FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jo Hay – British Painter (b. Newcastle, England 1964)
The Kobalt Gallery is pleased to present : “Betwixt” Paintings by Jo Hay. June 21st –July 3rd 2013 Opening Reception June 28th, 2013
Artist Statement
My work is figurative, always in series, and deals with sexuality and identity.
Currently I’m seeking to paint human heads that appear male and female simultaneously. Fascinated by the mysterious middle ground between the two sexes, I want to probe our psychological and sexual perception of others.
These paintings are not portraits of specific people. They are pieced together from photographs, paintings, and life. I strive to make dynamic compositions of distinctly individual marks that work as a whole. Similarly, paint layering and thickness is constantly considered. And while wanting a strong sense of anatomical form, the patchwork nature of these composites allows me to push some areas to become more abstract, making the structure appear to dissolve and resolve with the question of gender.
Page 2 About Jo Hay
Jo Hay was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England in 1964. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design from Middlesex University, London in 1986. For the following ten years she was a fashion magazine art director. It was in this world of high gloss that she began to nurture a fascination with androgeny and how we perceive human sexuality.
Leaving publishing in 1996 she began painting at the Art Students League in New York. Having a strong commitment to the human form Hay particularly studied the paintings of Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon and Jenny Saville. The melancholy in their work seemed a necessary balance to the youthfully optimistic—if sometimes anarchic—energy she encountered in the United States.
To focus on her own development, in 2005 Hay moved to Provincetown MA, a very open minded community with regard to sexuality and gender. Between 2005 and 2010 Hay has had two solo exhibitions. She has also been included in various group and juried shows including the Cambridge Art Association Cambridge, MA “North East Juried Show”– juror Cheryl Brutvan Curator of Contemporary Art at the Norton Museum of Art. In 2010 Hay was awarded the Lillian Orlowsy and William Freed Foundation Grant from the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. Later that year Hay was thrilled to be accepted into the New York Academy of Art Masters program in New York City. After being granted the Academy portrait scholarship she graduated in 2012 with a concentration in anatomy.
Having returned to Provincetown Hay is currently painting large scale heads that are simultaneously male and female. They are in preparation for her upcoming solo exhibition in late June 2013.
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Artist Resume Selected Solo Exhibitions
2013 Kobalt Gallery Provincetown, MA “Betwixt” 2009 Kobalt Gallery Provincetown, MA “Portraits” 2008 Kobalt Gallery Provincetown, MA “United States” 1998 The End of History NY, NY “Girls and Boys” 1997 2 Horatio Street NY, NY “One Night Only Solo Show”
Selected Two Person Exhibitions
2011 Provincetown Art Association & Museum Provincetown, MA Awarded with The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation Grant
Group Shows
2013 Art Beat with the Provincetown Art Association and Museum “Provincetown Award Winners” 2013 New York Academy of Art NY, NY “Tribeca Ball” 2013 Provincetown Art Association and Museum “Natura Morta” 2012 Provincetown Art Association and Museum “Members Small Works” 2012 Boston International Art Fair “Kobalt Gallery” 2012 New York Academy of Art NY, NY “The Two’s Alumni Show” 2012 New York Academy of Art NY, NY “Tribeca Ball” 2012 mobydickbigread.com “Moby Dick the Big Read” 2012 Provincetown Art Association and Museum “Small Works” 2012 The Cupping Room NY, NY “Something About Her” 2011 New York Academy of Art & Sothebys NY, NY “Take Home a Nude” 2011 New York Academy of Art NY, NY “Tribeca Ball” 2011 New York Academy of Art NY, NY “Deck the Walls” 2011 Chambers Street Bar NY, NY “Small Works” 2010 New York Academy of Art NY, NY “Tribeca Ball” 2010 New York Academy of Art NY, NY “Deck the Walls” 2010 ArtStrand Provincetown, MA “headJAM” 2007-2012 Kobalt Gallery Provincetown, MA 1999 GAle GAtes et al Brooklyn, NY “Size Matters” 1998 Newcastle University Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK “Small Works” 1997 A.I.R Gallery NY, NY “Women Only” 1996 Curt Marcus Gallery NY, NY “The Baseball Show”
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Juried Shows
2010 Cambridge Art Association Cambridge, MA “North East Juried Show” 2006-2009 Provincetown Art Association & Museum Provincetown, MA
Representation 2007-2013 Kobalt Gallery Provincetown, MA 2000-2007 The Art Students Showcase New York, NY
Grants and Scholarships
2011 New York Academy of Art Portrait Scholarship awarded by Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia 2010 Provincetown Art Association & Museum The Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Foundation Grant
Education
2010-2012 New York Academy of Art, Master of Fine Arts, Cum Laude, Class of 2012 1994-1996 Art Students League New York, NY 1982-1986 Middlesex University London, United Kingdom Bachelors of Arts, with honors, Class of 1986
More information about Jo Hay please contact:
Carolyn Kramer Assistant Director
KOBALT Gallery 366 Commercial Street Provincetown MA 02657 c. 508.776.0503 www.kobaltgallery.com please find us on facebook