Installation images courtesy of Cristea Roberts Gallery
What is art without its tools? Can the objects of making themselves become the subject of artistic exploration? Jim Dine’s Tools and Dreams at Cristea Roberts Gallery delves into these questions, offering a poignant, almost meditative tribute to the instruments of creation.
Jim Dine (b. 1935) is an American artist whose work spans a wide range of media, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, and poetry, with early involvement in assemblage and performance art. Although often associated with art movements including Neo-Dada, Abstract Expressionism, and Pop Art, Dine defies rigid classification, focusing instead on deeply personal themes. His creative process is closely tied to his life experiences, drawing inspiration from literature, found objects, and his extensive study of art throughout history.
Courtesy artist and Cristea Roberts Gallery, London © Jim Dine.
From left to right: Jim Dine, Five Paintbrushes (Third State), 1973, St Gallen Winter, no 2, 2024, Colour and Ink, 2023, Firing Up the Fingers, 2042
Tools and Dreams invites viewers into a dreamlike workshop, where tools are not just instruments but companions. As gallery director David Cleaton-Roberts writes in the exhibition catalogue, tools are not merely functional for Dine but are 'the subject, the object, and the essence of his life as an artist.' This connection can be traced to his childhood, growing up surrounded by hardware in his grandfather’s Cincinnati store. Even as a child, Dine saw tools as more than mere objects; they became semiotic symbols of possibility, his first collaborators in creation.
The gallery space feels almost sacred, a testament to the devotion and labour that underlie every act of creation. Featuring over 40 works on paper spanning five decades, Tools and Dreams transforms mundane implements, including paintbrushes, hammers, and wrenches, into protagonists of a richly textured narrative. Dine’s approach elevates these everyday objects into artistic icons, imbuing them with personality, emotion, and even nostalgia.
In Hand Colored Tools X (c. 2009), the chaotic arrangement of tools mirrors the energy and messiness of the creative process. The composition feels like a bustling cityscape, where brushes and spanners replace cars, taxis, buses, and pedestrians. These tools seem alive, their dynamic forms suggesting movement and vitality.
Dine imbues his tools with anthropomorphic qualities, transforming scissors into poised performers and wrenches into symbols of strength and resilience. These tools are no longer mere objects; they come alive, whispering stories of craftsmanship, dedication, and creation. In his series Ten Winter Tools and Five Paintbrushes, Dine presents these tools as portraits, each rendered with expressive charm. Works like Ten Winter Tools (Hand Colored): Scissors (c. 1973) and Ten Winter Tools (Hand Colored): Spoon (c. 1973) reflect his ability to study and illustrate objects as though they possess unique personalities.
One of the most striking aspects of Dine’s work is his ability to challenge the conventions of printmaking. He blurs the lines between editioned prints and unique works by incorporating collage, hand-colouring, and unconventional tools like dental drills. This subversion is evident in 2 Hearts (The Donut) (c. 1972), a lithograph at the gallery entrance. Here, two central hearts are surrounded by tools like a plier and an oil can, creating a piece that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.
Dine’s Tools, The Rainbow (c. 1970) further exemplifies his innovative approach. By layering collage, hand-colouring, and stamping, Dine creates a textured, vibrant work that reflects his energetic process. These methods underscore his philosophy that tools are more than implements; they are extensions of the artist’s identity.
Courtesy artist and Cristea Roberts Gallery, London © Jim Dine.. Jim Dine, Tools, The Rainbow, c. 1970
The show challenges traditional notions of art and creativity: at its core, Tools and Dreams is a reminder that art is as much about the process as the product, as much about the tools as the artist who wields them. Dine’s works are more than a celebration of tools; they are a reflection on the artistic process itself. By focusing on the instruments of making, Dine encourages us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. His tools are not just objects but symbols of identity and memory.
Avantika Pathania is a London-based writer and arts journalist.
