Jordy Kerwick

Born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia
Lives and works in Albi, France

Jordy Kerwick’s figurative lexical field is, without a doubt, a pretext for painting. His predominantly vivid compositions, whose perspective is almost non-existent, immortalize both completely fantasized and much more autobiographical subjects, often within the same canvas. He also takes up classic themes of painting, notably still lifes and vanities. He adds elements of everyday life with antagonistic connotations, such as flowers and cigarettes, thus juxtaposing the attractive and drab aspects of life.

His highly recognizable iconography is built around a ensemble of recurring graphic elements, almost patterns-like, composed of cobras, wolf heads, feathers, naked women or vegetal elements. Predatory animals are increasingly present in his recent works, as if to remind Man of his primitive nature.

Kerwick explores the intrinsic relationships of painting between thickness, color and flatness. Using a variety of techniques, from acrylic paint to oil to spray paint to collage, Kerwick’s raw and unapologetic works are imbued with an obviousness, sublimated by the richness of the textures and the depth of the surfaces.

Jordy Kerwick (born in 1982, lives and works in Albi, FR) is an Australian artist. His work has been the subject of a solo exhibition at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid, Spain). His pieces have also been featured in group exhibitions at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles, CA, US), the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (Wakefield, ENG, UK), and the Kunstbygningen Engelund Samlingen (Vrå, Denmark).

His works are part of the collections of the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid, Spain), the Blanca and Borja Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection (Madrid, Spain), the Institute of Contemporary Art (Miami, FL, US), the Xiao Museum of Contemporary Art (Rizhao, Shandong, China), Fulton Ryder (New York, NY, US), the Yusaku Maezawa Contemporary Art Foundation (Tokyo, Japan), the Bunker Art Foundation (Miami, FL, US), the Maki Collection (Tokyo, Japan), and Colección Solo (Madrid, Spain).