Jeff Leake | The Swatch Art Peace Hotel Residency

American artist Jeff Leake tells us about his experience at The Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China, which began in June and ended on September 8, 2019.

The Swatch Art Peace Hotel and its residency program is another example of the brand’s commitment to supporting talent and creativity. On this occasion, it did so in collaboration with the 12th Laguna Art Prize, which gave Swatch the opportunity to choose, from a variety of artistic proposals, Jeff Leake as the winner of a three-month residency in this unique space, which includes 18 studios where artists live and work in a stimulating urban environment.

Jeff Leake arrived in Shanghai on June 14 to begin this new and exciting adventure. As he says, it has been one of the most incredible experiences of his career, which has already had a significant impact on his art.
“Having this space and so much time devoted solely to art making is a gift that has allowed me to grow and explore new directions in my work.”

For Jeff, one of the most important aspects of an art residency is the people you come into contact with.

Thanks to one of his fellow residents at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel, he met the gallerist at Ying Gallery (Beijing), who decided to organize an exhibition featuring the works of Jeff Leake and two other artists, Jamie M. Lee and Jiang Peiyuan.

The exhibition will present works that Jeff created during his stay in China, a group of paintings on wood strongly influenced by his experience with Swatch, which can be seen as a reflection on the complexity of cultural interactions. The paintings are cut out in stylized cloud shapes, conveying the idea that what we see in clouds often reveals something true about us. One of the main themes running through Jeff’s work is the difference between the intentional message of the stories and symbols we use to convey cultural ideals, and the way we actually interact with our environment and others.

Jeff Leake

California-based Jeff Leake holds a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from UC Davis. He has exhibited nationally in the U.S. and internationally, and has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Arte Laguna Prize, the Ford Foundation Golden Spot Award, the Oregon Art Commission and the Regional Arts & Culture Council, as well as having participated in art residencies at Caldera, UCROSS and Swatch. He currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

ART RESIDENCY PRIZE

Artist: Jeff Leake
Location: The Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Shanghai
Exhibition venue: Ying Gallery, Beijing
Inauguration: 24 august 2019
Exhibition: 24 august – 30 september 2019