In light of some revelations this year in Congress pertaining to extraterrestrial life and UFOs, outsider artist Ken Grimes is publishing Evidence for Contact (Anthology Editions). It represents his singular style—text, numbers, symbols and geometric shapes painted primarily in stark black and white. His mission: to inspire his audience to consider the possibilities and implications of alien contact on Earth.
Grimes has been consumed by the prospect since he saw the 1958 sci-fi film The Space Children at 14. Unlike most of today’s galactic narratives—where creatures are drawn to Earth for sinister reasons—the aliens in the film were good guys, a point that made a lasting impression on the artist. Evidence for Contact documents Grimes’ never-ending exploration for their existence. Creating his personal mythology using references taken from astronomy, science-fiction iconography and pop culture, Grimes seeks hidden messages to decode how life on our planet is influenced and shaped by such visitors.
His work will be presented at Ricco/Maresca Gallery New York on Oct. 26, and will also be presented at Parrasch Heijnen Gallery in Los Angeles on Jan. 16, and Galerie Christian Berst in Paris on Feb. 8.
As a fellow alien follower, I was lucky to have Grimes’ manager Julia Pardi give me the opportunity to ask him a few questions about his galactic quest.
Where does your long fascination with ETs come from?
Movies such as Space Brain, ET, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I have never seen a Star Wars movie. I am fascinated of answers with big questions.
Why is your work so monochromatic? Does it have to do with certainty or uncertainty about ETs?
I believe that we have made contact by radio telescopes with a computerized starship at Epsilon Eridani. I think ET is a hybrid between a once-living alien entity and advanced computer intelligence. My work is so monochromatic because we either have made contact or we have not made contact. White is a compilation of all colors representing everyone. Black represents space, things outside of our atmosphere, and the absence of everything.
Have you ever seen an ET?
No, I have not. I have only seen ETs in movies or on TV.
Would ETs all live on planets? Is there another place from which they might live?
Possibly, all biological lifeforms got their start on planets, like Earth. Like extrasolar planets, I would not rule out space habitats because we have people living on space stations. I see colonies on Mars and the Moon. I see habitats in our solar system. I do not see lifeforms going from interstellar solar systems because the distance is too great between stars.
Please explain project OZMA.
Project OZMA is the first use of a radio telescope to look for ET radio signals from two stars including Tau Ceti and Epsilon Eridani. There are a lot of aspects of this project that do not quite add up. Why was this project covered up by secret radar jamming experiments? Why was the US Naval Laboratory listening to the same signal for six months, which was the same signal Frank Drake heard when he pointed his radio telescope at Epsilon Eridani?
Why do most ETs have the same basic look? Are they all ostensibly from one group?
Basically, we have made contact with only one alien civilization on a global basis. There is only one ET symbolization that we are aware of, so all ETs look alike as a result of the one signal. ETs are a global phenomenon, so there may be other ethnic groups, but because we have only made contact with one civilization, we are not aware of other alien civilizations. We may have picked up on other alien civilizations but we have no way of knowing that right now. The first signal is the toughest to figure out. Once we get one, we may find others.
I realize, as you do, that we can’t be alone in the world. But can ETs have similar operations, operating systems, life support, as earthlings?
Basically, I do not think living entities such as humans can travel from star to star. I would not expect humans to meet a live living alien, but I will say that we have sent four spacecrafts into interstellar space that will be around for a billion years. I think there is a limit of mortality to human life being like 110 years, and ETs have the same limit, so I am unsure if they are still living and around. I think if we discover a computerized spaceship we would discover that there are other civilizations in the galaxy. Interstellar life does not have the environment to keep ETs living because there is nothing to keep this life warm. We have not designed any spacecraft for interstellar travel because it would take a million years to get to different solar systems, but human mortality is too short.
What is the message you want your audience to take away?
First of all, I want people to have a sense of wonder and awe of the universe. Lifeforms from other civilizations may have been walking on other planets similar to Earth a billion years ago, and other solar systems in the universe. They will also be around when our sun goes nova in five billion years. Second, I want people to be aware of the mind of God.
What is next in your journey?
I would like to leave this world a better place when I pass away and know that I made a difference. I want to help us achieve a better understanding of our solar system and life in our universe. We all make mistakes and we learn by making mistakes so that we do not repeat the same mistakes. We must learn from our mistakes. I want other people to learn from my mistakes and hope my work helps answer questions on my journey to understand our place in the world and galaxy and learn that we are not alone. I will continue to do artwork on ETs because if we do not ask questions, we do not get answers. There are always more interesting things out there to learn. The truth is out there. I hope other people are inspired to carry on the work I started and that I will leave a lasting legacy for the next generation.
