Jasper Joffe Reviews: Matthew Collings, Sally O'Reilly, Harry pye

Jasper Joffe

Joffe born 1975 studied at the Royal College of Art. His solo shows include “24 paintings in 24 hours” at the Chisenhale Gallery, The Centre of Attention, London and Laura Pecci Gallery, Milan. He was a Rome scholar in 1999-2000. He continues to challenge the practice of painting with provocative exhibitions, exploring interactions between the artist, public, critics
and the media. He says of his painting: “like some religious freak who doesn't feel like justifying himself for the millionth time to a bunch of atheists: I conceal my certainty that painting is the best thing in the world”.

For Sartorial he asked prominent critics and artists to review his show without seeing it:

Could you please write a 100 word review/description, from your imagination, of my solo show of paintings opening October 15 at Sartorial Contemporary Art?

The concept (there always is one) is that you imagine an ideal/disastrous show of mine without ever having seen it. The reviews will appear in advance of the opening and the show will be liberated from its conception.

Let me know if you have the time...

Best wishes

Jasper

“These paintings are full of dissipated energy. You wonder if he would like to do something real, but just doesn't know where to begin, or if he has a political programme and being unreal is necessary to it. He is not alone in this scenario. I don't even blame him. He seems intelligent but corrupted by some sinister Lord of the Rings force that perhaps first started taking him over at art school. How does anyone get out of it? Search me.”
Matthew Collings

“For his latest exhibition Jasper Joffe has taken his signature approach of spontaneous painting and drawing to its logical extreme. The artist spontaneously combusted in the gallery, reducing to a spindly stick of charcoal – his thighbone or thereabouts, perhaps – with which the viewers can create their own collaborative drawing on a vast sheet of paper tacked panoramically around the walls. The outcome so far is a smattering of obscene graffiti and telephone numbers, but is potentially an apt monument to a practice that explores viewer expectation and frustration.”
Sally O’Reilly

“Give Jasper a canvas and he'll paint something like a vase of flowers or a black car or a rude picture of his mother. And give Jasper a whole gallery and he will fill it within days. He's always been like that. The interesting thing is that so much of what he paints is interesting. In fact it's so rare that Jasper does something boring that when he does people say, "Wow, how interesting that Jasper has done something boring". Why does he do it, how does he do it, why won't he stop? I don't think he can stop. And maybe our best option is to sit back and watch the fireworks. Rave on Jasper Joffe.”
Harry Pye