Jeff Kowatch: The Big Assumption

MPV Gallery is pleased to invite you to the opening of The Big Assumption, the first solo exhibition of artist Jeff Kowatch with the gallery, on Saturday March 21.

Jeff Kowatch (1965, California) has lived and worked in Brussels since the early 2000s. His work exists at the intersection of American abstraction and the Flemish painting tradition. Influenced by artists such as Mark Rothko and Brice Marden, he developed into a distinct colorist, while his technique draws inspiration from the Old Masters, in particular Rembrandt. The use of glazing, building up transparent layers of paint, forms the core of his practice and gives his work a remarkable sense of depth and luminosity.

Kowatch’s paintings are created through an intensive and time-consuming process of construction and reduction. Layer upon layer of translucent oil paint is applied, then partially removed, reworked, and built up again. This cyclical process results in compositions where forms gently merge and seem to float in an almost immaterial space. His work carries a quiet, meditative quality and reflects an approach to painting akin to Zen philosophy, where the gesture of the artist gradually disappears in favor of an inner, contemplative experience.

In contrast, his works on paper take on a more direct and expressive character. Executed with oil bars, these drawings are vibrant and physical, with clearly defined forms built up through lively patterns and textures. Where the paintings are characterized by transparency and subtlety, the drawings reveal a more immediate energy and a pronounced presence of the artist’s hand.

Kowatch’s work is internationally recognized and included in museum and private collections. With The Big Assumption, MPV Gallery presents a compelling overview of his recent oeuvre.