Paintings explore how we got here

Indiana Landmarks Center’s Rapp Family Gallery displays the art of Robert Allan James in a First Friday show, “Down to the Roots: an Exploration of How We Got Here,” from 6 to 9 p.m., Aug. 5.

In his new paintings and mixed media works, Indianapolis artist Robert Allan James explores what happens when a decaying past meets the uncertain future. “I am fascinated by what gets left behind in the wake of loss,” James observes.

James describes his work as “a distillation of pop culture and the skeletons left behind by the passage of the 20th century and the progress of the 21st.” An IDADA member, he works in a studio at the Circle City Industrial Complex.

He studied fine art at the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne and has had solo shows in Indianapolis. Under the name Robaljam, he has participated in Oranje, Tonic Ball Tonic Gallery and Indy Fringe.