EVOLVING THE MYTH
PRESENTED BY TENAYA SIMS x CHRISTOPHER REMMERS
A NEW CHAPTER OF GRAND NARRATIVE PAINTING FOR THE PUBLIC
Over the centuries, millions of travelers have visited destinations throughout the world to experience the grand narrative artworks housed in cathedrals and chapels. Many of these visitors are deeply inspired by these works, regardless of religious affiliation. The impact of these mural-sized paintings is surely amplified by, and inseparable from, the epic surroundings within which they are displayed.
While it is common for metropolitan museums to show historical grand narrative paintings, it’s very rare for them to support contemporary work in this category, or for that matter, modern realism in general, even with the resurgence of highly skilled artists utilizing classical painting techniques in their work. While museums have been mostly unreceptive to modern realist artists, galleries have provided a meaningful conduit for them to reach the public. However this, understandably, has resulted in a creative ecosystem that optimizes work best suited to ‘the living room wall’. While many people might enjoy experiencing an epic-sized, deeply engaging work within a museum setting, acquiring one for their residence is another story.
Simply put, selling epic-sized paintings of dramatic engagement in the gallery setting is a hard sell.
This dual problem of museum unreceptivity and limited salability in galleries has created a gap in our contemporary artistic ecosystem. Luckily, there are some notable exceptions that have been the oases of our time, such as shows and events put on by the Art Renewal Center, European Museum of Modern Art, Figurative Art Convention & Expo, and others.
While there isn’t a lack of talent, there is a lack of venues and incentives among artists to produce grand narrative epics. We believe the problem is mostly logistical in nature.
Given the appetite of the public to see this genre of historical painting, shouldn’t we give them the next installment in the series?
INTRODUCING ‘EVOLVING THE MYTH’
Within this movement of highly skilled artisans we believe there is an imbalance of skill vs. meaning. With the growing demand for quickly digestible digital click-bait, most artists are thrown into a highly competitive digital landscape. In this setting, the priority is to feed an overstimulated viewer with the most shocking, fantastical imagery possible. Depth is a fleeting characteristic.
As we continue to search for meaning, and a shared vision for humanity, we need to ask, “What more is needed?” The overabundance of ‘empty images’ that display skill alone can also leave one feeling incomplete. We believe that there is a great responsibility and potential for the contemporary artist to fill within our society: to manifest great works of art that not only display exceptional skill, but are also wrought with meaning and narrative. The artist has the potential to act as a sail for culture, and can help steer our journey towards greater collective understanding.
Through story, myth and symbol, artists have always wrestled with the unknown aspects of humanity, striving to open portals that transcend our current known reality. Contemporary makers of large-scale narrative paintings carry the capacity to act as modern-day shamans.
Our goal is to renew how art is known through Narrative Realism and provide the public with exceptional, educational, and transcendent experiences. It is our mission to paint a new series of Grand Narrative Epics; to build a new platform that is accessible for public view and experience; and to enable other artists to use this gateway to expand their work.
COMBINING EPIC PAINTINGS WITHIN IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS
Imagine a space that renews the awe and wonder found in European cathedrals and the monastic temples of the East, enmeshed with the modern lens of story, aesthetic, and grandeur. In this space, these worlds combine to create a container for the viewer to journey into the mythic landscape. Just as installation artwork within museums can radically transform a space, our objective is to build an immersive environment around our paintings; one that guides visitors through a synergistic setting that amplifies the artwork instead of just displaying them within empty white rooms.Environment is key, as we believe that what draws patrons to museums is not the purchasing of art, but the experience of art itself.
View the conceptional work below for the experiential model for Evolving the Myth, or view the full sized PDF here.
WHAT’S NEXT?
We are building a team and infrastructure to support this vision. In order to see this through, the next steps are as follows:
Phase 1
Launch fundraising campaign and secure initial deposits
Find locations for exhibition
Network with supporting cast and allies interested in contributing
Roll out initial series of monumental, grand narrative epics!
Education is certainly a pillar of this endeavor. We will create awareness around the potentials of how we experience and engage with art, and open access for aspiring students who wish to participate in this vision. We envision that once our we’ve reached our primary objectives, we could reintegrate a guild model of production.
GET INVOLVED
Learn more about Evolving the Myth and get involved with the project by visiting the website today.
MEET THE MINDS BEHIND THE PROJECT
TENAYA SIMS
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Tenaya began working in the video games industry at Crystal Dynamics (Eidos). He then attended Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. After earning his BFA from CMU, Tenaya returned to the video games industry, and worked for clients such as Activision and Eidos for several years. He then left the games industry to dedicate five years of full-time study to classical drawing and painting. He attended the Watts Atelier for one year before apprenticing with Juliette Aristides for four years.
Tenaya founded his own academy called Georgetown Atelier in 2008. After seven years as an independent organization, Georgetown Atelier merged with Gage Academy of Art in August, 2016.
Over the past 8 years, Tenaya has exhibited his work at a variety of galleries and venues, including the Salmagundi Club in New York, NY, and the MEAM Museum in Barcelona, Spain (as part of the ARC Salon), Abend Gallery in Denver, CO, and a solo show at Krab Jab Gallery in Seattle, WA. Tenaya has also exhibited multiple times as a ‘main show’ artist of IX ARTs in Redding, PA . In 2016, Tenaya won Best in Show for the 12th International ARC Salon Competition.
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Christopher Remmers
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Christopher has been a working professional in the arts for over 15 years. While developing his skill set as a painter he designed and built creative, immersive space through his construction company, Eden Building and Design for over a decade. As a tradesman and contractor Christopher has always gravitated toward projects that possess a sense of artistic craftsmanship and emphasize how we gather in space; what the visionary architect Christopher Alexander describes as “the quality without a name”.
Despite his success, this creative work wasn't able to fulfill his life-long vision to create narrative figure paintings. After years of intensive independent study, Christopher sought out formal training.
In 2013 he began classical drawing instruction with Virgil Elliott, teacher and author of Traditional Oil Painting. He also participated in numerous workshops and courses around the country.
He then discovered the Georgetown Atelier in Seattle, where he enrolled in a full-time, 3-year program with Tenaya Sims. There he learned the skills to manifest large-scale narrative paintings that sent him along the path of imagining a new generation of grand narrative art.
His work can be found in private collections around the world and has been exhibited through 33 Contemporary in Chicago, Abend Gallery in Denver, and as a ‘main show’ Artist at IX for 2017, 2018, and 2019. He is also a 4-time ARC Salon finalist. Currently he is an instructor at Georgetown Atelier in Seattle.
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