Jesse William Arthur Small was born in 1974. He received a B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute, Missouri and an M.F.A. from Alfred University, New York. He was a Lighton International Artists Exchange Program Recipient, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Missouri, and took his residency at Experimental Sculpture Factory, Jingdezhen, China. He resides in Kansas City, Missouri.

“For several years, I used the Talk-Bubble shape as an icon in surface design, with multiple colors and sizes to form confetti/ camouflage patterns. Making the Talk-Bubble into three dimen-sions was a step in my investigation of the form, catalyzed by my need to make up for a lack of verbal communication. Each Talk-Bubble is a unit of speech, encapsulated into a physical form. Since these works came out of a need for visual language, they do not depict any literal sentiments. In some cases, the Talk-Bubbles are decorated using traditional Chinese motifs and colors. Others are decorated using my own patterns derived from 1980s video games. In either case, my goal is to put forth an unarmed, undefined unit of communication where speech failed.

“It wasn’t long before I realized that every home in Jingdezhen had a talisman or votive statute to keep the ghosts away. I considered ghosts in light of what they symbolize: our need to identify forcers that are beyond comprehension. The rejection of the unknown, of the ghosts, seemed rather counter-productive to my studio practice, where the unknown is welcome. I decided to make ghost statuary as a direct offense to the votive figurines, essentially picking a fight, in hopes to turn the tide in favor of the unknown.

“My ghost forms are derived from the video game Pac-Man, in which the ghosts are depicted as bad-guys. I chose the Pac-Man ghost shape because I have the most personal relationship with that. Oddly, the game Pac-Man is very popular in China, and people immediately picked up on the playfulness of the form along with the sinister undertone.”