Primarily working with painting and collage, Jay Stuckey creates compositions of familiar images using representational and abstract elements. The humor and accessibility of Stuckey’s work is counterbalanced by each piece’s hidden intricacy and purpose. Referencing his own subconscious and the confessional nature of Jungian psychoanalysis, Stuckey intends the immediacy of his work to present a line of inquiry and revelation to the viewer instead of imposing ideas. Stuckey intends his works to reveal themselves with subtlety and action, instilling the perseverance of his ongoing process.
Jay Stuckey (b. 1968, Washington, D.C.) lives and works in Los Angeles. Stuckey received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute Chicago, and BFA from Brown University. He has exhibited internationally at venues including The Cedars, Texas; Abel Raum für Neue Kunst, Berlin; Institut Franco-American, Rennes; Eric Firestone Gallery, New York; Palmetto Center for the Arts, San Antonio; Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco; Deutscher Kunstlerbund, Berlin; Blank Projects, Cape Town; Goethe Institute, Johannesburg; Green Papaya Art Projects, Manila; Pøst Gallery, LA, 16:1 Gallery, Santa Monica and Axis Gallery, Sacramento. He is included in the public collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA and Collection Majudia, Montreal. He has lectured at Brown University, OTIS, and the Jung Institute.
JAY STUCKEY + DEREK BOSHIER | DISCUSS EXHIBITION “SUDDENLY!” AT ANAT EBGI
On the occasion of his show Suddenly! at Anat Egbi Gallery in Los Angeles, Jay Stuckey sits down in his studio with fellow artist Derek Boshier, who curated the show, to discuss his work, influences, and process via the gallery’s new video platform.
The 2019 armory show was a color-drenched dreamscape
Stuckey’s characters lay the human condition bare, or at least the condition of their teeth. We’d like one of his cactus people to take home. —Jack Sunnucks
This L.A. artist’s paintings take a deep dive into his subconscious, which, given how chock-full it seems to be, should probably hang out a NO VACANCY sign.
The artists "archetypes convey his ambitions and fears while elevating the universal and human", while the dreamlike narrative of each canvas revels in the absurdity of the everyday. —Nancy Kennedy
Jay Stuckey is happy. His paintings, hung salon style, floor to ceiling on one gallery wall have an overwhelming presence and in many ways can be read as a narrative.
Equally humorous as dark and melancholic, Stuckey taps into an expressionist desire to communicate using text messages, semaphore and his unique iconographic language where the lines between art and his life become evermore porous.
The paintings are horrible in their rampant tramping of imagery and id, intriguing for the same reasons; washed out and fuzzy details similar to staring at static snow on a television. —Arthur Peña
"I recognize there's violence inherent in these images and they're shooting and blowing things up, but I hope that its counterbalanced by a certain humor or joy in the way there actually played out. I don't see myself as a violent person or advocating violence." —Jay Stuckey
MFA, Painting, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
1990
BA, Art, Brown University, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude
Solo Exhibitions
2022
State of the Union, Ojiri Gallery, London, UK
One Sock At A Time, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
2020
Suddenly!, online exhibition with Anat Ebgi, curated by Derek Boshier
2019
It's Messy Business, Anna Zorina Gallery, New York, NY
Solo Presentation, The Armory Show, New York, NY
2017
ONO, Shotgun at the Cedars, Dallas, TX
Bye Jay Stuckey, by Jay Stuckey, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
2013
PRIMA MATERIA, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
Glad Day, The Company, Los Angeles, CA
2010
New Work, Matrushka, Los Angeles, CA
2008
New Work, Northwest Vista College, San Antonio, TX
2007
Flying Saucer Take Me Away, 16:1 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2005
New Work, 16:1 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2004
Tora, Tora, Tora, Abel Raum für Neue Kunst, Berlin, DE
Airplanes, Strand On Volta, Washington, DC
2003
Spectrascope, 16:1 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
2002
New Work, American Intercontinental University, Los Angeles, CA
2001
Big Day, Post Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020
Good Company: Pt. 1, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
2019
The Conversation, Anat Ebgi at Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, CA
2018
Worshipping Sticks and Stones, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
2015
She Sells Seashells by the Seashore, Eric Firestone Gallery, East Hampton, NY
ges.ture, curated by Carl Berg, arena 1 gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Le Fil Rouge, curated by Lucie Fontaine, with Anat Ebgi, ALAC, Los Angeles, CA
2012
Transient Apocalypse, curated by Chris Pate, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine CA
The Bearded Baby, Axis Gallery, Sacramento CA
ALPTRAUM!, curated by Jay Stuckey & Marcus Sendlinger, Transformer, Washington, DC; Cell Project Space, London, UK; Deutscher Kunstlerbund, Berlin, DE; The Company, Los Angeles, CA; Blank Projects, Cape Town, SA; Goethe Institute, Johannesburg, SA; Green Papaya Art Projects, Manila, PH
2011
Irrational Exhibits 8 (musician for Carol Cetrone), Track 16 Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Into The Trees, Institut Franco-American, Rennes, FR
2010
Psychic Outlaws, Luckman Gallery, Cal State, Los Angeles, CA
Mail Art: The End Of The Earth, Finis Terrae Gallery-PASCA, Pont Aven, FR
This Land Is A Hand Game, Porthole Projects, Santa Fe, NM
2009
Sweet Subversives, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA
Three Person Show, Jancar/McCorkle Projects, Los Angeles, CA
One Week Only, Jancar Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Big Boys, Andrew Shire Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2008
Mummify Me, Denver Community Museum, Denver, CO
Betwixt and Between, ACME, Los Angeles, CA
Flatmates, Transformer Gallery, Washington, DC
Inner Battles of the Imaginary Male, Andrew Shire Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2007
Wall/paper, Transformer Gallery, Washington, DC
Empowerment, Abel Raum für Neue Kunst, Berlin, DE
Faculty Exhibition, Brown University, Providence, RI
2005
Twisted Christmas, BGH Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Four Years Later, Fe Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA
2004
The Living, The Dead, and The Living Dead, 16:1, Santa Monica, CA
Uncensored Gifts, Mt. San Jacinto College, San Jacinto, CA
Poly Copy, Un Appartment, Paris, FR
Transformers, Transformer Gallery, Washington, DC
Alptraum, Kuche-Kita Atelierhaus, Berlin, DE
Free Wall, Cal Poly University, Pomona, CA
The Gun And Knife Show, Fahrenheit Gallery, Kansas City, MO
Alias, The Bank, Kansas City, MO
Drawn Fictions, The Art Gym, Marylhurst University, OR
2003
Wheeling!, Cell Project Space, London, UK
In My Room, Pasadena City College Art Gallery, Pasadena, CA
Rapt, Fahrenheit Gallery, Kansas City, MO
2002
Irrational Propositions, Post Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Big Mind, Transformer Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Relative Objects, Post Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001
Zombie Dance Film Festival, Austin, TX
Monster Movieside Film Festival, Chicago, IL
Shock-O-Rama A-Go-Go Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA
100% Rag, Post Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2000
It’s A Mother, Aquarius Records, San Francisco, CA
Works On Paper, Post Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Public Collections
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Sprint, Kansas City, MO
Jay Dandy and Melissa Weber, Chicago, IL
Paula and Allan Rudnick, Los Angeles, CA
Sheridan Brown, Los Angeles, CA
August Uribe, New York, NY
John Souza, Los Angeles, CA
Judy and Stuart Spence, Los Angeles, CA
Adam Silverman, Los Angeles, CA
Jody Zellon, Los Angeles, CA
Suzie Aaron, Kansas City, MO
Publications and Press
2014
Frank LA, Issue No. 1, curated by Carol Cheh, Lauri Firstenberg, Mat Gleason & Shamim Momin, December 2014.
Bibliography
2018
Michael Wright, "Worshipping Sticks and Stones at Anat Ebgi," Contemporary Art Review LA, December 5, 2018. (Link)
Fontaine, Pearl. "Adrian Piper, Zoe Leonard, Ivan Morley, and More Must See Los Angeles Shows," Whitewall, November 15, 2018.
2017
“Bye Jay Stuckey, by Jay Stuckey,” Terremoto: Contemporary Art in the Americas, April 13, 2017. (Link)
For Your Art, Instagram Feature, April 8, 2017.
Jody Zellen, “Review of ‘Bye Jay Stuckey, by Jay Stuckey,” Art Scene Vol. 36 No.7, April 2017.
2016
Brainard Carey, "Interview with Jay Stuckey," Yale University Radio WYBC, March 16, 2016.
2013
Carlson Hatton, “Excerpt on Jay Stuckey,” The Benefit of Friends Collected, 2013.
Arthur Peña, “A Conversation: Jay Stuckey at Anat Ebgi,” New American Painters, October 2013. (Link)
2008
Miguel Szymanski, “Na Berlinda,” Expresso, October 2008.
Peter Clothier, “The Art of Outrage”, Art Scene Visual Radio, May 2008.
2005
Kurt Shaw, “Tragedy Examined”, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, October 13, 2005.
Thurston Moore, “Mix Tape: the art of cassette culture,” Universe, 2005.
2004
Charlene Roth, “Freewall”, Artweek, June 2004.
Devon Dikeou, “Airplanes and Mummies”, Zing Magazine, Winter 2004.
Bidisha Banerjee, “Airplanes”, Washington City Paper, March 19, 2004.
Jessica Dawson, “Menacing Machines”, Washington Post, March 18, 2004.
Glenn Dixon, “The Ceiling’s The Limit”, Express, March 4, 2004.
Jayla Ros, “Drawn Fictions”, The Organ, March 2004.
Robin Trafton, “Masked Artists”, Kansas City Star, February 27, 2004.
Oz McGuire, “Disguises and Doppelgangers”, Review Magazine, March 2004.
2003
Michael Darling, “Tomorrow’s…,” L.A. Times Magazine, September 28, 2003.
Oz McGuire, “Interview,” Review Magazine, September 2003.
Alice Thorson, “Absurd and Violent”, Kansas City Star, June 27, 2003.
Doug Kubert, “Best Pairing of Artists, Best of Kansas City”, The Pitch, October 9, 2003.