Jay Rechsteiner
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Jay Rechsteiner was born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1971 and lives and works in Margate, UK. He works primarily in painting, alongside drawing, video, performance and text.
Since 2013, Bad Painting has been central to his practice. The ongoing series begins with real events that provoke shock, anger or disbelief, followed by research, drawing and painting. Image and text are used where they are needed, and the visual language has changed considerably over the life of the project.
Rather than illustrating a political position, Bad Painting uses painting as a way of processing events and human behaviour. Earlier works were predominantly small acrylic paintings. Since 2024 Rechsteiner has worked mainly in oil, and recent paintings have expanded in scale, with text sometimes appearing on the sides of the canvas.
Alongside Bad Painting, Rechsteiner has developed work in drawing, video, performance and collaborative practice.
Lived Experience
I was born and grew up in Basel, Switzerland, and have lived in the UK since 2003, after spending several years in Japan. Moving between different countries, languages and social environments has shaped the way I observe people and everyday behaviour. I now live in Margate, where much of my work develops from things I encounter directly as well as events I come across through news and research.
Forthcoming
2027, ECHO, residency and exhibition, Nachtspeicher23,
Hamburg, Germany
Selected solo exhibitions
2013, JAY GUN: The Most Dangerous Man on the Planet, WW Gallery, London, UK
2004, Glatzen leben, Schmaler Wurf, Basel, Switzerland
2000, Polymorphic Masturbation, Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka, Japan
2000, Polymorphic Mud, Saibu Gas Gallery, Canal City, Fukuoka, Japan
Selected group exhibitions
2026, Baby, It’s Cold Outside, Off Season, Margate, UK
2023, DIKTAT: DAS BÖSE, Atelierhof Kreuzberg / Verein Kunst in Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
2022, Aktionale IV: Das nackte Sein, Haus der Künstler / Verein Berliner Künstler, Berlin, Germany
2021, Turner Contemporary Open, Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK
2020, UNLEASHED SPEED UNLEASHED SPEECH (MISFITS), curated by Stefan Brüggemann, Kotaro Nukaga, Tokyo, Japan
2020, Global Conversation 2020, F.99 and IKONO Space, part of United Nations UN75, online
2020, I Might Be Staring at Infinity (or the backs of my own eyelids), ARTIM Project Space / YARAT Contemporary Art Space, Baku, Azerbaijan
2019, A Conversation in My Head While Examining the Very Existence of House Plants, Margate NOW, 101 Social Club / Turner Contemporary, Margate, UK
2018, Rechsteiner and Reynolds & Rose, curated by Alyson Hunter, Eaton Hill Gallery, Margate, UK
2017, Anthology 2017, finalist exhibition, Charlie Smith London, London, UK
2014, Werke sind Wesen – Les hirondelles sont le Printemps, Villa Renata, Basel, Switzerland
Selected projects
2015 to 2016, The Red Van, collaborative research project with Chiara Williams Contemporary Art, commissioned by WW Gallery, London
2007, The Washroom Talks, five part series of filmed discussions on art in London and Liverpool; Talks Four and Five presented at Tate Liverpool
2005 to 2012, Sardine & Tobleroni, collaborative practice with Victor “Torpedo” Silveira
2005 to 2006, The Washroom Projects, participatory performance series, 15 instalments in public and institutional spaces
Residency
2012, monoloqueArt, La maison du comédien, Alloue, France
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