Jesse Draxler

Jesse Draxler grew up in a rural town in Wisconsin.[1] His family had an automobile repair service and as a child he used to draw cars, trucks and engines for hours with friends.[2] In first grade, Draxler discovered that he was color blind, being red-green color deficient.[3] He studied at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota. His thesis was on the commodification of subculture through the lens of punk rock, whose primary medium was collage.[4] Draxler began making exhibitions in 2012.[3]

On June 1, 2018, Draxler released the book Misophonia through Sacred Bones. The 100-page art book included a foreword written by musician Greg Puciato.[5][3] On June 15, Draxler and Puciato co-founded the record label and art collective Federal Prisoner.[6]

On September 27, 2018, Draxler premiered a short film at Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa with live score by Emma Ruth Rundle and Evan Patterson.[2]

On September 4, 2020, Draxler released Reigning Cement, an audio-visual project consisting of a 100-page book of photographs and collages paired with a music album formed by audio assets given to thirty-four musicians, who could arrange them at their disposal but only adding vocals, mirroring the sonic equivalent of a collage. Both the visual and audio material was taken from the noisy industrial area outside of Draxler's studio, which is located on the outskirts of Los Angeles.[7] On April 3, Draxler released its first single "Time reign cemenT", featuring Full of Hell vocalist Dylan Walker, alongside a music video premiered on Revolver.[8] On June 12, it was released the second single and video for "Them", featuring electronic band Vowws, through Juxtapoz.[7]

Jesse Draxler is a mixed media and multidisciplinary artist, and his pieces combine painting, photography, collage, typography and digital painting.[1] Among their characteristics are distorting the human form, working in grayscale, and abstract landscapes.[9][1] Writer Kyle Fitzpatrick described his portrayals as "a person mid-question ... Everything is abstracted just slightly, just enough to unnerve and entrance ... [It] feels as if his subjects are slowly focusing and refocusing, trying to become clearer",[10] while artist Mike Carney said that it "is an authentic look into the transitional stasis of a technologically saturated existence, and the lapse of connection, far from bridged within its void."[11]

Jesse Draxler's varied influences include heavy metal and electronic music, Zen literature, automotive machinery, background noise, and films.[2] He says that much of his work "involves directly translating what I hear into what I see."[2] He tends to write and journal extensively before working, believing that "the inception starts with thinking about it or processing an idea in my mind."[4] Before relocating from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in January 2015, Draxler cut out all color and started to work solely in black and white. As a colorblind person, he described his transition as "natural" and felt that it opened up his artistic vision rather than limiting it.[4]

Draxler's work has inspired music by Daniel Davies[12] and Zola Jesus.[13]

• Misophonia (2018)
• Reigning Cement (2020)
• The World is Mine & I'm Thinking About You (2023)

• Official website
• Federal Prisoner