'Pictorial Fields, No. 01 to 09' is on view at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in the exhibition 'Circulate – Photography Beyond Frames. Proposals for the Museum Collection' until March 2025.
Jaya Pelupessy’s works present a conceptual and alternative reading of photography. He explores the early technical history of photography to arrive at a reinterpretation of the photographic medium. In Pictorial Fields, a continuation of Manufactured Manual, Pelupessy zooms in on the photographic surface, focusing on the analysis of individual pixels or dots. As a result, the works become more abstract, shifting from examining what is photographed to a deeper exploration of the photograph itself. The title of the series refers to both the representational qualities and limitations of photography, placing it within the context of abstract expressionism.
Pelupessy developed a special technique for adding pigments to light-sensitive screenprinting emulsion. These self-made emulsions are applied to the silkscreen and exposed to UV light, layering each colour separately. The final image appears once the colour dots of each exposure overlap. While silkscreen frames are typically used for printing and reproducing images, Pelupessy employs them as a canvas for his work, thus merging process and outcome. This focus on the construction of the image is a key element in his work.
Jaya Pelupessy (b. 1989, NL) a visual artist who works with photography. In recent years, he has gained recognition and support from institutions including a.o. the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Nederlands Fotomuseum, Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, Nest Den Haag, FOAM and the Centraal Museum in Utrecht. Until March'25, his largest work to date is on view at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. Pelupessy’s work can be found in the collections of FOAM, the Nederlands Fotomuseum, Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, the Centraal Museum Utrecht, Amsterdam UMC, Steenbergen, Eneco and in various private collections.