Young and upcoming artist shows unique way of working in solo exhibition at new international gallery Pantocrator.

Shanghai, September 29th 2011 – Dutch artist Jochem Rotteveel (1976) paints with tape and exhibits his unique works in his solo exhibition at Pantocrator Gallery from October 8 – 29. Rotteveel is one of the first artists to work with tape as a painting material. Rotteveel graduated two years ago and currently works in residence at the new Pantocrator Gallery in M50, Shanghai. His solo show ‘Into the unknown’ reflects his artistic research, since Rotteveel goes where no other artist has gone before. Yet it is also about his encounter with a new culture. The Dutch artist already exhibited in international art fairs and galleries in Amsterdam, Berlin and Barcelona and was longlisted twice for the Royal Prize for Painting in the Netherlands. His way of working is unique: Rotteveel applies tape on cardboard and uses it as a painting medium.

Artistic freedom and dialogue at new gallery Pantocrator
Pantocrator Gallery is an international gallery and resides in Barcelona, Berlin and Shanghai. Laura Clemente, founder and owner of the gallery, opened the Shanghai gallery on September 1st with a group exhibition of female drawing artists of various nationalities. Clemente carefully selects artists she wants to work with: ‘The artistic research of the artist is most important’, says Clemente. ‘At Pantocrator Gallery, I want artists to experience artistic freedom, but I would also like them to engage in dialogues with other people. That is the reason I set up an artist in residence program. In the gallery, artists can work and talk with visitors and other artists about their work’.

Jochem Rotteveel uses tape as paint
The first artist to reside in Pantocrator Gallery is Jochem Rotteveel. The Dutch artist only graduated two years ago, yet experienced national and international acclaim for his groundbreaking way of working. Laura Clemente invited the Dutch artist to Shanghai for his innovation and originality. Rotteveel applies tape to cardboard, as if it were a painting medium: ‘I started working with tape when I was still in art school and I wanted to make a large mural installation’, says Rotteveel. ’I applied a large piece of tape to the wall and realized that it was just another way to draw or paint. Feeling sad for the loss of my art works as I couldn’t take the walls with me, I started using cardboard as a canvas. That’s 2.5 years ago now and much has happened since. I developed my own handwriting and started to explore a broader color pallet. I feel the material suits me: it is unconventional, no-nonsense and new.’