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Ben Rheault 
Everything is Fine

On view 11 September - 11 October 2020 in the Main Gallery

Picture
Ben Rheault, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 in., Let’s Not Beat Around the Bush, 2018.  
Picture
Ben Rheault, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 in., What Happens When Ideals are Set Aside For Comfort, 2019. On loan from the collection of Stephen Long and Tammi Kromenaker.
EVERYTHING IS FINE - Artist Statement

This body of work is entitled Everything is Fine because everything is clearly not fine.  This work is meant to confront those who really believe that this is the United States at its best, and to ask the rest of us what it is about our behavior and our values as a culture that have contributed to this state of affairs.  

This collection originated with the production of one painting that was, in my mind, just going to be a one-off, tongue-in-cheek indictment of the state of art and the art-buying public as I currently see it. What began as a critique of the art scene became a critique of the whole scene, and what happened next was that my sketchbook began to have fewer sketches and more words—catch-phrases and other jargon that I felt resonated with the socio-political environment we find ourselves in. Realizing that there are no new ideas under the sun, I took comfort and inspiration from the conceptual art of the 1960’s-70’s, in particular, On Kawara’s date paintings and the on-the-nose obviousness of Joseph Kosuth’s work.

Creating a simple text expresses these ideas clearly: Art should not be a status symbol; it is not here to match your couch. And hashtag-armchair-activism does not change the world.  

#complacency

-- Ben Rheault, 2020

Picture
Ben Rheault, diptych - acrylic on canvas, ea. 24 x 24 in., The Toxic Twins, 2019.
Exhibitions and operations are supported in part by the generous support of the following regional, state, and local entities:
Picture
This activity is funded by The Arts Partnership,
with support from the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo.
Picture
This activity is funded in part by a grant from the Lake Region Arts Council through a Minnesota state legislative appropriation.
Picture
This project is supported in part by
a grant from the North Dakota Council on
the Arts, which receives funding from the
state legislature and the National
​Endowment for the Arts.

The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum
521 Main Avenue
​Moorhead, MN 56560
​

Tel. 218.236.8861
© 2021 The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum
  • Home
  • Exhibitions
    • Annette Marchand
    • Micro-Theatre
    • Traveling Exhibits >
      • Artist + Muse
      • Frozen Music
      • White Earth Window
    • Calendar
    • Collections
    • Past Exhibitions >
      • Guan & Bachmeier
      • Susan Morrissey
      • Art Ghoullery V
      • Kathleen Ristinen
      • Dave Thune
      • J.S. Postovit: A New Bestiary
      • Joe B. Milosevich >
        • The Collected Object
      • Three Women ...
      • Recent Acquisitions
      • Dan Jones
      • In the Elements
      • 2021 Live & Silent Auctions
      • 360° Tours >
        • Abstract: episode 875
        • Isolated Interiors
        • Looking at the Overlooked
      • Charlie Thysell
      • Art Ghoullery IV
      • Wayne Gudmundson
      • The 62nd Midwestern
      • Tri-College Sculpture
      • Philip J. Thompson
      • Eric A. Johnson
      • James T. O'Rourke
      • Cyrus M. Running
      • Robert A. Nelson
      • Charles Beck
      • Thysell Linocuts
      • Deborahmae Broad
      • Ben Rheault
      • 60 Years, 60 Works
  • About
    • History
    • Archives + Reading Room
    • Mission
    • Staff and Board
    • Rental >
      • Facility Rental
    • The Rourke Microprairie
  • Visit
  • Support
    • Membership
    • Friends of The Rourke
    • Anniversary Fund
    • Corporate Partnership
  • Learn
    • Get to Know Your Sewing Machine
    • Introduction to Watercolor
    • "From the Collections" Video Series
    • Video Courses >
      • Intro to Abstraction - Virtual Class
      • Shape to Form - Virtual Class
      • Image Transfers - Virtual Class
      • Single-Layer Linoleum Cut - Virtual Class
      • Three-Layer Linoleum Cut - Virtual Class
      • Cardboard Prints - Virtual Class
      • Intro to Collage - Virtual Class
      • Wheat Paste - Virtual Class
      • Plexiglas Drypoint - Virtual Class
      • Instant Books - Virtual Class
      • Post and Screw Books - Virtual Class
      • The Sketchbook - Virtual Class
      • Glue Prints - Virtual Class
      • Pamphlet Stitch Books - Virtual Class
      • Monotypes - Virtual Class
  • e-News Signup
  • Artist Resources
    • Heart Show Entry Form
    • Rourke Studios