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PRIVATE VIEW - Tuesday 9 October 6.30-8.30pm
The Fine Art Society Contemporary is proud to announce the first UK solo exhibition
for Australian artist Alan Jones.
Without moral judgment or selective
editing, Alan Jones embraces the details
of his own genealogy, delving into the
narratives of his ancestors and
presenting the resulting ideas and
themes in a thoroughly contemporary
and compelling way. Jones elegantly
binds the thread of his own heritage
throughout his painting, sculpture,
installation and collage. In doing so he
endeavors to communicate to the
viewer the intricacies of human
connections, even across continents
and centuries.
Born in Sydney, Jones has long been
interested in Australia’s colonial history
and the journey of the First Fleet - the
initial arrival of 717 British convicts that formed the beginnings of modern day Australia. This historical
landmark also marked a dramatic turning point in Jones’ own heritage. His ancestor, Robert Forrester
was convicted of theft in London in 1783 and was destined for New South Wales on board the First
Fleet. The lives of Robert Forrester and his common law
wife Isabella Ramsey have been the genesis for several of
Jones’ solo exhibitions in Australia, uncovering the early
days of the convicts and English colonial rule.
In 2012, the artist took the opportunity to delve deeper into
his ancestry, tracing his convict ancestors to their origins in
North England. Whilst under taking a 6 month residency at
The Ropewalk Studios in North Lincolnshire, Jones collected
and produced imagery that related to personal landmarks in
his ancestors’ lives,
“Upon arriving to the harsh environment of New South
Wales, both Robert and Isabella would have reflected back
on their former lives in England. Their memories of ‘The
Mother Land’ may have been fond or far from it. It is
impossible to know. I have tried to take a contemporary
approach to documenting some of the places that would
most likely have held familiar memories for them. Actually
being located in the UK was essential for gathering the
images and the aesthetic that underpins this body of work.”
Travelling hundreds of miles to gather research material -
taking the artist from Kirk Andrews upon Esk, to St Giles in the
Fields Church in Central London, to Carlisle Assizes – Jones’
studies formed the groundwork for a new body of work that not
only documents an earlier chapter of his family’s heritage, but
also draws attention to broader social and cultural issues.
Jones is at once incredibly specific and fastidious with the
truth, and also simultaneously gifted at drawing wider
conclusions and highlighting collective trends and experiences.
Jones was keen to relinquish some aspects of creative control
in order to leave himself as open as possible to new influences
and experiences. Largely constructed with layers of canvas
collaged and painted with thin acrylic washes, The Mother
Land is a body of work that has evolved organically, directed by
the discoveries of his various journeys in North England and
the local aesthetic.
ALAN JONES (b.1977) attended the National Art School (BFA) in Sydney (1997) and furthered his
education abroad as the recipient of the inaugural Pat Corrigan Travelling Art Scholarship (1997) and
the Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (2004). As well as a strong number of critically well
received solo shows, the artist has been selected for a host of group exhibitions in Australia and Asia.
He has received several awards including the Waverley Art Prize - Landscape Prize (2012), Fisher’s
Ghost Art Award (2011), Kedumba Drawing Award (2010) and the Paddington Art prize (2008). His
work is held in major collections including the Artbank, Macquarie Group, Kedumba Collection of
Contemporary Australian Drawing, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Maitland Regional Art Gallery,
Hawkesbury Regional Gallery and the Gold Coast City Art Gallery. www.alanjonesonline.com.
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