Jeremiah Ibarra

Artist Statement

I’m interested in elevating seemingly prosaic scenes and otherwise mundane objects with the aim of shedding light on socioeconomic disparities thereby acknowledging where our intellectual and cultural developments thrive. That said, I’m gripped by the kind of stuff that happens near the ice-box outside every corner store. I think about the conversations I used to have with the goofy kids I sat next to on long field trips. Remember those smelly old yellow dogs? These spaces are familiar and reminiscent of our collective American culture. Equally, I’m recalling memories like this one time, I made eye contact with a toddler across a Pizza Hut dining room just as he was sneaking a lick of fake parmesan from the top of an already disgusting shaker. Granted, these memories are more exciting than your standard run-of-the-mill humdrumities, but these moments speak to a culture of “getting by,” and boy is that familiar.