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30/3/2011

Matt Jones

Freight + Volume, New York

How and when does an image transcend its roots and become emblematic - a symbol for an entire generation or movement? What constitutes an archetype for a universal language - one instantly recognizable, and equally embraced, by the art world as much as the general public? A Campbell's soup can, a Bullseye target, a Shark suspended in formaldehyde, a poster of Andre the Giant or Obama? This is just one of the many provocative questions raised by Matt Jones in his forthcoming powerhouse solo at Freight+Volume, "Multiverse".

In Jones' case, one of the particular emblems in question is the Black Flag T-shirt, a simple affair of four vertical black bars on a white background (designed by Raymond Pettibon in the late 70's), which resonated - and arguably helped spawn - an entire punk/hardcore consciousness. In his plywood cut-outs and large-scale works, Jones starts with a basic premise, a single image - and proceeds to paint, photograph, scan, Xerox, laminate with lo-fi Elmer's glue, and draw over it again with alcohol-based markers until the end result is multiple generations away from its starting point. The technique itself becomes a gesture of boldness and refinement, designed to challenge the viewer's understanding of memory and recognition in the digital/internet age. Peers of Jones, such as Wade Guyton, Kelly Walker and Josh Smith, also utilize similar techniques of image remove and repetition, but Jones takes the process one step further via his obsessive vision, his Buddhist-inspired focus, and the three-dimensional construct of his final product.

The resulting work is remarkable with its in-your-face dichotomy: at once indelible and fleeting; extremely loud and meditatively quiet; invigorating and mind-numbing. After and beyond the immediate sensory impressions, Jones' underlying concepts rise to the surface: Hawking's exploration of space, time, parallel universes and the Big Bang Theory; comic book X-Men's Wolverine; Henry Rollins and the graphic expression of anarchy; Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Mischievous Spirits, Karma Chargers and Energy Reflectors. There are strong mixed elements of chance and randomness, magic, control and organized chaos in the preparation of his work. As Jones writes, "The [energy works] arose from wanting to get to what paint is and what paint can do, only with no paint in the final object". Certain of these inventions have filled his imagination from an early age:

"When I was a kid I was obsessed with Ghostbusters. I salute Bill Murray for providing a model of what a man can be. A lot of my spare time was spent making a number of ghost- busting devices, proton packs, PKE meters, and ghost traps. They of course didn't actually catch ghosts, read paranormal energy, or fire energy from nuclear accelerators. You couldn't tell me that, not really. I caught ghosts in the woods and cornfields behind my house for hours and hours. It only took my belief in the imaginary technology working for it to be true."

The adult Jones has achieved a vibrant realization of these childhood musings in this impressive installation. Freight+Volume invites the viewer to experience Matt Jones' "Multiverse" firsthand, meander through his free-standing plywood forest, bathe in the electric energy emanating from his optic stripes and karma chargers, and view his accompanying Baldessari-inspired video "Every Expression Possible (Wolverine Black Flag)".

Matt Jones lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He's participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions in New York and internationally. In 2008 Jones formed "The Atlantic Conference Press" to publish artist books and collaborations. He received a BFA in painting from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art and studied at the Yale/Norfolk Summer School of Painting.

Image: Matt Jones: Every Expression Possible, 2011
Alcohol Based Marker, Elmer's Glue, Toner, and Paper On Wood, 48.00 x 36.00 x 1.50"

Opening: 31 March 2011 - 18:00 - 31 March 2011 - 20:00

Freight and Volume
530 W. 24th St. - 10011 New York, NY
Opening Hours: Tues-Fri 11 am - 6 pm and by appointment

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