Artist talk with Jurriaan Benschop & Marc Trujillo

In the book ‘Waarom een schilderij werkt’, writer and curator Jurriaan Benschop explores the multifaceted visual arts of painting of our current times. He introduces the work of dozens of painters, discusses the themes that can be found within them and repeatedly asks the question: Why does this painting ‘work’? In what way does it gain its significance and can it convince us? Besides the question of how we look at painting, the book also revolves around the question of how we speak and write about art. If language wants to be of any additional value to an artwork, then it has to be in balance with it; not top-heavy or excessive, but fitting with the contents of the artwork itself.
The exhibition ‘8810 Tampa Avenue’ is organised specifically for this book presentation. Jurriaan Benschop goes into a conversation with Marc Trujillo about his motivation, inspiration, the influence of old masters on looking at painting today and perhaps even the essence of painting. The artist talk aims to also offer insight into the minds of these passionate makers and give specific context to the exhibition. We warmly invite you to the artist talk and the following opening of the exhibition.
Jurriaan Benschop is a Dutch writer and curator based in Berlin and Athens. His book ‘Waarom een schilderij werkt’ will be published in English this spring. He has organised, among others, the exhibitions ‘Taking Root’ (2019-20) at KIT, Düsseldorf (2019-20), ‘Content is a Glimpse’ (2018-19) at Efremids Gallery, Berlin, ‘Re: Imagining Europe’ (2017) at Box Freiraum, Berlin and ‘A Grammar of Gestures’ (2021-22) at Kourd Gallery, Athens. As a guest lecturer, he travels to art academies across Europe and the US for seminars, studio visits and writing workshops.
Marc Trujillo lives and works in Los Angeles, US. With his characteristic clarity and detail, Trujillo paints North American urban and suburban landscapes, architecture and interiors. He has had numerous group- and solo exhibitions across the US and currently exhibits through Hirschl & Adler Modern in New York and Chris Winfield Gallery in Carmel, California. His work is taken up in public and private collections, among which The Monterey Museum of Art, The Crocker Museum of Art, The Long Beach Museum, The Bakersfield Museum of Art and The New Britain Museum of Art.

[@artknarf1]

Very good talk, it is always interesting to hear Marc talk about his own and other paintings. I think that the paintings are enjoyable but not propaganda because of the intent of the artist to not make a political thesis to persuade us of something about the given subject. When I look at the paintings I do feel the artist is on our (the viewer) side, is making these things of our life that we do not often think about or think about only in a narrow way. The paintings have an immediate impact, but also reward extended looking.
The paintings benefit from a high level of fluency and organic painting experience that informs the making. There is a lot to find, the way things connect and the way the eye moves its way about the painting. One feels there are other painterly wisdoms at work beneath the surface, sometimes I have an 'ah-ha!" moment looking at Marc's paintings, like 'oh I see what he did, that is fantastic!" But I also find myself just continuing to look, and wondering just how is it that paintings of fast food establishments and the other places that are void of place and unique character are such compelling paintings.

[@marctrujillo711]

Thank you!