Arco Gallery presents Viral Fame - The Rise and Fall of Bad Germ, a satirical online exhibition of recent artworks by Parris Jaru. The Chronicles of Bad Germ satirize the art world’s obsession with hype. Bad Germ thrives in a cycle of influence and replacement, maneuvering through a toxic scene. Through bold lines and chaotic forms, Jaru exposes the fleeting nature of artistic fame.
The Chronicles of Bad Germ is a series that Jaru began painting in 2019. It follows a fictional character, Bad Germ, as he makes his way through a strange universe full of mellow and apathetic creatures, who think empty thoughts and comment on their surroundings as if they were goldfish in a bowl. Jaru writes that he was inspired by the atmosphere of gallery openings in New York City, where people come to chat and sip bad wine with the coolest artist of the moment more than to engage with the actual artwork.
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The Chronicles of Bad Germ is a series that Jaru began painting in 2019. It follows a fictional character, Bad Germ, as he makes his way through a strange universe full of mellow and apathetic creatures, who think empty thoughts and comment on their surroundings as if they were goldfish in a bowl. Jaru writes that he was inspired by the atmosphere of gallery openings in New York City, where people come to chat and sip bad wine with the coolest artist of the moment more than to engage with the actual artwork.
The artist and those around them at these events are somewhat mirrored in Bad Germ and his friends. The monochromatic blacks and whites of each piece create an environment that is bland and stale, without color or interest. In their shapes and forms, they show how the Street Art scene that Jaru engaged with in the 1990’s had a stylistic influence on his work. The enjambment of thick lines in space recalls the murals of Keith Haring, mixed with the motivic elements that one can find in the Mayan, Aztec, or Toltec art of South America. Whether figurative or abstract, Jaru always finds a way to create or incorporate the myths that lie within us into his work— in this case, it would be the adventures of Bad Germ and his buddies, throwing words without meaning around a NYC street.
Parris Jaru grew up around the town of Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. He is of Blackfoot and Arawak nation heritage. His practice is in Brooklyn, where he also resides. Feeling the need to become a painter after immersing himself in the New York 80’s art scene, Jaru got his start working for Marvel Comics in the early 90’s.
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Parris Jaru grew up around the town of Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. He is of Blackfoot and Arawak nation heritage. His practice is in Brooklyn, where he also resides. Feeling the need to become a painter after immersing himself in the New York 80’s art scene, Jaru got his start working for Marvel Comics in the early 90’s. He then opened his own jewelry company in 2000-2005, where he engaged with different materials (wood, stone, metals, pigments) and important clients in the fashion industry, funding his more classical artistic training. Meanwhile, Jaru became a part of the underground art scene in Soho and the East village, making his way towards gallery representation and uniquely indulging his vocation as an artist.
Widely travelled, Jaru uses techniques from around the world that he learned and was inspired by to make natural pigments for his work. Sea algae, hibiscus, gymnema silvestre, and turmeric are examples of the naturally derived materials that create the vivid colors ever-present in his paintings. Even the glistening varnish that gives a unique sheen and intensity to some of his pieces is a fruit of this search. Jaru is also an experienced muralist and has often made the gift of creating a piece for the communities he visits in his travels. This is shown in two documentaries centered around Jaru by Kiritin Beyer: Imagi[nation] is Creation (2016 Emmy Award Nominee) and A Trail of Pigment (9th International Kuala Lumpur ECO Film Festival 2016).
