About
Jordy Kerwick & Denise Rudolf Frank
Jenise & Dordy
We are delighted to present a duo exhibition by Denise Rudolf Frank (b. 1993, Austria) and Jordy Kerwick (b. 1982, Australia), two artists who have rapidly made their mark on the international contemporary art scene.
The exhibition Jenise & Dordy – a title that reflects the authentic and down-to-earth nature of their approach to art – pairs Rudolf Frank and Kerwick’s works together for the first time. Kerwick, known mainly for the flattened perspective of his paintings, here presents exclusively three-dimensional works in the form of Hydras and Sirens. Rudolf Frank, always challenging herself to paint with brighter colours, shows a suite of paintings, ranging from small to monumental – over 4 metres wide – in size.
Rudolf Frank and Kerwick’s vivid palettes and direct visual language stand in contrast to the overengineered and conceptually dictated works that have dominated the international art market since the 1990s. An aesthetic kinship is found in Neo-Expressionism, especially in the raw, explosive energy of their compositions, while the bright colours immediately bring Fauvism to mind. Their figures – folkloric characters for Kerwick; surreal, half-abstract humanoids for Rudolf Frank – place them in the realm of art brut and outsider art. In fact, both artists arrived at art as a therapeutic outlet, a cathartic release for an expressive urge. Although this may tempt to psychoanalyse their output, both Rudolf Frank and Kerwick caution against interpreting their art too intellectually – the best approach is to simply take it in.
