Jasper Garvida

That Hurts, 2021

paper and video

150cm x 180cm

On two large sheets of paper laid flat on the floor, the artist positioned himself in the centre. Using his body as a guideline, he randomly pricked the surface of the paper within the parameters of his arm’s reach, using sharp tools such as a tweezer, an awl and an envelope opener, giving the surface of the paper a perforated texture in a circular pattern. Based on Endurance Art, the performance lasted for more than 90 minutes non-stop which tested the artist strength, stamina and limitations.

Jasper Garvida

Jasper Garvida (b.1977) studied Fashion Design Womenswear at Central St Martins College of Art & Design. After graduating in 2004 he worked as a fashion designer, running his own label until 2017 when he took the decision to close his label and study Fine Art at the Royal College of Art (RCA). He was awarded his diploma in 2019 and is currently studying for a Masters in Sculpture (2nd year also RCA)).

Using the body, found objects and light and shadows as materials, Garvida draws on the cutting and making skills that he developed through working in fashion in his work. Materiality is at the heart of Garvida’s work. He finds meaning through testing the qualities and the properties of materials. This determines the form of his sculptural work. He applies various techniques including repetition as part of this process to uncover new meaning in the physicality of materials.

Drawn to the spaces in between the interior and exterior of objects, he uses his hands to explore shape and create, harnessing the interplay of light and shadow to reveal different forms, movement and patterns. In this way he imbues his work with emotion and captures the intangible; those subtle and fleeting moments that might otherwise escape the eye.