Jesse Draxler is an American visual artist, illustrator and art director.
Biography edit
Jesse Draxler grew up in a rural town in Wisconsin.[1] His family had an automobile repair service and as a child he used to draw cars, trucks and engines for hours with friends.[2] In first grade, Draxler discovered that he was color blind, being red-green color deficient.[3] He studied at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota. His thesis was on the commodification of subculture through the lens of punk rock, whose primary medium was collage.[4] Draxler began making exhibitions in 2012.[3]
On June 1, 2018, Draxler released the book Misophonia through Sacred Bones. The 100-page art book included a foreword written by musician Greg Puciato.[5][3] On June 15, Draxler and Puciato co-founded the record label and art collective Federal Prisoner.[6]
On September 27, 2018, Draxler premiered a short film at Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa with live score by Emma Ruth Rundle and Evan Patterson.[2]
On September 4, 2020, Draxler released Reigning Cement, an audio-visual project consisting of a 100-page book of photographs and collages paired with a music album formed by audio assets given to thirty-four musicians, who could arrange them at their disposal but only adding vocals, mirroring the sonic equivalent of a collage. Both the visual and audio material was taken from the noisy industrial area outside of Draxler's studio, which is located on the outskirts of Los Angeles.[7] On April 3, Draxler released its first single "Time reign cemenT", featuring Full of Hell vocalist Dylan Walker, alongside a music video premiered on Revolver.[8] On June 12, it was released the second single and video for "Them", featuring electronic band Vowws, through Juxtapoz.[7]
Artistry edit
Jesse Draxler is a mixed media and multidisciplinary artist, and his pieces combine painting, photography, collage, typography and digital painting.[1] Among their characteristics are distorting the human form, working in grayscale, and abstract landscapes.[9][1] Writer Kyle Fitzpatrick described his portrayals as "a person mid-question ... Everything is abstracted just slightly, just enough to unnerve and entrance ... [It] feels as if his subjects are slowly focusing and refocusing, trying to become clearer",[10] while artist Mike Carney said that it "is an authentic look into the transitional stasis of a technologically saturated existence, and the lapse of connection, far from bridged within its void."[11]
Jesse Draxler's varied influences include heavy metal and electronic music, Zen literature, automotive machinery, background noise, and films.[2] He says that much of his work "involves directly translating what I hear into what I see."[2] He tends to write and journal extensively before working, believing that "the inception starts with thinking about it or processing an idea in my mind."[4] Before relocating from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in January 2015, Draxler cut out all color and started to work solely in black and white. As a colorblind person, he described his transition as "natural" and felt that it opened up his artistic vision rather than limiting it.[4]
Draxler's work has inspired music by Daniel Davies[12] and Zola Jesus.[13]
Works edit
- Misophonia (2018)
- Reigning Cement (2020)
- The World is Mine & I'm Thinking About You (2023)
References edit
- ^ a b c Hernández, Leonel (March 2016). "Jesse draxler | La retórica del horror". WARP (in Spanish). No. 79. Issuu. pp. 26–31. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Musker, James. "THE WORK OF JESSE DRAXLER (FILM)". Andyr.com.au. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c Silbert, Jake (June 1, 2018). "Jesse Draxler's Stark, Haunting Artwork Surfaces in 'Misophonia'". Hypebeast.com (text and video). Event occurs at 0:11-0:19 (color blindness), 1:24-1:40 (music). Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ a b c McDermott, Emily (January 11, 2016). "Jesse Draxler Embraces Mortality". Interview. Archived from the original on January 17, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ Bowe, Miles (March 27, 2018). "Visual artist Jesse Draxler announces Misophonia art book on Sacred Bones". Fact. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "The Black Queen Plot New Album 'Infinite Games,' Tease Music in Preview Video". Revolver. June 15, 2018. Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ a b "Music Video Premiere: Jesse Draxler & Vowws "Them"". Juxtapoz. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "Hear Full of Hell Vocalist's Insane Collaboration With Artist Jesse Draxler". Revolver. April 3, 2020. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ Toner, Paul (August 8, 2019). "10 Questions with Jesse Draxler, the Artist Behind Hugo's Latest Capsule Collection". 10 Magazine. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Kyle (March 13, 2019). "The Beauty of Abstraction". Playboy.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ Carney, Mike (January 7, 2016). "Jesse Draxler: The Story of Terror Management". Juxtapoz. Vol. 23, no. 2. Issue 181. Issuu (published February 2016). pp. 95–102. ISSN 1077-8411. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ Polson, Brian (March 19, 2020). "'Signals' Review: Daniel Davies conjures up a magical, angular, abstract world with his second solo album". Meaww. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
- ^ Jesus, Zola (September 11, 2017). "Muses: Zola Jesus on Franz Kline, Pierre Soulages, and Günter Brus". ARTnews. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.