Jacob Kassay

Jacob Kassay is recognized primarily for his contributions to painting, filmmaking, and sculpture.

Biography of Jacob Kassay

Jacob Kassay was born in 1984 in Lewiston, New York. He pursued his college education at the State University of New York in Buffalo, earning a BFA in photography in 2006.

During his time as a student, Kassay benefited from the mentorship of faculty members like Sylvie Belanger and Steve Kurtz from the Critical Art Ensemble. They introduced him to semiotic and image theory, structuralism, and post-structuralism, while also emphasizing the art historical importance of the region to these intellectual concepts and artistic movements.

While still a student, Kassay and his peers established Kitchen Distribution, a hub for music and art activities. Kitchen Distribution also served as the venue for Kassay's debut solo exhibition.

Kassay relocated to New York, where he gained early public recognition through group exhibitions at White Flag Projects in St. Louis and Derek Eller Gallery in New York.

His solo exhibitions include "OVR" at Galerie Greta Meert in Brussels (2023), "Brix xxmm" at Parapet Real Humans in St. Louis (2020), "Footage" at Hallwalls CAC in Buffalo (2019), "X" at von ammon co in Washington (2019), "OTNY" at Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo (2017), and many more. 

Additionally, Jacob Kassay has participated in numerous group exhibitions held at various prestigious galleries and venues worldwide, such as Lange + Pult in Zurich, Villa Arson in Nice, The Wattis Institute in San Francisco, The Kitchen in New York, Various Small Fires in Los Angeles, Overduin & Co. in Los Angeles, Muzeul De Arta in Cluj-Napoca, among others. 

Currently, the artist lives and works in New Yirk.

Jacob Kassay's Art Style

Jacob Kassay's practice encompasses painting, works on paper, mixed media, film, installation, and collaborative projects. He follows the tradition of painting as spaces for the interplay of light and shadow. Through the shimmering silver surfaces of his canvases, he turns emptiness into reflection and blankness into an aura. These paintings lack color, paint, or image, yet as spatial objects, they absorb and reflect all the lights, shadows, colors, and images around them. These paintings explore the sensation of being present in a room with a painting.