Internationally recognised art and literary critic, writer and cultural producer. Published in ELLE, Glamour, Esquire and Cosmopolitan; member of the Union of Writers.
Kim DeJesus is an American artist who creates vibrant and expressive abstract paintings that reflect her interest in memory and the aspects of life that can be controlled and what cannot. In her latest exhibition, The Map Home, she uses a variety of techniques and materials to convey the tension between spontaneity and intentionality, and the discoveries and absences that emerge from her process. The Map Home is a collection of paintings that serve as a memory journey, a map of remembrance and rediscovery.
In this article, we will examine the work and inspiration of Kim DeJesus, based on the research and findings of art critics, curators, and collectors. We will also look at how she challenges and engages the viewers with her innovative and personal approach to painting.
The Background and Inspiration of Kim DeJesus
Kim DeJesus was born in 1974 in Chicago, Illinois. She grew up in a rural area, where she developed a love for nature and art. She studied painting and drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1997. She then moved to New York, where she worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for various magazines and publications.
However, she soon felt the need to return to painting, and to explore her own voice and vision. She started working on abstract paintings, using acrylic, oil, and mixed media on canvas. She was inspired by the works of abstract expressionists, such as Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, and Joan Mitchell, as well as contemporary artists, such as Cecily Brown, Julie Mehretu, and Mark Bradford.
She was also influenced by her personal experiences and emotions, especially by the loss of her father, who died in 2012. She began to use painting as a way of coping and healing, and of reconnecting with her memories and identity. She also became interested in the concept of home, not as a physical or real place, but as a map of memories, feelings, and connections to self, family, and nature.
The Process and Technique of Kim DeJesus
Kim DeJesus’s painting process is a balance between planning and improvisation, between adding and subtracting, between revealing and concealing. She starts with a sketch or an idea, but then allows the painting to evolve and change as she works. She uses various tools and methods, such as brushes, palette knives, sponges, spray bottles, and masking tape, to create different effects and textures. She applies and removes layers of paint, creating washes, drips, stains, and patches. She also incorporates other materials, such as paper, fabric, and thread, to add dimension and contrast.
She works on multiple paintings at the same time, moving from one to another, and sometimes combining or cutting them. She also rotates and flips the paintings, changing their orientation and perspective. She does not follow a fixed or linear sequence, but rather a circular and iterative one. She revisits and revises the paintings, until she feels they are complete and coherent.
She describes her process as a dialogue and a discovery, a conversation between herself, the material, and the canvas. She says: “I never know what I’m going to end up with. I just keep working until something clicks, until something resonates with me. It’s like finding a map home, a way back to myself.”
The Exhibition and Reception of The Map Home
The Map Home is Kim DeJesus’s latest exhibition, which opened on February 22, 2024 at Morris Adjmi Architects in New York. The exhibition features a selection of paintings from 2022 to 2023, ranging in size from small to large. The paintings are displayed on the walls and on easels, creating a dynamic and immersive environment. The exhibition also includes a video installation, showing the artist at work in her studio.
The exhibition showcases the diversity and richness of Kim DeJesus’s abstract paintings, and invites the viewers to explore and experience them from different angles and distances. The paintings are full of energy and movement, and evoke various moods and emotions, from joy and hope, to sadness and nostalgia. The paintings also suggest various landscapes and scenes, from urban and rural, to natural and cosmic. The paintings are open to interpretation and imagination, and invite the viewers to create their own maps and stories.
The exhibition has received positive and enthusiastic feedback from the art world and the public. The exhibition has been praised for its originality and authenticity, and for its ability to connect and communicate with the viewers. The exhibition has also been recognized for its relevance and resonance, especially in the context of the current global crisis, and for its expression and exploration of the concept of hope.
The exhibition curator, William Turner, says: “Kim DeJesus is a remarkable and talented artist, who has developed a unique and personal style of abstract painting. Her paintings are not only beautiful and captivating, but also meaningful and profound. They speak to the universal themes of memory and discovery, of loss and recovery, of home and self. They are maps that guide us and inspire us, in these challenging and uncertain times.”
Kim DeJesus is an American artist who creates vibrant and expressive abstract paintings that reflect her interest in memory and the aspects of life that can be controlled and what cannot. In her latest exhibition, The Map Home, she uses a variety of techniques and materials to convey the tension between spontaneity and intentionality, and the discoveries and absences that emerge from her process. The Map Home is a collection of paintings that serve as a memory journey, a map of remembrance and rediscovery.
The exhibition showcases the diversity and richness of Kim DeJesus’s abstract paintings, and invites the viewers to explore and experience them from different angles and distances. The exhibition also includes a video installation, showing the artist at work in her studio.
The exhibition has received positive and enthusiastic feedback from the art world and the public. The exhibition has been praised for its originality and authenticity, and for its ability to connect and communicate with the viewers. The exhibition has also been recognized for its relevance and resonance, especially in the context of the current global crisis, and for its expression and exploration of the concept of hope.
