Once upon a time, in a land far, far away ...

This exhibition showcases the work of eight international artists. The collection has been curated by Art Consultant and long-time John Jones client Charlotte Artus, and presents the beginning of a fairytale. Viewers are invited to be transported by the images into fantastical landscapes free from the boundaries of everyday life. The artists reject familiar objects and recognisable environments in exchange for supernatural spaces drawn from a different world, time and reality. Through this collection we are able to create our own personal fairytale, finishing a story that the artwork begins. Selected images on display are presented to the finest Museum Standards in John Jones frames. A private view of this collection will take place at John Jones on Wednesday 7th March 6-8:30pm, with the opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine, meet the artists, the curator and the John Jones team. To attend, please RSVP to marketing@johnjones.co.uk.

Artists

Stanislao di Giugno - Stanislao di Giugno works in sculpture, painting, collage, and installation in order to put his own conceptual spin on modern observations. In this exhibition, paintings of dilapidated architecture discovered in Sardinia are displayed alongside abstract paintings that suggest space and the universe.

Tilo Kaiser - A London based, German artist who works primarily with doodles, papers and collage to create narrative canvases which comment on popular culture and consumerism.

Flavio de Marco - Flavio's artistic practice is centred on the dilemma of how to paint a landscape today, in the digital age. In his series on paper, Flavio has worked plein-air to create landscapes resonant with the common language of computers and internet browser windows.

David Micheaud – David is a contemporary painter from St. Alban’s. His painting ‘Smoke Detector’ presents a new world which is at once familiar, mundane, remote and unsettling, whilst the ‘Fog Series’ blurs the line between reality and illusion in a white, blank world.

Simone Pellegrini – This Italian artist intends to create artwork which embodies organic energy that we can feel and sense but not see. For the artist, this is the layer of life between heaven and earth.

Federico Pietrella - Federico’s paintings mark the passage of time. In the series ‘Date Stamp Paintings’, the artist creates work using a traditional date stamp turned to the date on which he is working, together they mark the passage of his own life.

Soichiro Shimizu - Soichiro’s work is a unique fusion of action and meditation, nature and artifice. The artist draws from Japanese, American and European painting traditions to create original artwork that embraces art history but also transcends it.

Alessandra Spranzi - Our acknowledgement of the world often stops once we have recognised and understood our environment. In the series ‘Cose che Accadono (Things That Happen)’, Alessandra creates vignettes that skew these automatic perceptions, and challenge our thought processes.
 

Christmas Exhibition and Pop Up Shop

John Jones are pleased to present our Christmas Pop-Up shop 2011, showcasing works by three diverse Danish artists. This exhibition presents a selection of striking lithographic prints by Erik Steffensen, Malene Landgreen and Lars Nørgård, demonstrating their unique styles and visual languages. The works will be exhibited alongside key pieces from the John Jones contemporary art collection, chosen to complement the print selection and create a warm, festive space. These affordable prints have been selected as beautiful and creative Christmas gifts, and are presented in the finest quality John Jones frame designs.

Erik Steffensen finds inspiration in art history and trips abroad to Japan, USA, Australia and China. The artist constructs depth by applying a monochrome colour filter to his photographs, resulting in mystifying and intriguing images. Steffensen manipulates lighting, colour and angles to change the expression and atmosphere in these ‘spiritual images’. John Jones have mounted the prints in a raised lay-on design to give a floating impression, and finished the frames with a delicate white wash and UV Perspex glazing.

Malene Landgreen works within a nonfigurative picture universe, exploring colour, surface and composition. The colour combinations and forms that Landgreen presents are constructed in relation to a specific space, setting or artist, resulting in an interesting abstract language. The prints have been presented in a book mount design, protected with UV Perspex glazing and presented in museum standard wooden frames, finished with an antique white spray.

Lars Nørgård’s style and visual language has been influenced by his studies in the USA, where he was inspired by the work of Willem De Kooning, and in Denmark, where he developed a more figurative, allegorical style. Nørgård is now producing works that contain both abstract and surreal elements, an energetic expression without complete explanation. John Jones have presented these prints in a book mount layout, and framed the works in dark, red-tinted wood to complement the rich, vibrant colourings in the work.

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Chimera - Curated by Annika Erikson

We are in the midst of preparations for the next exhibition in the John Jones gallery space. Curated by Annika Erikson, ‘Chimera’ brings together the work of Lela Shields, Juliette Losq and Axel Forrester in a show which moves between reality and fantasy, the elegant and the gruesome. Originating in Greek Mythology, the term ‘chimera’ has evolved to refer to any mythical creature with parts taken from various animals, or something that is hoped for but in fact is impossible to achieve.
 

Lela Shields draws inspiration from Europe’s 17th century cabinets of curiosity - ‘with their sense of displaced origin, romantic oddity, and ambiguous narrative, these collections opened up the same spaces I am always searching to reveal in my own work’.
 

Juliette Losq’s work explores the notion of ‘the clearing’, where wilderness meets civilisation, and where we feel at our most safe and yet most vulnerable.
 

Axel Forrester’s film and video work is made up of complex layers of image and meaning, contemplating the space between worlds and the unnatural state of contemporary society.
 

Initiating its journey in theatre, the sculpture and installation by Lightning and Kinglyface combines design sensitivity with an exploration of the unexpected.

The show is open from 19th October until 30th November, 2011.

The John Jones exhibition space is a not for profit gallery which provides exciting emerging talent with the opportunity to showcase their work to John Jones staff, clients and the visiting public.

John Jones New Acquisitions Collection

Since John Jones first began in the 1960s, we have built a permanent in-house collection of artwork which reflects the wide variety of clients and contacts that we work with. Our current exhibition features a selection of the latest additions to this collection, offering a range of mediums from artists at varying career stages. At Front of House, four prints from the ‘Common Sense’ series by photographer Martin Parr offer a critical, seductive and humorous commentary on the modern day, and the cultural legacy we will leave behind for future generations. In the gallery space, ‘On the Loire’ by Sue Callister depicts a beautiful visual narrative that evokes a strong emotional response of calm and serenity, whilst established creative talent Linda McCartney transports viewers into the untamed and unposed beauty of nature in her large-scale dramatic piece ‘stallion and standing stone’. The collection also features two works by Russian photographer Sergei Vasiliev. These images are part of a much larger collection displayed at the Russian Criminal Tattoo exhibition by FUEL design & publishing, which documented the tattoos of hundreds of prison inmates. These beautiful images humanise the hardship and heartbreak behind the illustrated flesh. The painted artwork on display includes the likes of Chilean artist Maria Luisa Hernandez. Now a resident at the Prince’s Drawing School, her powerful landscapes balance colour and light to suggest and insinuate form and environment. In stark contrast stands the bright and bold composition of Howard Dyke, who uses charged media imagery as a basis for abstract works that transform and evolve before our eyes. The exhibition also features works on paper by Martina Schmuecker and Caline Aoun, who both recently exhibited in ‘Friendship of the peoples’ at Simon Oldfield Gallery, an exhibition focusing on the power of the poster as a tool of mass communication. We are also delighted to display a selection of drawings by Hajra Waheed from her latest series ‘Anouchian Passport Portraits’. Waheed’s works are built around referencing historic archives, and these painstakingly produced drawings slowly reveal the faces of a disappeared era in Lebanon history. All of the works in this show are complimented by a beautifully designed collection of mirrors by our Framing Consultant Dean Phipps, which work to create interesting reflections across the gallery, enhancing the space and the works within it.

Julie Cockburn - The Foul Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart 23rd June - 2nd August

Our not-for-profit exhibition space provides an experimental platform for young artists and established artists exploring new directions. The space is open to the public Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

Julie Cockburn’s mixed media works transform idealised models of their time, carefully obliterating them with collaged or stitched bindings. As if highlighting something invisible in the original text, Cockburn reveals a drama of the everyman through a manipulation of found photographic and painted portraits. Retrieving characters from obscurity, Cockburn takes ownership of their fates, cherishing them and creating something monstrously exquisite:

“ There is something that happens beyond my control…it is greater than the sum of its simple parts, becoming a new image with a new history to unfurl and, by association, a new memory. Perhaps it is something about the vulnerability of being human that I am trying to address."

Traditionally portraiture was used to convey the status of the depicted: their role, their beauty, their assets, their power, how we wish others to see and think of us. However Cockburn denies the viewer the ability to connect with the subjects in this way. The people that are scarred and scored into are riddles of identity. The works are meticulous, carefully sourced and appropriated. Playing with contrasts between mass-produced and hand crafted, perfection and deformity, Cockburn’s pieces project a macabre quiet, fragile, fragmented and very human condition.

We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work with Julie on this show and are thrilled to host a solo show at John Jones, as part of her prize for winning the Salon Art Prize 2011. To get further information about the artist please click on the following link.

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City & Islington College student photographic show at John Jones

Our not-for-profit exhibition space provides an experimental platform for young artists and established artists exploring new directions. The space is open to the public Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

We are delighted to support City & Islington College's emerging photographers with their photographic show from 15th to 18th June 2011. Working in a range of styles and subject matter, this showcase of images represents the culmination of two years spent developing their abilities through the course’s vocational style programme of study. This final body of work serves as a public announcement of their arrival as professional photographers.

To support The Teenage Cancer Trust, the students are staging a charity print auction at the private view from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday 15th June 2011. 12 Lots will be on offer on the evening at a Live Auction starting at 6.45pm.With prices starting at £30, buyers will have the opportunity to acquire a beautiful and unique framed Fine Art print by an up and coming photographic talent whilst simultaneously supporting the important work of this fantastic charity.

The works to be auctioned will be on public display at John Jones from 13th until 15th June. Alternatively all of the prints can be viewed at Print Auction where secure advance bids can also be left by those who can’t make it on the evening.

For more information please click here or here or to place a bid please click here

The Birthday Party by Vee Speers

Our not-for-profit exhibition space provides an experimental platform for young artists and established artists exploring new directions. The space is open to the public Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

John Jones was delighted to present ‘The Birthday Party’, a collection of portraits by female contemporary photographer Vee Speers on display from 13th April until 8th June 2011. Linked by the thread of an imaginary party, the exhibition presented a series of short stories in a world ruled and occupied by children.

Costumed in fancy-dress outfits of adulthood, the children stare openly into the camera, apparently exposed and yet revealing little of themselves. Through these images, Speers addresses a collective human experience of war, and our need to retreat from it into a fantasy world of discovery and role-play. The characters portrayed here respond on different levels to various symbols of conflict, suggesting an uncertain future to today’s paranoid society.

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Sally Potter RAGE

Our not-for-profit exhibition space provides an experimental platform for young artists and established artists exploring new directions. The space is open to the public Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

We were proud and delighted to show a selection of work by the award-winning film director Sally Potter, whose film work includes the Oscar-nominated ORLANDO in 1993 and her most recent film, RAGE, the first feature to premiere on mobile phones. Potter is also a photographer who often shoots portraits of the actors in her films. A selection of these portraits were first shown in 2010 in New York to coincide with MoMA’s retrospective of Potter’s film and video work. All works are available to purchase as editions.

The exhibition at John Jones included portraits of Judi Dench, Jude Law and Lily Cole, as well as New York actors Steve Buscemi, Dianne Wiest, Bob Balaban and John Leguizamo, all taken on the set of RAGE, using a cellphone camera. To conclude this successful collaboration, on Tuesday 5th April 2011, we were delighted to host an insightful Q & A session with the artist and Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery.

An initial conversation between Sally and Sandy took place in September 2010, concerning the nature of truth in portraiture of actors. The evening’s discussion and the images on display questioned the nature of portraiture as revelatory, highlighted that our personalities are not fixed entities, and provided the audience at John Jones with a unique insight into the working mind of this celebrated film-maker.

www.sallypotter.com

www.johnjones.co.uk

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House of Fairytales - John Jones Permanent Collection complimented by Ali Miller Pop-up Shop

Our not-for-profit exhibition space provides an experimental platform for young artists and established artists exploring new directions. The space is open to the public Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

In December 2010, John Jones was proud to exhibit a selection of artwork taken from our own permanent collection, which has been built up throughout our forty years in operation. This includes work from different nationalities, genres and mediums, representing our diverse client spectrum.

The exhibition was curated in response to an Ali Miller pop-up shop on display in the John Jones Front of House, a quirky and timeless collection of artworks, prints, ceramics and cards. Works from our contemporary collection were exhibited alongside individual pieces from Miller’s ‘House of Fairytales’ 22 printed boxed set, which combined to evoke memories of childhood and the magical creatures born out of our imaginations.

The artworks on display included several works by Abigail Lane, inspired by Victorian magic shows and circuses. Lane’s screen print over gold foil images of a circus, clown and elephant sparkled under the gallery spotlights, and her print ‘Nature’s way’ 2010 sat well within the theme of the show. Paula Rego’s fairy tale inspired work often has a dark, sinister edge, as she depicts animals in human roles and situations. Isaac Julien’s light box ‘True North Series: Ice Project Work No.5’ 2004, was also on display in our ‘grotto’ surrounded by mirrors creating beautiful light reflections around the space and a true child-like and imaginative atmosphere.
 

Yuval Hen and Laurence Stevens - The Love We Lost

Our not-for-profit exhibition space provides an experimental platform for young artists and established artists exploring new directions. The space is open to the public Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm and Saturday 10am to 3pm.

‘The love we lost’ is an original series of images conceived and created around the two main subjects of women and memory, based on ‘unrequited love for a relationship that never was’. This exhibition was the result of a two year creative collaboration between Israeli born fashion photographer Yuval Hen, and Art Director Laurence Stevens.
“These photographic images have been created digitally using a technique that I have been experimenting with over the past 6 years. After using a number of different cameras, I finally settled on using a Hasselblad H2 with a digital back as this gave me the exact quality that I was seeking for my ‘lost’ images.”

The texture and dreamlike quality of the images is created entirely in the camera, with no post-production work, and Yuval uses digital technology and natural light to capture images whilst retaining the quality of a traditional portrait. The images were also complimented by poignant typographic phrases and subtle graphic touches added by Laurence, at the final stage of print development.

“The wonderful thing about the type lines that Laurence creates and adds to my images, is that I have no idea what he’s going to do until the final stage, but his words always seem to fit so perfectly with my images, which definitely helps to transport them into much more of a darker area.”