Jake Walker

Jake Walker’s recent paintings continue his exploration of repeated, dislocated motions, diagrams, and scores to create built rhythms. Inspired by choreography, his gestural, at times, calligraphic applications of paint travel across the picture plane generating works infused with the immersive spatio-sonic choreographies central to his practice. The exhibition features paintings ranging in size from an expansive 2.7m across to the intimacy of works echoing the scale of 12-inch vinyl record covers. The paintings chart the multi-sensory experience of spaces where the body encounters soundscapes, each mapping an abstract sonic environment akin to dance and musical notations.

Bridging visual art and performative movement, Walker’s practice reflects earlier studies at London’s Royal Ballet School and his immersion in contemporary performative and club culture. His rhythmical, undulating works explore the communal and transformative aspects of dance and music, positioning his art within a multidisciplinary cultural context.

Walker’s distinctive approach graphically abstracts movement, conjuring tempest-like forces that embody form and motion. His use of deep blues, reds, vibrant oranges, and lush greens, combined with subtler shades of similar hues, creates an atmospheric depth that enhances sensory engagement. Each painting functions as an arrangement of overlapping notes and gestures recording their making and the artist’s movements and presence.

Walker’s conceptual framework and methodology transcend conventional definitions of painting, approaching works as dynamic visual choreographies that seamlessly blend elements of drawing, performance, and spatial exploration. By questioning his works identity as “paintings”, he dismantles categorical boundaries, inviting viewers to engage with his works as evolving dialogues between materiality, movement, and perception. This synthesis of influences underscores the multidisciplinary nature of his practice, positioning his work within a broader cultural and artistic context.

Jake Walker studied at the Royal Ballet School, London, before gaining his BA in Fine Art from the Slade School of Fine Art, London, in 2023. He won the Max Werner Drawing Prize in 2022.

His recent solo exhibitions and presentations include, “Rattling into a Rhythm” (2024) at Sherbet Green Gallery in London and “Sound Environments” (2024) at The Cabin & The Bunker, Los Angeles. He completed residencies at the Danny First La Brea Studio Residency in Los Angeles (2024) and Good Eye Projects, London (2023). His work features in the collection of University College, London, as well as private collections in the UK, Europe, Dubai, the United States, and New Zealand.

Installation views

Works