Jeremy Couillard

Follow curious creatures across galactic vistas, pixelated gaming maps, and streetscapes in Jeremy Couillard’sFuzz Spiral. A rat-dog in a witch’s hat holds court with a reptilian mutant amidst a flurry of stardust; a disembodied head rhythmically nods from a veranda; a starship spirals across surreal and vivid paper collage terrain. As Fuzz Spiral appears on the digital screens of Times Square, viewers are transported into fantastical worlds and new dimensions of color and light.The images of Fuzz Spiral (2021) come from Fuzz Dungeon, a video game the painter and self-taught new media artist released earlier this summer. Fuzz Dungeon takes players through fifteen surreal levels of what Couillard describes as “absurdist human history” to find an amulet — a Sasquatch Sex Amulet, to be more precise — in order to return to reality. Oscillating between wonder and awe, confusion and uncertainty, the player never knows where they will go next and with whom as they are propelled through phantasmagorical game spaces.In conjunction with Couillard’s Midnight Moment, Daata will present Sasquatch Sex Amulet and Other Objects from the Fuzz Spiral, an online exhibition and merch store which serves as a continuation of Couillard’s Fuzz Spiral universe."This exhibition is a little store of digital and physical objects that relate to the world inside the video game and reflect on the panoramic screening of the gameworld in nighttime atmosphere of the hyper commercialized, bright light whirl of Times Square.I haven't been going beyond the confines of my work/home borders much lately. When I meet new people it's hard to get much of a converstation going beyond the news or weather of real estate. Maybe if I had a shirt with a monster on it or a tote with a question or bold statement to turn the small talk into something more nuanced? Maybe new connections can still happen and stop everything from spiraling away into a fuzzy mess."— Jeremy Couillard, artistABOUT JEREMY COUILLARDJeremy Couillard, (b. 1980, Livonia, MI) lives and works in New York City. He graduated in 2012 from Columbia University with an MFA in painting. Recent solo shows and commissions include Fuzz Dungeon, Denny Dimin Gallery, New York; Self Portrait As A Dingus, The Bass x Daata, Miami; ALIEN AFTERLIFE, yours mine & ours, New York; Totem 1.0, Art Los Angeles Contemporary, Los Angeles; THE VISCOUS VALLEY, Zhulong Gallery, Dallas; and MY TIME IN THE CULT OF MELTING ANCESTORS, Louis B. James, New York. Couillard has exhibited internationally including The Rotterdam Film Festival, Rotterdam, Netherlands; Trafo, Szczecin, Poland; the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center with Ben Hall, New York, NY. He recently completed a virtual reality video presented by the New Museum and Rhizome. Couillard’s work has been featured in Artforum, Frieze, VICE, Hyperallergic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Observer, Blouin ArtInfo, Art in America and more. In 2017 he was awarded the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Digital Media. Couillard is Professor of New Media at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York.ABOUT DAATAFounded in 2015, Daata is the leading online gallery for discovering, streaming and collecting digital artworks. Daata is a platform for experiencing the best contemporary digital art from the comfort of your own home. Daata commissions exclusive original artworks directly from emerging and established international artists as well as hosting world-renowned Gallery Partners. Daata has collaborated internationally with museums, collections, art fairs, festivals and other organisations including: NASA, Hammer Museum, Kiasma, Julia Stoschek Collection, The Bass, Helsinki Biennial, MOCAD, Art Basel, Frieze, EXPO CHICAGO, Phillips, Independent Art Fair, NADA, Art Fair Philippines, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, and Art Cologne.Daata.art / instagram.com/daata.art / twitter.com/daataart