When 2020 started, I was thinking of new directions in my work, i was working in different projects, involved in my community and i had a lot of work.
I promised myself that i would make time to rest, be more sustainable and accept things that i can't change...
Well, as you may know, you can plan things, it doesn't mean it will be easy, or that it will happen.
On January, I released the Collab i made with Diana Schuemann, A video Project called "Inside Out", shot in Haifa, Israel, November 2019.
This project was conceived with the concept of boundaries, pattern and working in the white cube.
you can read more about this project here
After we release the video, we submitted it to different projects, exhibitions, Festivals.
Even if the world was slowly shutting down, the project was screened in many countries, and i am forever grateful to all galleries, organizations and people that made this project alive during 2020.
Upcoming
ALC Video Art Festival
part of the collection "Cigarreras" listed and curated by ACOA (Contemporary artists from Alicante)
2020
V IMARP - Mostra Internacional de Dança - Imagens em Movimento, December 7th to 12th, São Paulo, Brasil
IDKF 2020, Stuttgart, Germany
OPAF20, Online Performance Art Festival
Simulacrum at WerkStadt, Berlin
Cock and Bull Virtual Festival
Dance Days Chania 10 curated by Aliki Chiotaki
DRIFTING BODIES / FLUENT SPACES, Walk Lab2pt
WHEN TWO BECOME ONE, LOOSE THREADS curated by Philippa Wall, Luke Jones and Faye Golley
'In 24 hours' THE WALL SPACE | SCOTLAND, curated by Ayshia Taskin ayshia.co.uk and [SHIFT:ibpcpa]
Screening Inside out, Collaboration with Diana Schuemann : A Fronteira- mostra de videoarte, Rio, Brasil
In February, I was presenting the Square collection, 46 paintings (made in January) based on same colors palette, with different combinations, following one of my color theory about surface and color interactions.
Tiny Tiny Gallery presents Jessica Moritz, February 2020,18 Florentine Street, Tel Aviv
When i started this work, I had in mind that all colors can work together, it all depends on the surface covered and colors properties.
I first started to chose colors, and then started drawing with a pencil different compositions and make some color test to monitor the different interactions and select the more relevant ones.
As a reductive Artist, i wanted the paintings to reflect the same process, and display colors for purpose.
Some of them refer to masters and infinite inspiration, Ellssworth kelly, Donald Judd, Peter Halley, Bridget Riley, or Sarah Morris.
many thanks To Murielle Cohen, Artist, Curator for this opportunity and support.
Make Love great Again, February 2020, Tahanat Mercazit, Tel Aviv
Mati Ale invited me to make some Art in the Bus Station. If you have never been to Tel Aviv, it's a very special Place, The architecture and atmosphere is out of time and thanks to Mati and fellow artists the place is full of Mural art, Graffiti, and other Art project, hidden gem of Tel Aviv.
Make Love Great Again is a project i started December 2018, using wheat paste mainly, painted, representing couples from different communities expressing love.
All titles are written after a song, and if you happen to see them all, you have a great playlist ;)
I collected pictures starting from the fifties to nowadays using google image search and words tagging, such as "couples in love" vintage lovers " lovers together"
i always enjoy mix some use of technilogy in my work and be a little random.
Even if street art involves the short life option of an artwork it should never lower the quality of it. each wheat paste are hand painted, with the classic magnolia lino print, and mix of layers "Colors, patterns people".
Few weeks after installation, lockdown started in Israel, Some sad events happened at the Tahanat, and the piece was destroyed. Still, thanks to Social Media, and other pasted ones in Tel Aviv, and Paris, the message was shared, and hopefully it gave some inspiration to people to consider Love as an option.
Picture by Judith Yanos.
Meanwhile in my studio, i started to work on the essence of my ideas: Mindscape
creating colorfield landscape, based on impossible geometry and color interactions to escape reality.
simple and clear right?
There is a quote of Bruce Nauman :
"My work is basically an outgrowth of the anger I feel about the human condition. The aspects of it that make me angry are our capacity for cruelty and the ability people have to ignore situations they don't like."
Looking around sometimes made me very uncomfortable, I am french and Israeli, that doesn't mean i agree or stand for whatever my government is doing.
As you can understand the idea of boundaries, territories, limits made me rethink the way i was painting and furthermore, the reasons why i was painting.
Slowly but surely i quit painting people; Immerging myself into colorfield landscape, utopia of a peaceful life in Israel (AS If...)
I have always been fascinated by laws of physics, and applications in Life.
So i experimented with prism, glass, mirror different perceptions of colors and "translated them in painting.
About Community, Until August 2020 i was managing The Kiryat Hamelacha Project.
My studio is located in South Tel Aviv, a place called Kiryat Hamelacha (קריית המלאכה) where two years ago i started a community project, a website, social media, open studios and different initiatives.
After two years, a lot of work, Ten open studios, many hours trying to make things work i understood that it was time to stop.
This place is special to me and will always be.
May 2020, I finally finished the installation "Dear white Cube", 6 sculptures based on fibonacci sequence for their structures, and optical illusion for the pattern (homage to Escher) using each color as one, representing their spectrum for each of them.
Each of them are made of reclaimed MDf, hand jigsawed, painted with acrylic and pigments.
square 31 X 31 (cm)
Sides : 8/13/21 (cm)
Initially this installation was made to be on the floor, and also work with moving lights, to change the shadows of each.
After two exhibitions with them, all curators told me that according to Israeli habits, they would unseen and should be on the wall. OK....
you can read more about this work in previous blog post.
Random Pattern Memory, collage, Upcycle, Paper weaving and brain teaser.
when you get too comfortable with your work, it's time to change technique and approach.
Lucky for me, i found tones of paper, different ones, and while i was creating the color palette for the square collection i did some text on them to keep record of it and make some test.
I used a very simple technique called weaving where you create a structure by passing in and out alternatively the paper to make a shape of it.
I started to stock a nice collections of colors, patterns, textures, spray, line work in my studio.
Pilling things can sometimes makes an idea pop up.
On the corner of the table i saw three different paper together and realized that was very interesting to use them but it needed to crop, scale, cut, paste, and keep only the best juxtaposition, combinations and make a composition simple but each time different.
Some of them are available for sale via #artistsupportpledge on Instagram
(Artist support pledge: ARTIST SUPPORT PLEDGE LTD is a not for profit company in support of artists and makers, founded by artist Matthew Burrows on the 16th March 2020 in response to the Global COVID-19 Pandemic. brilliant initiative !!)
During the First Lockdown, i had no idea of how much time we would be home, or the impact of covid in my life or in my country.
Whenever i feel overwhelmed, i go back to black. As you may have seen, i usually never use black in my painting (color theory related) so black to me is Ink, and only Ink.
I went back to a corpse of Work called Anatomy of an Artist, started in 2018, still on.
Artist have a reputation, close to a cliché, being half human, ego issue, daddy issues, if you read everything, we are basically a living issue sign. For some of us, it's true. But let's not go there. Anatomy of an artist is a drawing project i started when i had health issues, that since then have been fixed, and that had a big impact on my work, process and physically made me slow down, or stop for a while.
Drawing all this anatomy, with surrealism outcome, has been a catharsis and still is.
I wanted to give other dimensions to the vision of people that they project on us, and show to the viewer a new narrative to Anatomy and of the concept of "Being".
The Torus Collection.
During the Lockdown, in Tel Aviv, Israel, we had restrictions like everyone. 1 km Radius except if you work, you are essential worker, or have an authorization.
Also, as many people, I was looking for balance, mindfulness during chaos.
i studied colors (again), sacred geometry, physics, Reiki, and this shape was born.
It started by small drawings in my notebook, different paintings with more divisions, using time scale and light study with prism to define the amount of colors for each...
between first and second lockdown i was at the studio, and started to draw on reclaimed wood new shapes, and prime them for upcoming lockdown.
Home, i allowed my kitchen table to become my studio (a little bit less than 2 square meters), this is how you realize what means being a reductive artist.
each lines is like ripple, wave is you prefer, working with color halation, using prism or mirror to get real day light in, and fill the room with light.
In February, home, I started to see the number of death growing. i was alone, scared, and wandering when will this end and what can i do...
In jewish tradition, we use wheat paste or paper slap in a neighborhood to communicate : mainly death announcements to invite people to come to shiva, or to pray.
Well, again, i flipped the meaning.
i started drawing and then painting shapes, colorful, geometric in my sharp hard edge style, cut the paper to keep only the shape, in order to create a simple but nice optical illusion to paste in urban landscape. I wanted to remind the living ones the simple things, such as being.
you can learn more on this project here.
Art and Social Media, Instagram
The last year, i spent more time on my phone and on social media, like everyone.
I understood a lot better how to make the best of it and promote my work in a better way, and most importantly : enjoy it.
online,I discovered and connected with other fellow creatives, some also painters, some doing ceramic, some musicians, many talented people and also I was happy to discover new techniques or approach of colors.
This year was colorful but also a year where we lost friends, family, being carefree.
I am very grateful for the love and support from closed ones, fellow artists, new friends, new collectors, and unexpected encounters.
Soon together again, stay colorful and wear a Mask.
On instagram follow my work @jeszmo_art
Affordable Art Prints on Society6 here
Selected works for sale on Saatchi here
inquiries : moritz.jessica@gmail.com