Layered Perceptions 18 March – 8 April 2021 Main Gallery
De Souza Gallery presented Layered Perceptions, a solo exhibition of paintings by J. Kesín, bringing together works from the Stripes and Horizons series developed during 2020–21. While centred on these two bodies of work, the exhibition also included selected earlier pieces.
Across these series, Kesín’s paintings are constructed through successive layers of paint, each contributing a distinct visual or conceptual register. These layers draw on sources ranging from personal memory and place to historical reference and contemporary events. Analytical structure and intuitive intervention coexist throughout the works, with processes of application, removal, and concealment playing an active role in shaping the final image.
Installation Views
Exhibits from Series ‘Stripes’
The Stripes series consists of vertically oriented paintings that translate specific places, texts, and experiences into abstract form. The works are structured around repeated vertical bands, establishing a strong architectural framework within which colour, texture, and rhythm operate.
While the format imposes constraint, the paintings remain open and associative. Individual works reflect locations and moments significant to the artist, filtered through memory and perception rather than direct representation. Deliberate colour decisions coexist with intuitive responses, allowing structure and variation to remain in constant dialogue.
Works from the Stripes series shown in the exhibition included Panther, Antibes, Luxor, Khiva, and Moscow.
Panther
2020, 81 x 130 cm, Oil on Canvas
Antibes
2020, 81 x 130 cm, Oil on Canvas
Luxor
2020/21, 81 x 130 cm, Oil on Canvas
Khiva
2020/21, 81 x 130 cm, Oil on Canvas
Moscow
2021, 81 x 130 cm, Oil on Canvas
Exhibits from Series ‘Horizons’
The Horizons series continues Kesín’s interest in layered abstraction, shifting focus toward broader concepts and current affairs. The strict verticality of Stripes gives way to more fluid compositions, unified by the recurring presence of horizon-like divisions.
Paint is applied in thin, translucent layers, creating depth through accumulation rather than mass. Horizontal breaks act as points of orientation, while overlapping colour fields and marks suggest multiple temporal or conceptual registers existing within a single surface.
Works from the Horizons series included All the Sunsets, Born of the Shallows, Truth Windows, and Launch of the Seven Factoids.
All the Sunsets
2020/21, 81 x 100 cm, Oil on Canvas
Born of the Shallows
2021, 81 x 130 cm, Oil on Canvas
Truth Windows
2021, 81 x 100 cm, Oil on Canvas
Launch of the seven Factoids
2021, 100 x 81 cm, Oil on Canvas
