Olivia Gillingham in Conversation with Artist, Kim DeJesus
Kim DeJesus.
Kim DeJesus’s large-scale abstract paintings encompass the fluidity of memory, and the tension between remembrance and forgetfulness, which she echoes through her materials. The spontaneity of the colourful spills, evoking the soak-stain technique of Helen Frankenthaler and colour field painting, stands in contrast to the intentionality of overlaid marks and added collage elements. While from a distance the paintings seem to express the elasticity of memory through their unconstrained forms, a closer look at the integration of deliberate markings and stitching invites a new interpretation, mimicking the way it is possible to rewrite or reimagine our memories.
MADE IN BED contributor Olivia Gillingham interviewed Kim DeJesus to discuss the tension in her work and creative process, her show Erasures, Washes, Memory and what is next.
Counting the Absences, acrylic, oil, mixed materials on canvas, 152 x 198 cm.
Olivia Gillingham: Could you tell us a little bit about your background and when your interest in creating art began?
Kim DeJesus: I was raised in a Midwestern town outside of Chicago - if you had a peek into my childhood, my interest in art would have been obvious. When I was very young, I made an art corner in my bedroom, and when I was a little older, I built a studio in my parent’s basement. I went to Home Depot, installed drywall by myself, painted the concrete, and created [an area] for drawing. Everywhere I have lived, I have carved out mini studios and spaces to create.
Revisions and Scratches, acrylic, oil, collage, stitching on canvas, 152 x 198 cm.
OG: Some of the media you work with are not always controllable, others are added thoughtfully as collage elements. In your artist statement you say this creates a dialogue between you and your materials. Can you talk a bit more about your creative process?
KD: In my studio, I am always in balance between what I can control and what I cannot. I frequently work with collage elements - I like the idea of something physical being on top of something more transparent because I am equally interested in what is revealed and what is not. Layering materials has also become a way for me to explore how memory works. I am interested in freedom and discovery in the studio, which is the foundation of my practice.
Corner of the Room, acrylic, oil, drawing materials on linen, 142 x 182 cm.
OG: Your work deals with tension, both between the intentionality and happenstance in your materials, as well as your interest in memory and forgetfulness, and presence and absence. Can you speak a bit about the story behind this latest body of work?
KD: I find memory fascinating - the way memories can shift and change over time, become distant, new, abstract, incomplete, and how we are always reaching for them. In my recent body of work, I used erasers and markings as an analogy for how memory rewrites and erases our recollections. As you get closer to one of the paintings, you begin to see the markings, and perhaps it makes you think about it differently.
OG: I am curious about your use of colour - when you begin a new piece, do you have a colour palette in mind, or does this evolve organically as you work?
KD: I am very interested in colour, but I never know what a piece will look like ahead of time. I disrupt the canvas with a colour I feel like using and take it from there to find out what the painting wants to become. The beginning of a painting often feels enjoyable and uncomplicated before the challenges appear; like most relationships, I suppose.
New Window, acrylic, oil, collage, stitching on canvas, 152 x 198 cm.
OG: When I saw your work, I was reminded of Helen Frankenthaler and her soak-stain technique. Are there any artists or art movements in particular that inspire you?
KD: Helen Frankenthaler is certainly a mentor of mine, what happened during the post-war [period] is radical. The energy must have been wild as artists were reinventing painting - you want to be a part of that time somehow. Of course, there could have been no reinvention without the masters before them.
There is plenty inspiration, but Francis Bacon’s portraits and William Turner’s skies are works I think about a lot. Many art movements and artists inspire me, and I am thankful for their influence and invention.
OG: Your first solo show, Erasures, Washes, and Memory took place at the Whale & Star studio in Los Angeles this May and sold out – congratulations! Can you tell us a bit more about the show and what it was like to prepare for that during a pandemic?
KD: Thank you. I was very grateful to share my work after such a fragile time. Everyone seemed excited to be out again and seeing people’s response to the show meant a lot to me. The pandemic has been a terrible time for the world and changed my life completely, but the silver lining was that it offered me the opportunity to deeply think about what I’m doing and gave me the time to do it.
The Glance, acrylic, oil, drawing materials on canvas, 152 x 198 cm.
OG: You have worked with community-based collaborative art initiatives in the United States and abroad in the past. Has this experience influenced your work, and if so, how?
KD: There are many ways my travels have shaped my work. I remember teaching an art lesson at a school in Malawi on colour theory - when I showed the children how to blend colours, they thought it was a magic trick; they were amazed that you could mix red and blue to make purple. This is just one example from my travels, but moments like these have shaped how I experience the world, which is ultimately reflected in my work. I think of these kids and their fresh [look at] colour while I seek to understand what happens when creating relationships with marks and mixing materials.
OG: After an exciting first solo show, what is next for you?
KD: I have started my new body of work, building on many of the themes I was exploring during the pandemic such as memory. I am excited that my next show in Los Angeles will be at the William Turner gallery. I am also fighting to live in the present, so now that this interview is over, I am thinking about what to have for lunch.
Thank you, Kim!
Image courtesy of Kim DeJesus.
Find more of Kim DeJesus’s work on her website and Instagram @kimdejesus.
Olivia Gillingham,
Contributor, MADE IN BED