Jay Paavonpera

While his work might traditionally be defined as sculpture or mixed-media, Brooklyn-based artist Jay Paavonpera self-identifies as a painter. Deconstructing both the painted plane and the material form of presentation, Paavonpera works to redefine the ways in which environment is created, pushing his audience past their expected experience of painting. Inspired by poetry, philosophy, and history, Paavonpera’s stark compositions are created using mundane, industrial materials including window screens, construction vinyl, and duct tape. Expanding from a contextual or referential point of origin, Paavonpera’s work explores the relationships between people and their manufactured environments.

The artist has shown at a number of galleries throughout the United States and Mexico including FiFi Projects, Mexico City, Mexico, 1AM Gallery, San Francisco, and the Bronx Museum, New York. In 2012 Paavonpera completed an AIM Residency at the Bronx Museum and was selected to take part in the 2013 Bronx Museum of the Arts Biennial.