London, Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), Jacob Kassay, October 12 – November 17, 2011
Catalogue Essay
Jacob Kassay paintings tap into the dual traditions of monochrome painting as well as capture the sleek and machined surfaces of minimalist sculptures. His mirror paintings are created with a base layer of acrylic; he then applies coat after coat of silver deposit upon the canvas with a free handed sense of virtuosity and varying texture. As the final step, the work is electroplated, a chemical process similar to silver mirror plating. This final treatment crystallizes and oxidizes the surface of the canvas, allowing each unique work to be impacted by this unpredictable process. Through this treatment, a once white canvas is transformed into a dazzling sterling surface. The intricate layers of silver pool across the composition, creating waves of metallic splendor that stretch across the entirety of the work.
Though Kassay’s work is technically completed by this plating process, the reflective monochromatic surface acts as a sponge, absorbing the visual elements around it and projecting back an altered sense of space. As seen in the present lot, the larger format paintings into the visual plane a portal into transformed perception. Unlike the perfect reflections of reflective metal surfaces, Kassay’s paintings mirror back to the viewer a softened and muted image. This blurry indefinite realm is in fact the light, color and movement of the work’s delicate and temporal environment.
