About
Jay Gard understands sculpture as a form of communication between people, a physical language that operates beyond words. Objects are never neutral: when humans shape matter, they inscribe intention, value and memory into it. A curve, a design, a gesture in material can create attachment, orientation, even belonging, like a knife. Observing the history of ornament and the use of material, Gard’s work asks why humans insist on shaping the world around them and how form becomes charged with identity. His sculptures are carriers of relation, moments where material, movement and human intention converge into a language that can be felt before it is understood.
Jay Gard (1984, Halle/Saale) grew up in Chemnitz in the late GDR. Shaped by a world where design, objects and built form carried social meaning, both of his parents worked as designers. He studied in Leipzig and, after graduating, spent two years working in the studio of the american artist Tom Sachs in New York and later Thomas Demands in Berlin, an experience that profoundly sharpened his understanding of material and objects from a wide range of sides. Gard lives and works in Berlin, where he continues to develop a sculptural language centered on rhythm, structure and the expressive potential of form. He is also co-curator of the Berlin project space BcmA.
Selected Exhibitions
2026 — Kunsthaus Potsdam, Potsdam (with Anna Haifisch)
2025 — Pilane Heritage Museum, Hällungstad, Sweden (with Ugo Rondinone)
2024 — Chemnitz 2025, European Capital of Culture
2020 — Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin (solo)
2019 — Museum Gunzenhauser, Chemnitz (solo)
2019 — Bauhaus Museum, Dessau
2017 — Skulpturen Triennale, Bingen am Rhein
2017 — Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center, Vilnius (solo)
2016 — Bauhaus Foundation, Dessau
2015 — Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen
2014 — Marta Herford, Herford
Representation / Collaborations
Kornfeld Galerie, Berlin
FS.ART, Bodensee
Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen
Grölle Galerie, Wuppertal
AishoNanzuka, Hong Kong / Tokyo
Email: news @ jaygard . de
CV
Lives and works in Berlin
Co-curator, BcmA, Berlin (since 2022)
Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig (HGB), Diploma, Class for Installation and Space, Prof. Joachim Blank (2011)
Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig (HGB), Class for Installation and Space, Prof. Joachim Blank (2008–11)
Assistant, Studio Thomas Demand, Berlin (2009)
Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), Sculpture Class, Prof. Florian Slotawa (2008)
Assistant, Studio Tom Sachs, New York (2006–08)
Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, Painting, Prof. Thomas Rug (2004–06)
Born in Halle (Saale), grew up in Chemnitz (1984)
Awards
2026 — CCA Andratx Residency, Mallorca
2023 — CCA Andratx Residency, Mallorca
2019 — Bauhaus 100-year Jubilee Residency, Dessau
2019 — Art Grant, Kunstfonds Foundation, Bonn
2019 — Exhibition Grant for “Gabriele”, KdFS (Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen)
2017 — Exhibition Grant for “It’s the Frame Not the Painting”, Goethe-Institut Lithuania
2016 — Artist in Residence, Nida Art Colony (Vilnius Academy of Arts), Lithuania
Publications
2023 — “Unikat XVII”, artist monograph, Art Magazin
2019 — “Jay Gard: Form und Farbe”, artist monograph, Lubok Verlag
2017 — “Zeichen unter Zeichen”, exhibition catalog, Sexauer Gallery
2013 — “Jay Gard”, exhibition catalog, Sexauer Gallery
2011 — “Jay Gard: Solo”, artist monograph, self-published
Solo Exhibitions
2026 — “Fell und Stahl” (duo with Anna Haifisch), Kunsthaus Potsdam
2026 — “Fandango”, Galerie Grölle, Düsseldorf
2025 — “On Life, the Universe and Everything Else” (duo with Wolfgang Flad), A Pick Gallery, Torino, Italy
2024 — “Ornament als Versprechen” (duo with Jan Tichy), Kornfeld Galerie, Berlin
2024 — “Anything Is Everything”, Galerie Grölle, Wuppertal
2023 — “Ornaments from Earth”, FS.ART, Bodensee
2023 — “The Beginning of Shaping”, 69Salon at Galerie Kornfeld, Berlin
2023 — “Sculpture-Scribbles”, Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark
2022 — “Through the Gard-Glass”, KanyaKage, Berlin
2021 — “Curves”, Warte für Kunst, Kassel
2021 — “Circles”, GRIMMWELT, Kassel
2020 — “We Built This City”, Haus am Lützowplatz (IG Metall exhibition space), Berlin
2020 — “Møbel”, Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark
2019 — “Gabriele”, Museum Gunzenhauser, Chemnitz
2018 — “Colors”, Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark
2017 — “Zeichen unter Zeichen”, Sexauer Gallery, Berlin
2017 — “It’s the Frame Not the Painting”, Jonas Mekas Visual Arts Center, Vilnius, Lithuania
2016 — “Making Things Makes Us Human”, Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark
2015 — “Wrong History”, Sexauer Gallery, Berlin
2015 — “Jay Gard”, Galerie Oelfrüh Cabinet, Hamburg
2014 — “Everybody’s Moving”, Galerie B2, Leipzig
2013 — “Jay Gard”, Sexauer Gallery, Berlin
2013 — “J.G.P.C. — The Jay Gard Picture Collection”, we make it, Berlin
2011 — “FunHouse”, Universal Cube, Leipzig
2008 — “Hammertime”, UFO Galerie, Halle (Saale)
2008 — “Double Gard”, Half Gallery, New York, USA
Group Exhibitions
2025 — Pilane Skulpturenpark, Sweden
2025 — Skulpturenpark Schlossgut Schwante, Oberkrämer
2025 — Hofskulptur, Galerie Kornfeld, Berlin
2025 — “Sicht Beton”, Werkbau, Chemnitz
2025 — “AI”, MaHalla, Berlin
2025 — “Was ist, wenn es gut läuft?”, Bahnhof Zoo, Berlin
2024 — “X”, Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen
2024 — “Audre Lord Str.”, Mars, Frankfurt
2024 — “hundert 3yy”, Red Ger Gallery, Ulaanbaatar
2024 — “Purple Path”, Skulpturenpark, Chemnitz–Olbernhau
2024 — “Spektrale”, Skulpturenpark, TU Wildau
2024 — “Intersections”, AishoNanzuka, Hong Kong
2023 — Skulpturenpark Schloss Düneck, Hamburg
2023 — “Bau Kunst”, Galerie Borchardt, Hamburg
2023 — “Body Language”, Galerie Kornfeld, Berlin
2023 — “Curator’s Choice II”, FS.ART, Berlin
2023 — “Bottom Up”, Kühlhaus, Berlin
2022 — “Out There Again”, Skulpturenpark, Metzdorf
2022 — “Clash Valencia Berlin”, BcmA Galerie, Berlin
2022 — “New Positions”, Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen
2021 — “Gods and Monsters”, Kunstverein Montez, Frankfurt
2021 — “Bei uns. Bei euch!”, Alexander Ochs Private, Berlin
2020 — “Skulpturenpark Schlossgut Schwante”, Oberkrämer
2020 — “Transformale”, Rechenzentrum, Potsdam
2020 — “Planet B”, BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt, Berlin
2019 — “Habitat”, JGM Gallery, London, United Kingdom
2019 — “Salon Hansa: InterINTIMES_AutoPORTRAIT”, Lachenmann Art, Konstanz
2019 — “Salon Hansa: InterINTIMES_AutoPORTRAIT”, Lachenmann Art, Frankfurt
2019 — “Coming Home — Neues von Ehemaligen”, Galerie Borssenanger, Chemnitz
2019 — “Vienna Contemporary” (Sexauer booth), Vienna, Austria
2019 — “Sculpture Garden”, Galerie Lisa Kandelhofer, Vienna, Austria
2019 — “FRAME / ing”, Axel Obiger Galerie, Berlin
2019 — “Zeit, sich zu berauschen — eine Essenz”, Salon Gallery, Berlin
2019 — “Die Zukunft ist das neue Ding”, Kunststiftung Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle (Saale)
2019 — “Il est temps de s’enivrer | Zeit, sich zu berauschen”, bamhaus, Luxembourg
2019 — “Looking For Dick”, Schau Fenster, Berlin
2019 — “All Out”, Kwadrat, Berlin
2019 — “Grand Opening”, Bauhaus Museum, Dessau
2019 — “Art Brussels” (Sexauer booth), Brussels, Belgium
2019 — “Art Rotterdam” (Sexauer booth), Rotterdam, Netherlands
2019 — “Art Herning” (Gether Contemporary booth), Herning, Denmark
2018 — “art berlin” (Sexauer booth), Flughafen Tempelhof, Berlin
2018 — “Hunters & Collectors”, Wunderkammer Zitadelle Spandau, Berlin
2018 — “Melting Point” (double solo with Michelle Jezierski), Kunst und Denker, Düsseldorf
2018 — “Biennale Ansbach Contemporary”, Gotische Halle, Ansbach
2018 — “demi-gros”, Safe Gallery at les Valseuses, Berlin
2018 — “Ein Turm von Unmöglichkeiten”, König Galerie, Berlin
2018 — “Ave Magazine #2”, Kunstraum SUPER, Vienna, Austria
2017 — “La Table ronde”, DISKURS, Berlin
2017 — “Skulpturen Triennale Bingen 2017 — Nah und Fern”, Bingen am Rhein
2017 — “MEGABOCK”, Uferhallen Wedding, Berlin
2017 — “lower color”, Botschaft, Uferhallen Wedding, Berlin
2017 — “Golden Ass”, Laden für Nichts, Leipzig
2017 — “Art Rotterdam” (Open Air Section), Rotterdam, Netherlands
2017 — “SMALL — an exploration of miniature”, Sexauer Gallery, Berlin
2017 — “Art Herning”, Gether Contemporary, Herning, Denmark
2016 — “Salon der Gegenwart”, Hamburg
2016 — “The Shape of Things to Come”, Gether Contemporary, Copenhagen, Denmark
2016 — “Große Pläne” (art in public), Bauhaus Foundation, Dessau
2016 — “Lithomania”, Schaufenster, Berlin
2015 — “Arcadia Unbound”, Funkhaus, Berlin
2015 — “c_d_s”, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin
2015 — “Schlaraffenland”, Hilbertraum, Berlin
2015 — “Spring Exhibition”, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Copenhagen, Denmark
2014 — “Schlaraffenland” (Gard’s RecordPlayers #1–#5), Alte Börse Marzahn, Berlin
2014 — “Booster Art.Sound.Machine.”, Museum Marta Herford, Herford
2014 — “Pitch2”, Kanzlei BaumgartenBrandt, Berlin
2013 — “Nietenblätter”, kjubh Kunstverein, Köln
2013 — “SSIIEE three”, Berlin
2012 — “Feldzug”, Galerie Oehl Frueh, Hamburg
2012 — “Neuzugänge zeitgenössischer Kunst im Kunstfonds”, Vertretung des Freistaates Sachsen beim Bund, Berlin
2012 — “Kunst am Sarg”, Loftwerk, Nürnberg
2012 — “WinWin”, Halle 14, Leipzig
2011 — “Woodanfall”, Loyal Arts Club, Kassel
2011 — “VEGA Collection #2”, Unicredit Kunstraum, München
2011 — “Diplomandenausstellung”, Werkschauhalle, Leipzig
2010 — “Verwohnung”, Galerie Emmanuel Post, Leipzig
2010 — “Pavillon X”, Galerie Jakopice, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2010 — “Genuine Summerhole”, Schillerpalais, Berlin
2010 — “The forever ending story #5”, Museum of Art & Ideas, Hamburg
2009 — “Blokkade”, Galerie der AdBK, Stuttgart
2009 — “Décohérence”, Sortie d’Artistes, Rennes, France
2009 — “Volume IV — things we do”, Universal Cube, Leipzig
2009 — “Early Work”, Galerie Kubasta, Hamburg
2008 — “Wore”, Jack The Pelican Presents, New York, USA
Credits
© 2026 Jay Gard. Website by Fuchs Borst.