SLIPKNOT's JAY WEINBERG Announces Debut Solo Art Exhibition, 'A Hollow Realm'

SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg has announced his debut solo art exhibition, "A Hollow Realm".

On July 7 at Rampart Studios Gallery (2520 Sunset Blvd.) in Los Angeles, Weinberg be displaying a collection of oil paintings for the first time since he began this body of work eight years ago.

Jay said: "'A Hollow Realm' is a body of work that contains 14 paintings I've made over the last eight years. Whether set within the beauty of the natural world, or in complete darkness, each painting's subject tells a part of a personal narrative that explores themes of connection and isolation. The visceral emotions of vulnerability, comfort, lust, and anxiety. Love found and love lost. Others explore the mysterious connection to nature I've felt since an early age, wandering amongst the trees and streams in the backwoods of rural New Jersey.

"Each piece took between 30 and 100 hours to complete and serves as a touchstone of this methodical practice in understanding and moving beyond the emotional turning points of my life that have led me to where I am today.

"It's a pleasure to finally share these works with you. Please join us on July 7th in Los Angeles for the physical exhibition of this body of work.

"AND — for those who *can't* attend the physical show…don't worry. @opticnerve_io and I are preparing a virtual environment where you'll be able to partake in the festivities from anywhere in the world. More on that soon…"

Jay discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father Max, of Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND, and leader of the house band on Conan O'Brien's talk show. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Joey Jordison in 2013.

For the first few months after the release of 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter", the members of SLIPKNOT had declined to name the musicians who were playing drums and bass on their tour, despite the fact that their identities were revealed as Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella by a disgruntled former drumtech for SLIPKNOT who posted a picture of a backstage call sheet on Instagram.

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Jordison passed away "peacefully in his sleep" in July 2021 of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.

Asked in a 2016 interview with Music Radar how respectful he felt he had to be to Joey's legacy, and how much he felt he was free to make it his own, Weinberg said: "Having a massive respect for the band's music, having a massive respect for Joey Jordison as a person and as a player, I understood my role in needing to deliver what this band needs, and understanding what Joey brought to the table, and having this band's legacy continue in the way that the Maggots, the fans of the band, respect, and the nine of us feeling proud of the music we're creating.

"Of course, the history of the band feeds into what I think of the band, but when it came time to come up with new material, new songs, I didn't think about Joey Jordison one bit," he continued. "And I feel it would be disrespectful to do that, and the band wanted me to be completely myself. Because why would I want to be Joey Jordison, why would I try to mimic what he's done?

"Joey's one of the greatest drummers we've ever had the privilege of witnessing. So as a fan of the band and someone who respects the people and the music, I didn't want to come in and try to be a copycat. That's not interesting to me, that's not interesting to the band and it would be insulting to everyone involved, including the fans."

Prior to joining SLIPKNOT, Weinberg was a member of AGAINST ME!, having played with the Florida-based act from November 2010 until December 2012.

Weinberg joined AGAINST ME! shortly after he was ousted from MADBALL and following the departure of AGAINST ME!'s previous sticksman, George Rebelo.

In May 2013, Weinberg filled in for KVELERTAK drummer Kjetil Gjermundrod during the band's North American tour because Gjermundrod had to bow out of the run after experiencing significant pain in his arm.