Jay Gaskill (B. 1980, Silver Spring, MD) is an artist/curator based in Portland, OR. Jay earned an MFA from Hunter College and a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He makes abstract paintings filled with shapes that allude to flames, leaves, feathers and hair — all of which are symbols of change, and reflect the upheavals (cultural, political, ecological and personal) of the last several years.
His most recent exhibition was a two-person booth presented by Paradice Palase at Future Fair (New York City, NY), in 2022. He has been interviewed for ArtNet News and his work has been featured in publications such as Maake Magazine and Art Maze Magazine.
As a curator, he is most well known for his social-media-based projects: Air In Space and The Drawing Exchange. Air In Space functions as an Instagram-only gallery for emerging artists. The Drawing Exchange is a mediated exchange of 2D works amongst artists. In 2022, Jay curated “Golden States”, an exhibition of paintings and weavings for SPRING/BREAK Art Show (Los Angeles, CA).
Personal
Born - Silver Spring, MD
Lives & Works - Cathedral City, CA
Education
2011 - MFA in Painting, Hunter College, New York, NY
2002 - BFA in Painting, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
Solo & Two Person Exhibitions
2022 - Jay Gaskill & Sadia Fakih (presented by PARADICE PALASE), Future Fair, New York, NY
2020 - Variation In Production, Ampersand Gallery, Portland, OR
2018 - Air Raid, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA
2018 - In No Time, One River Gallery, Lake Oswego, OR
2016 - Mise-en-Abyme (w/ Alyse Ronayne), Underdonk, Brooklyn, NY
2014 - Mesh Point, One River Gallery, Englewood, NJ
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 - Lullabies for a daydream, curated by Hannah Antalek, PARADICE PALASE, online exhibition
2020 - Organic, Columbia Center for the Arts, Hood River, OR
2019 - This Is Our Summer Group Show, HOLDING Contemporary, Portland, OR
2019 - Em Dash, Ampersand Gallery, Portland, OR
2013 - Same Same but Different, Guest Spot at the Reinstitute, Baltimore, MD
2012 - Two River, One River Gallery, Englewood, NJ
2012 - Same Same but Different, Parallel Art Space, Ridgewood, NY
2012 - Same Same but Different, SOIL Gallery, Seattle, WA
Curatorial Exhibitions
2022 - Golden States, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
2021 - Quiet Fire, an online exhibition to benefit Seeding Sovereignty, presented in collaboration with Far x Wide
Press
2020 - "‘The Future of the Art World Is Direct-to-Consumer’: As the Market Shifts Online, a Growing Number of Artists Are Thriving Without the Middle Man" by Sarah Cascone, Artnet News
2018 - "Jay Gaskill" edited by Maria Zemtsova, Art Maze Mag
2016 - "Jay Gaskill" by Emily Burns, Maake
Awards
2013 - Emergency Opportunity Grant, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, NY
2011 - Judy and Arthur Zankel MFA Award in Art, Hunter College, NY
Artist Talks
2018 - Washington State University, Vancouver, WA
2013 - Queensborough Community College, Flushing, NY
2013 - Guest Spot at the Reinstitute, Baltimore, MD
2012 - One River Gallery, Englewood, NJ
2012 - University of Washington, Seattle, WA