Arc de Triomphe for Personal Use (Grey) 2007

Jimmie Durham made this Arc de Triomphe for Personal Use in grey. It's like a little kit, isn't it? Some tubing, a few wheels, and some brackets, all ready to be assembled. I'm imagining Durham in his studio, fiddling with these parts, trying to figure out just the right way to put it all together. He’s always playing with big ideas and poking fun at them at the same time. Like, what does it mean to have your own personal Arc de Triomphe? I’m thinking maybe it’s about celebrating the small victories, you know? The everyday triumphs that usually go unnoticed. Durham’s got this knack for taking serious monuments and shrinking them down to human size, or even smaller. He’s making you question what we value and how we show it. And there’s always a bit of humor in it all, a wink and a nudge that reminds you not to take things too seriously. I always get the feeling that artists are in this ongoing conversation, passing ideas back and forth like a game of telephone. Durham’s work, like all good art, leaves you with more questions than answers.