After my last blog about my creative climb, I remembered my first solo show in 2022 at M Gallery in Washington, NJ. The gallery, run by artist Frank May, gave me the chance to display a series I called “X Marks.” It was the first time I saw that body of work—different mediums—hung together. Seeing them side by side helped me understand why I make art and whether the pieces connect. Though varied and experimental, they share a thread of my creative voice. That realization became the core of my work and made me curious about other artists’ journeys. That curiosity led to my podcast Basecamp to Summit, which explores creative climbs and shares that insight. Below is the show write-up and a link to my artist talk about the work and its origins.
XMarks 6/1-6/30/22 Robert Diken M Galleries 67 E Washington Ave Washington, NJ 07882 / Hours: Tues-Sat 3pm-9pm / (908) 689-3414 / martgalleries@gmail.com / http://mgalleries.org -
"X MARKS THE SPOT” - was a common pirate phrase meaning a person will find what they're looking for under an obvious sign. It was usually used when looking through a treasure map. In this show, I unveil my own treasure map and trove of buried treasures. 'XMarks' incorporates works inspired by my appreciation for graffiti, markings, scribbling, doodling, cacography, and tagging." -Robert Diken http://www.thebasecamp.art
