Australian-born artist Jordy Kerwick's practice is characterised by vibrant paintings brimming with whimsy and fun.
Read MoreJordy Kerwick was born in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia.
The artist is self-taught, only beginning to paint in February 2016 after his wife, the artist Ces McCully, bought him a set of paints to try. Kerwick had previously worked in a plethora of fields, including music, education, marketing and business. He gained popularity through his Instagram account, and formed a network of artistic connections through the social media app.
Kerwick lives in Albi in the southwest of France and paints full-time.
Jordy Kerwick's textured canvases are created using a range of materials, including house paint, oil, enamel, acrylic, charcoal, airbrush and graphite. His subject matter is also varied, ranging from still lifes to depictions of animals, figures and mythological creatures, as well as abstract compositions. His characters are set against chromatic, bold backgrounds, and bring a childlike wonder to the gallery walls.
Kerwick's paintings are immediately recognisable by the raw and brash style with which he thickly applies the paint. This impasto technique has a flattening effect, bringing a naive or cartoonish element to his prolific practice. Amidst these playfully rendered scenes, one finds references to art history, mythology and especially Kerwick's favourite books.
Kerwick's interest in colour theory and the colour plane is evident in his influences; he has referenced Henri Matisse and Tal R as some of his biggest inspirations. Kerwick looks to American abstract expressionists as well, especially Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, and Cy Twombly. He has also noted the time he spent in Los Angeles as being a major influence on his practice.
Although known for his paintings, Kerwick has also delved into sculpture, such as with Vertical Plane Me (2022) featured in the 2022 edition of Frieze Sculpture. The work, rendered in Portland Stone, features a double-headed unicorn and a winged animal figure. The double-headed motif is recurrent in his practice, referencing his two young sons, Milo and Sonny. This sculpture and the accompanying series of paintings are inspired by Ken Webster's 1989 book The Vertical Plane, which considers time rifts and parallel universes.
Jordy Kerwick's work is represented in prestigious collections internationally, including Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Allegra Arts Foundation, Madrid; Beth De Woody Collection, New York; Chu Foundation, Hong Kong; Denver Art Museum, Denver; Yusuku Maezawa Collection, Tokyo and Masahiro Maki Collection, Tokyo.
Jordy Kerwick has been the subject of both solo and group exhibitions.
Solo exhibitions include: Vertical Planes, Wellington Arch, London (2022); Année fu Tigre, L'heure du Tigre, Woaw gallery, Hong Kong (2022); Between Consciousness and Sleep, Vigo Gallery, London (2021); and Things We talk About, Things We See, Vito Schnabel Gallery, New York (2021).
Group exhibitions include: Untitled, Anna Zorina Gallery, New York (2022); These Days Part II, presented by Vito Schnabel Gallery, Sotheby's, Beverly Hills (2022); Mixed Pickles 8, Ruttkowski Gallery, Munich (2021); Untitled, Sorry We're Closed Gallery, Brussels (2021); and Stilleben, Kunstbygningen I Vra Museum, Hojskolevej (2019).
Jordy Kerwick's website can be found here and his Instagram can be found here.
Articles on Jordy Kerwick have been published in various publications, including The Telegraph, Artsy, and It's Nice That.
Rachel Kubrick | Ocula | 2023
