Gallery Visit- Jonathan Jones at GBK

The work by Jones appealed to me due to composition and the positive meaning that I took from it. The information provided after first viewing the work did not change my feelings about its meaning, although it did provide further layers of meaning in giving me a background of what influenced the artist created this work.

Creating an installation with sculptures and drawings on the walls meant that I could walk among his work, completely surrounded. This element of involving the audience means that it can be seen in a different way by every person who visits it. The viewing of the work could therefore be influenced by the individual’s notion of composition. This felt relevant to the meaning of the work because without a clear narrative, the audience is required to make a subjective choice.

The use of light was also intriguing, due to its ability to draw focus to its source, as well as branch out and cover the entire area in shafts of bright white. This effectively brought together the drawings and the sculpture, to create a complete environment. I viewed this work as being like a physical place, in which each of these drawings and sculptures were representations of what existed in another form elsewhere.
Despite the use of angles and lines it still felt organic, possibly because of the light shining off the surfaces on the drawings. Light as a symbol is often associated with life and hope, which was present in this work.
The obtuse angles of these sculptures felt open and relaxed. The space it created was inviting and calm. The sculptures themselves didn’t immediately remind me of a recognisable object until the work was discussed. Until then they could have been a number of organic objects, including trees, rocks or people. The ideas about canoes and light on water fit well with the calm mood emanating from the work.

Knowing that Jones is an indigenous artist, it was easy to see the patterns in his work having a connection to traditional aboriginal art, particularly those shown in the black on white drawings hanging low on the walls. Pattern and contrast are common in traditional indigenous work.
These artistic traditions are visible in this work, although with a change to the medium and without the common use of vibrant, earthy colours.
His work has the appearance of both western and indigenous Australian art, as it has the traditional Aboriginal elements, but also resembles Minimalism because of its simple, stripped back use of materials and lack of pictorial representation.
This I believe shows Jones’s personal connection to, and value of the traditions of Australian Aboriginal art, but demonstrates that he is also accepting and appreciative of what has been created in western art. His work is perhaps a symbol of himself as a contemporary indigenous artist, working within the art world that has for centuries been almost exclusively western artists.