Jay Rechsteiner
Margate, Kent, United Kingdom
About Jay Rechsteiner
My work is very versatile, in general process-based and sits at the intersection of different practices. However, I enjoy painting the most as it not only allows me to express my ideas most directly but it is also a great tool to explore and develop ideas. My painting work investigates pictorial composition and aesthetics with a focus on the notion of the concrete and the abstract, clash, balance, anarchy & the dialogue between opposites.
My work is very versatile, in general process-based and sits at the intersection of different practices. An essential aspect of process is the element of change including new directions and abandonment (of work) which gives my work a seemingly peripatetic character. The quality of my work is not so much within the single pieces of work but rather in my overall approach and understanding. One of my principle interests lies in social constructionism, the analysis and documentation of (cultural, social) heritage, i.e. the (social, political, cultural and historical) makeup of people. Whether it manifests itself in the form of a drawing, a collage, a painting, an installation, an action or any other medium, my work is never so much about the discrete unit of work but rather the work as a part of the gesamtkunstwerk, the gesamt-story. My understanding of the gesamtkunstwerk in its truest sense is the entirety of my work as a cohesive body.
It is very important to me that my work represents myself, my way of thinking and my opinions. Staying true to myself and having integrity is a very important aspect of my practice. I don't produce art for the masses, nor have I any desire to ride on the band wagon of current trends in the contemporary art world.
I am currently working on a painting series titled Delphine & Jay: the Concrete & the Abstract. These are process-based works on canvas & paper. The work explores as the title suggests concrete and abstract ideas/concept focusing on clash, balance, anarchy & the dialogue between opposites.
Education:
Photography at Michigan State University, USA, 2016
Art history, drawing, concept & methods at Basel School of Design, Switzerland, 2002 - 2003
Painting at Neue Kunstschule Zürich, Switzerland, 1992 - 1995
Exhibitions:
I have exhibited in Japan, Switzerland, the UK, Italy, France, Portugal and the USA in various spaces such as for example Tate Liverpool, Whitechapel Gallery, Fukuoka Art Museum, Venice Biennale.
Find a complete list of my exhibitions and projects on my website: http://jayrechsteiner.com/about_me.htm
