In this film the acclaimed artist Rachel Jones explains the influences and thoughts behind her process in her own words.
Rachel Jones' art takes inspiration from unlikely places: mouths, the yawning depths of canyons, the exagerrated expressions of golden age cartoons, and dogs!
This film explores the indelible references buried in the work of this fascinating artist.
Watch below to find out more.
Video transcript
A canyon is really unknowable in terms of its depth. There are certain things that are wholly imagined because we can never conceive how they're formed, how they exist, or what happens within them.
I left large areas invisible to emphasise the areas that do have color. You notice parts where nothing seems to be happening, but there also is this moment of rest, a reflection in the emptiness.
Animals in cartoons are often used to code behaviors or socialised norms. The idea of violence in animals or aggression is really normal, but it's inappropriate with humans.
Cartoons are a way of hiding or subverting complicated behaviours or psychological experiences. In my paintings, mouths normally fill and dominate the landscape, but in these new works that domination has a very different level of intimacy because they're a tongues and the mouths are gaping wide open and winning. I respond to yellow, red, and blue in a strong way, and I use those colors a lot.
But I wanted to push that further in these paintings. So I introduce more purples, pinks, oranges and greens, and they're quite neon, so there's a different energy to them than I'm used to. With these works, I felt there was a combination of ideas around the physicality of space and place, also a relationship to more personal, intimate places within ourselves which are hidden from us or difficult to grapple with.
See the artist in conversation
