Between Water and Sky – Hijack's Work Seen Through the Blue Lens
The color blue plays a significant role in Hijack's most recent body of work. This viewing room discusses the various meanings of his use of the color by looking at a selection of artworks from the exhibition 'Hijack: Beyond the Frame' at Galerie Adrienne Desbiolles Zurich (September 4 – November 4, 2024).
"Immerse yourself in a narrative that blends imagination and reality." – Hijack
Within the two-dimensional confines of the canvas, a painter uses colors to produce an illusion of the three-dimensional world. Hijack goes even beyond that and creates imaginative artworks that transgress the borders of the frame. By bending, destroying, and rearranging his frames and canvases, the artist blurs the line between the depicted and the real, pushing artistic limits and challenging the status quo.
By using the motifs of both water and sky, Hijack enhances the illusion that something more exists beneath the surface, endowing each artwork with an additional dimension. With his experimental and innovative approach to contemporary art, the artist invites the viewer to explore the intersection of reality and illusion.
Following in the footsteps of renowned Belgian painter René Magritte, Hijack cleverly integrates vast dreamy skyscapes into his visionary pieces. In the spirit of the Surrealists, the bright blue skies filled with fluffy clouds could symbolize dreams, the subconscious mind, or the intangible nature of thoughts and ideas.
"If I have any vision at all, it's because I’ve stood on the shoulders of giants – that's generally how I feel about the old masters. I have many influences but off the top of my head, Caravaggio and Magritte have really inspired me: Caravaggio for his craftsmanship and Magritte for his ideas." – Hijack
Hijack's refreshing homages to old master paintings are a testament to his unrelenting creativity. With the desire to expand his artistic range, the young artist underwent classical training in oil painting. The results are meticulously painted, anonymous figures playfully interacting with famous art-historical motifs by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, René Magritte, Pablo Picasso, or Keith Haring.
"Aside from being my way of paying homage to the old masters, I had a playful desire to modernize or interpret the artwork, or even as a way to challenge and experiment with traditional artistic norms. It provides me with a platform to engage in dialogues with art history and explore themes of continuity and innovation in the field of visual arts." – Hijack
Breaking Borders
Hijack's latest works transcend the borders of the frame in order to create a new surprising narrative beyond the two-dimensional. In his series 'I Prefer Clouds,' the soft light blue color of the sky gives the viewer the impression of peace and tranquility, while at the same time the artist radically overpaints and 'wipes out' the surface of the original painting.
"I believe that breaking boundaries is essential for fostering innovation and bringing about change in the world." – Hijack
I Prefer Clouds II, 2024, Acrylic, Oil, and Spray Paint on Woodcut. Copyright: GAD Zurich.
What Lies Underneath
The life-size sculpture 'Hooked on Art' skillfully references Monet's masterpiece, exploring the intersection of reality and illusion.
"I envisioned a canvas lying flat on the ground, transformed into a dynamic colorscape with water so meticulously painted that it invites viewers to question its authenticity. [...] Ultimately, this sculpture is about the tension between seeing and believing, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in a narrative that blends imagination and reality." – Hijack
Hooked on Art, 2024, Acrylic, Oil, and Spray Paint on Fiberglass and Canvas. Copyright: GAD Zurich.
Head in the Clouds
'The Flip Side' shows the artist’s faceless alter ego immersing himself in Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night.'
"The hooded character is often portrayed negatively, so I chose to make it my muse to challenge stereotypes and subvert expectations. This character is not a person but a metaphor for reclaiming the narrative and making it your own, which is why it is called 'Hijack.' The absence of a face allows the character to embody anyone and everyone, making it universally relatable." – Hijack
The Flip Side, 2023, Acrylic, Oil, and Spray Paint on Woodcut. Copyright: GAD Zurich.
Paint It Blue
'Love Riot' is a striking tribute to the famous street artist Banksy seen from another perspective. The dynamic posture of the 'protester' attacking the bleak forest landscape with bright paint implies anger and frustration. However, by replacing a stone, a Molotov cocktail, or a bomb with a cloudy splash of blue paint, Hijack is advocating peace rather than violence. The powerful message "make peace, not war" is fitting in a time when numerous conflicts divide the world.
Love Riot, 2024, Acrylic, Oil, and Spray Paint on Woodcut. Copyright: GAD Zurich.
The Blue Wave
In 'Catching Waves,' Hijack references the most famous color woodcut in the history of Japanese art. The woodcut 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' depicts the immense power of a deep blue tsunami wave near the town of Kanagawa. It is part of the series '36 Views of Mount Fuji,' in which Hokusai used the newly imported synthetic Prussian blue from Germany. This vibrant and long-lasting dark blue masterfully highlights the strength and intensity of the image.
Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa-oki Nami Ura), 1831, Woodblock Print.
Catching Waves, 2024, Acrylic, Oil, and Spray Paint on Woodcut. Copyright: GAD Zurich.
"I never get tired of the blue sky." – Vincent Van Gogh
"If I don't have red, I use blue." – Pablo Picasso
"If you see a tree as blue, then make it blue." – Paul Gaugin
"Blue has no dimensions, it is beyond dimensions." – Yves Klein
