Tessa Perutz’s artworks function as psychological landscapes, touring the fields and valleys of the earth as well as the inner mind. Her works are a testimony to spontaneous exploration: pinpointed with anecdotes, hasty jottings and existential ponderings, Perutz’ oeuvre is shaped by processes of conceptualization and intuition, organically intertwining & informing one another. A recent shift has been made into exploring the body itself as a landscape, depicting human curvature in mirroring the earth’s natural peaks and valleys. But instead of the female figure, so often depicted in the history of art making by male artists, the gaze is shifted to the male form. This is a female-forward contribution to realigning male-driven historical trajectories.
Tessa Perutz (b. 1988, Chicago) received her BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and now lives & works in Brussels and New York. Recent solo exhibitions include “Homme Allongé” at Ballon Rouge Club, Brussels; “Jardin du Midi” at Marie-Laure Fleisch, Brussels; “La Lune Lavande” at Stems Gallery, Brussels; “Sans Souci” at 3-D Foundation, Verbier, CH; “Karma Solaire” at Pablo’s Birthday, New York. Recent group exhibitions include The Drawing Center, New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp; Atlanta Contemporary; Jack Hanley Gallery, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit; Milk Studios, New York; among others. Press includes features in Artforum, The Washington Post, Modern Painters, ArtInfo, Milk Magazine, and Hart Magazine. In addition to her studio practice, Tessa curates Massif Central; a collection of silk scarves by contemporary artists.