Kearns has participated in social and political issues as an artist/activist since the1970s when he began depicting his commentary, primarily through painting. It was during this time that Kearns’ reputation became known as “a political artist,” specifically in the
1980s, while working alongside the critic Lucy Lippard in relation to an important advocacy group known as Political Art Documentation and Distribution (1980-86). As one of the most perceptive political artists of our time, Kearns' aesthetic voice is marked by social influences and underscored by a powerful wit aimed at the core of commercial culture in the United States. Humorous distortions of all kinds are found throughout the artist's imagery.
Alongside this subject matter, Kearns developed his own visual language to convey his social message in a comic book style reminiscent of the comics he read as a child. His work features strong lines, clear colors, and slightly exaggerated expressions. Kearns presents a visual mash-up that highlights how certain iconography expresses American belief structures. His works can be classified in a style that Kearns refers to as “psychological pop,” meaning Pop with a moral consciousness.
The theme of this exhibition also reflects a critical perspective on social issues such as racial prejudice. His work contains the deeper roots of related socio-political issues, such as human beliefs, emotional imbalances, machine civilization, and the presumed future of humankind.
Jerry Kearns has exhibited internationally across the Americas, Europe, and Asia since the 1980s. He has been featured many times in The New York Times, Art and Auction, ARTnews, and Artforum, among others. His paintings are included in many public and private collections, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), National Galerie (Berlin), Brooklyn Museum (New York), the Art Institute of Chicago, Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), The Norton Family Collection (Los Angeles), San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and Queensland Art Gallery (Queensland, Australia)