for other communities that needed them. Some kids may never get that chance, not only to participate in a program, but discover a new way of seeing, and sometimes they may find out that they too may have something to offer artistically.”
His work has been exhibited at several notable institutions such as the MCA, Northwestern University and the SAIC’s Roger Brown Gallery, and has been commissioned to paint murals for such entities as the Chicago White Sox, Leo Burnett and Nintendo.
Artist Statement
Over the last five years, my work has centered around my fascination with mutation through replication. Since childhood I’ve consistently gravitated towards natural history, establishing a logical direction of investigation through painting. By using simple form, I organically build intricate compositions based on a process of layering and repetition, emphasizing the evolution of the work. Just as a paleontologist meticulously scratches at a piece of stone to unearth a prized fossil, I methodically transform my surfaces one small step at a time until the painting finally reveals itself.