Ike & Me – Jana Cariddi + Ike

Jana Cariddi and Ike, chimpanzee
Ike & Me, 2026
Tempera, acrylic, and pumice on stretched canvas
20 x 10 inches 

Market Value: $700.00
https://www.janamariecariddi.com/
@janamariecariddi

Abstract elements of form, color, texture, and structure come together in this robust collaboration between chimpanzee Ike and Jackson, Mississippi-based artist Jana Cariddi. Working with the original painting, she divided the canvas into discrete sections, and developed a layering of space with repeated dots, diagonal bars of orange, and a barrier of black.

Cariddi’s practice includes painting, drawing and sculpture, and she often combines these in single works. On shaped wooden panels, she presents biomorphic forms that twist and bulge, often with illusionistic shadows and comic proportions. The natural and the artificial both feel welcome in her distinct visual world. Cariddi’s work has been exhibited across North America, including Pamplemousse Gallery in Richmond, VA; La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; and the Bellevue Art Museum, Seattle, WA; among others. She will be a 2027 fellow at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico.

Ike’s athletic build and 140 pounds of pure muscle lend him a formidable presence, which is reflected in the intensity and solidity of the dark forms found in his collaborative painting with Cariddi.

About the artwork: The first photo shows the completed collaboration being auctioned. The second shows the original primate painting before Cariddi added her contributions. Both images depict the same canvas; only the completed artwork is included.