Jesse Genepi (b. 1995) is a Los Angeles-based artist. He holds a BFA from the University of Minnesota and an MFA from the University of California, Davis.
Metaphysical in thought, the paintings arrive from the distillation of Genepi's worldview influenced by science, visionary art, and cosmology. Within the layers of paint and collage, are the ascemic histories of self - each layer containing the deliberate 'hand' of the artist asserting itself against the anonymity of mechanized production.
A rebellion against image making - the paintings yearn for the embodied experience of their viewing. Utilizing color-shifting materials and drawing on histories of light & space, and optical art, Genepi’s works remain in a state of continual flux. The convergence of colors, textures, and brushstrokes analogically depict the intricate interplay of human relationships and emotions, presenting micro & macroscopic constants as visual metaphors, namely the collapsing and colliding nature of human relationships.
Within this visual language lies a syncretism, a collaging of beliefs, blending practices from various schools of thought. Visual forms linked to metaphysics, digital technologies and form constants can be recognized among them. The resulting visual language becomes a vehicle for sharing this worldview, beckoning the viewer to delve into the layers of reconstructed forms and motifs woven into the artwork.
Recent exhibitions include A Line to You at Noon Projects, LA, Black Lodge at Island Gallery, NYC; The Marble Mouth Oracle at Below Grand, NYC. Genepi was a 2023 artist-in-residence at Art House San Clemente.