303 Gallery is pleased to present Jacob Kassay’s new paintings in a special project conceived as a homage to Ad Reinhardt’s centennial anniversary.
In envisioning this project, Kassay adheres to Ad Reinhardt’s “Twelve Rules for a New Academy from 1953:
No texture
No brushwork
No drawing No forms No design No color
No space
No time
No size or scale No movement No object
The new Kassay’s shaped canvases are covered with atomized acrylic paint, which breaks down their painted surface into a chromatic haze. The color pattern of flecks and specks destabilizes our sense of the painting’s overall shape.
Space in Kassay’s paintings could be read as a “blank” screen whose default mode is potential rather than tangible. This has been true of Kassay’s work since his first silver paintings, whose quasi-reflective surfaces register flickers of activity happening in front of them. They are as much reflective as they are absorbent of their proximity.
Jacob Kassay received his BFA from State University of New York at Buffalo and now lives and works in Los Angeles. Recent solo shows include The Kitchen, New York; The Powerstation, Dallas and Institute of Contemporary Art, London.