Jay Gaskill
In May of 2022 Paradice Palase participated in the 2nd edition of Future Fair presenting new and recent work by members Sadia Fakih and Jay Gaskill. Included are paintings, mixed media on panel, and works on yupo from the pair, their individual practices meeting through mark-making, pattern, and symbolism. Their works are still for sale through the end of July.
Interview with: JAY GASKILL
As a part of our interview series, we will be talking to Jay Gaskill about his participation in the Future Fair:
Gaskill is an artist and curator based in Portland, OR. He makes abstract paintings that use formalism to communicate the energy of transformative experiences real and imagined. His compositions are filled with shapes alluding to flames, leaves, feathers and hair — all of which are symbols of change, and reflect the upheavals (cultural, political, ecological and personal) of the last several years. Gaskill earned an MFA from Hunter College and a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. His most recent solo exhibition was “Variation In Production” at Ampersand Gallery (Portland, OR) in 2020. As a curator, he has founded two social-media-based-projects: Air In Space and The Drawing Exchange. Air In Space functions as an Instagram-only gallery for emerging artists. The Drawing Exchange is a mediated exchange of 2D works amongst artists. In 2021, The Exchange presented “Quiet Fire” an online benefit exhibition in collaboration with Far By Wide, with proceeds going to the Indigenous-led organization Seeding Sovereignty. Gaskill has been interviewed for Artnet News, his work has been exhibited in group shows on both coasts of the US, and featured in publications such as Maake Magazine, The Coastal Post and ArtMaze Mag.
Superunknown, acrylic on raw canvas, 2021
PP: Have you been involved in an art fair before? Which one(s) and did you show work?
JG: As a matter of fact, my first art fair experience was earlier this year. I organized a group exhibition of paintings and weavings entitled "Golden States" at the SPRING/BREAK Art Show in LA. The artists that showed were Alyss Estay, Liz Ainslie, Sarah Wertzberger, and myself.
PP: How was your experience speaking about your work with curators and other people at the event?
JG: It was really interesting to have both SPRING/BREAK and Future Fair so close to each other because I got to wear different hats at each of them. At S/B, I primarily acted as the curator, in that I was in charge of all the logistics, sat in the booth for the entire event and I would engage all the visitors. At FF, I got to be the artist who flies into town and hangs around the fair, engaging with some of the visitors, but also getting to move around the Fair more, meeting other artists and exhibitors. I wouldn't say that I preferred one over the other, as they are quite different. But, as an artist who is not based in NY or LA, it was a tremendous rush to be back around such large crowds of art enthusiasts. The varying perspectives from the visitors that manifested in their questions and comments really kept me on my toes!
PP: What would you keep the same and what would you do differently in participating in an art fair?
JG: I would continue to work with and show with people that I trust and believe in! Context is everything. Who you surround yourself with says a lot about you as an artist and a person. I have long felt that what Lauren and Kat have built with Paradice Palase is quite special, and I am thrilled they invited me to show alongside Sadia Fakih whose work I admire. I hope to be as fortunate in the future.
PP: Did you learn anything in particular from participating in Future Fair about showing your work, networking, or other takeaways?
JG: That it's hard to talk about one's own art! I mean, I knew that already but it was reconfirmed for me at FF. There is so much thought and experience that is informed by so many different states of mind that goes into a painting. Yet we are taught to boil it down to a few hundred words for a concise artist statement. But in a real world setting, if one defaults to just repeating their "pitch" it can be so limiting. The questions and reactions I got from visitors at FF were so incisive that it took me a moment to slow down and get out of pitch mode. Once I did that, I found a greater level of engagement and was heartened to find that many things people were picking up on, were things I think about when I paint, but might be too unwieldy of a concept to fit into a 500 word application for a residency or whatever.
PP: What projects are you currently working on after participating in the Future Fair?
JG: Right now, I am just back in the studio making new work, with the positive experience of FF acting as wind in my sails, and open to whatever comes next!
Stick Concept, acrylic on raw canvas, 2020