ABOUT THE ARTIST
Being a self-taught artist, John Reuss (Born in Germany) comes from a professional background in graphic layout & design, marketing and communication – and with a BA in Computer Science from the University of Aalborg, Denmark. He lives and works in Denmark.
Fine detail, drawn lines and meticulously painted shapes clash with bold brushstrokes, spatters and blurred contours. Soft, organic shapes and multifaceted figures meet hard, calculated geometric abstractions is what sets his work apart from other figurative expressionistic artists.
John’s work often deals with issues such as alienation, loneliness and the pursuit of an unattainable inner harmony. The world he depicts is not a physical location in space and time. It is an inner world, a world where thought, emotion and raw cognition defines not only the figures, but also the space they inhabit.
ARTIST STATEMENT
In general my work revolves around the theme of alienation and the pursuit of an unattainable inner harmony – of an inner turmoil and loneliness brought upon us by modern life. The world I depict is not a physical location in space and time. It is an inner world, a world where thought, emotion and raw cognition defines not only the figures, but also the space they inhabit. What you see in my work is that inner reality or self-perception somehow disturbed, that innate human need for coherence and meaning in our lives disrupted.
Labels such as “existential surrealism” or “psychological realism” have often been used about my work – which I think describes it well. I aim to make art that not only tells about me, but also speaks to the viewer and is open to interpretation – that may even contain meaning that I myself have not foreseen.
On an aesthetic level my work is often characterised by contrasts – the juxtaposition of opposites on several levels. Fine detail, drawn lines and meticulously painted shapes clash with bold brushstrokes, spatters and blurred contours. Soft organic shapes and multifaceted figures meet renditions or furniture and space and geometric abstractions.
My process is one of dialogue and for me the creative process is a key to the inner, psychological world – and art itself an amazing medium to catch what its going on between the lines, the things we have no language for.
I’ll often be applying, revisiting, destroying and (re)creating during the process, applying multiple layers, adding and removing elements, working directly on the canvas, drawing my sketches up with acrylics, spray paint and charcoal, trying to excavate the motif. In the process I strive to obtain a balance – on the border of the conscious and subconscious, where I react and paint without too much reflection, alternated with more reflected and controlled decisions. Once I feel I have found out what direction a piece is going in, I will start working it over and finish it in oil paint.
Painting over parts, making mistakes and getting lost is a very important part of my process. Although frustrating at times, getting lost and loosing the overview allows for unforeseen and unusual ideas to emerge. For me creativity is as much about tearing down and destroying as it is about creating and building up. This also means that the final work is the result of the process rather than a planned image.
Solo Exhibitions
2018 “Disruption”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2017 “Innuendo”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2016 “Fragmented Vision”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2015 “Please Destroy This”, in collaboration with Jacob Juhl, Galleri V58, Århus DK
2014 “Hide & Seek”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2013 “The Inside Angle”, NBeX, Viborg DK
2013 “Mind & Matter”, Hillyer Art Space, Washington DC, USA
2012 ArtStra Galleri, Copenhagen DK
2011 “Familie af fremmede”, Galleri Progres, Horsens DK
2009 “Grænseland”, Galleri Progres, Horsens DK
2008 Galleri Vibse, Vejle DK
2001 Galleri Inuit, Aalborg DK
2001 Kulturkøbmanden, Skørping DK
Juried Exhibitions
2010 Kunstnernes Sommerudstilling (KS10), Tistrup DK
2008 “INSIDE08”, Kunstpakhuset, Ikast DK
Group Exhibitions
2021 Transition, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2020 WAOU, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2020 “Contemporary Human”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2019 “Christmas Stars”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2019 Art Miami, Miami USA
2019 Å-udstillingen, Odense DK
2019 “Waou”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2019 “Color & Form”, Robert Fontine Gallery, Miami USA, 2019
2019 Art Herning, Herning DK
2018 “Christmas Stars”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK,
2018 Art Vilnius, Vilnius LT
2018Art The Hague, The Hague NL
2018 “Depict The Mask”, CGK Centre For Contemporary Art, Copenhagen
2018 “Passion”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2018 Art Herning, Herning DK
2017 30 Year Jubilee Exhibition, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2017 KunstRAI, Amsterdam NL
2017 NORTH, Aalborg DK
2017 Art Herning, Herning DK
2016 PrcjtOMNI, Traverse City, Michigan USA,
2016 Art Vilnius, Vilnius LT
2016 NORTH, Aalborg DK
2016 Art Herning, Herning DK
2015 Opening Exhibition, GRAFO Gallery, Vilnius LT
2015 “Christmas Event”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2015Pop-Up, Galleri NB, with Kristian Vodder Svensson, Copenhagen DK
2015Art Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK,
2015 “Trans-Figuration”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2014 Art Copenhagen, Copenhagen DK
2014Pop-Up, Galleri NB, Herning DK
2014 “REmantics”, Galleri V58, Århus DK
2012 “Christmas Event”, Galleri NB, Copenhagen DK
2012 “Christmas Event”, Galleri NB, Viborg DK
2012 “Samtidige hændelser”, ArtStra Galleri, Copenhagen DK
2012 Art Herning, Herning DK
2011 “Progres 2”, Galleri Progres, Horsens DK
2011 “Your Art”, Rundetaarn, Copenhagen DK
2011 “Optipism”, Gallery Dada Post, Berlin DE
2011 Art Herning, Herning DK
2009 Art Herning, Herning DK
2008 “Trust 100%”, Kulturspinderiet, Silkeborg DK
Gallery Representation
CAP Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania.
NB Gallery, Filippovskiy Pereulok, Russia
Robert Fontaine Gallery, Miami Beach, FL USA
Collections, Institutions, etc.
Højskolen Hald Ege
Dio Sumagaysay Collection
Publications
2016 Arteviridea (The quest for a cure continues), Dio Sumagaysay,
2015 Bizarre Beyond Belief Magazine – THE COLLECTION, VOL1,
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