The artist James Kaum was born in Germany and currently lives in Paris. Since graduating from the Royal College of Art, Kaum has travelled extensively around the world. These journeys have played a significant part in the development of his painting – enabling him to not only collect, process and utilise a myriad of visual data, but also giving space and freedom to refine the essence of his work.

Having simplified the more complex assemblage which he created several years ago, Kaum’s recent work compromise of compelling, large scale abstractions. The seductiveness of their initial appearance is belied by closer inspection, which discloses a more unsettling experience."

 

Fearism

 

Fearism states that human behaviour is mostly motivated by the fear of death. Fear is a basic emotion. This emotion is both motivational and evolutionary.

It has been used in religions, cultures and societies throughout our history as a control mechanism. It has been suggested that culture provides meaning, organisation, and a coherent worldview that diminishes the psychological fear caused by the knowledge of eventual death. This explains human activity both at the individual and social level. Fear of absolute annihilation creates such profound - albeit subconscious - anxiety in people (called cognitive dissonance) that they spend their lives attempting to make sense of it.

This trying to make sense explains all of our historic climaxes by individuals, which were trying to live eternally through their actions and creations. Fear of death is the central force in evolution as we know it. Without fear there wouldn’t be any creativity. Fear motivates us to produce in order to overcome death and to live eternally.

For a complete showcase of the works of

James Kaum, please visit his desktop page at Jameskaum.com