Aaron Raymer: Trapped in Paradise
Oct. 3–Nov. 28
Reception Saturday Oct. 3, 6–8 pm
Aaron Raymer completed his Great Meadows Foundation Artist Research Grant trip to New York City to attend the Whitney Biennial, New Humans and Sarah Lucas at the New Museum, and Duchamp at MOMA. In 2025 he was awarded “Best in Show” at the SECAC Conference Juried Show, and was a Bill Fischer Award Finalist.
This is his third solo show with Garner Art.
For this exhibition, I took a multidisciplinary approach, utilizing a range of techniques and genres of artistic practices.
The paintings reference the velvet paintings I encountered throughout my childhood. I did not grow up visiting museums, so my understanding of painting was shaped by images of dogs playing poker, cartoonish depictions of Jesus, and beach sunset dreamscapes on lush velvet. Idealized visions of vacations that many could never afford.
Traditional sculptural techniques are reimagined through less conventional formats. Foam forming is used to create a sandbar that serves as a stage for readymades, such as a pool with a flamingo float. Welding is employed to construct supports for machines, lighting, and sunglasses. The use of light, shadow, and projection transforms these traditional processes into an immersive installation experience.
Scent is incorporated to evoke synesthesia and sense memory, attempting to transport the viewer into the mindset and atmosphere of the beach.
Drawing inspiration from the literary and cinematic trope of the castaway stranded on a deserted island, this exhibition explores themes of isolation, loneliness, survival, and the will to live. The castaway serves as a metaphor for the psychological struggle of confronting these experiences.
Because of my own abandonment issues, I spent years resisting the idea that "no man is an island." I was determined to prove that I could, in fact, be an island—that I didn't need anyone else to survive. I built walls, kept people at a distance, and convinced myself that self-sufficiency was strength. Instead, that isolation led to depression and an ambivalence toward living not quite suicidal but not caring much whether I survived.
This created a paradox. The characters in these stories are driven by an overwhelming desire to survive despite their isolation. Where did that drive come from, and why didn't I feel it? Does that instinct only emerge under extreme circumstances? Or had I become too comfortable, trapped in a kind of paradise?
A core concept in evolutionary psychology and neuroscience, known as the negativity bias, suggests that our brains evolved to prioritize danger. Because survival depended on detecting threats, we became wired to scan for what could harm us, leaving us with a persistent tendency toward fear. Yet, modern society has eliminated many of the external dangers our ancestors faced, creating a kind of "paradise" compared to most of human history. At the same time, we have evolved to depend on community and human connection for safety and belonging. Ironically, the world we have built has become increasingly isolating. Without predators to fear, some of us turn that fear inward, and in isolation, we become afraid of ourselves.
Only years later did I realize that one of the most meaningful and essential parts of living is having people to share life with.
