Known primarily as an abstract artist, Jacob Van Schalkwyk uses lithographic ink as a medium for drawing and painting. His work on paper and aluminum conflates the distinction between drawing, painting, printmaking, and low relief sculpture. This series of lithographic drawings offer a nuanced look into the science of color theory, more specifically how a viewer’s eye responds to variations of hue.
Jacob van Schalkwyk (b.1979) holds his BFA in Drawing from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and a MAVA in Sculpture from Stellenbosch University. He spent 9 years in New York City experimenting with audio and visual performance techniques. Highlights include two stints as visiting artist at CalArts in 2005 and 2006, performing at Central Park Summerstage, the Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2006, and touring South Africa with The Last Poets, also in 2006. He returned to South Africa – and to drawing – in 2008, where he exhibited regularly at GALLERY AOP and DKP in Johannesburg between 2011 and 2018. He fronted the Afrikaans punk band Jaco+Z-dog from 2009-2011. His novel The Alibi Club was published in Afrikaans and English by Penguin Random House in 2014. Van Schalkwyk is a research affiliate of the University of Stellenbosch, where he served as Head of Fine Arts between 2019-2020.