Jonathan Monk
11 May - 16 Jun 2007
JONATHAN MONK
New paintings
From May 12th to June 16th 2007
Opening Friday May 11th 2007 from 17-19.
It is a great pleasure to present an exhibition with new paintings by Jonathan Monk.
Jonathan Monk continues the exploration of art as idea first instigated by the Conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s. The new and the old cohabit peacefully in Monk's works that draw upon various points of references to modern art history.
In a new series of paintings Monk pay homage to a seminal work by Sigmar Polke from 1969. With a text that translates roughly like: "Higher powers command: paint right top corner black!" the original intent of Polke was to subvert the metaphysical connotations of abstract expressionist painting. Remade by Monk the direction of the text is taken even further as the artist apparently intends to paint the corners all colours save black.
The process of painting is further inquired in two other series of works. Using oil paint as a sort of adhesive to glue pieces of paper onto canvas Monk presents works that happens over time as the materials fuse together beyond the artist's control.
One series offers deadpan, typewritten explanations on how the work was created. Another series uses vintage exhibition posters from American Minimalist Frank Stella, whose hardedge aesthetics are contrasted by the liberal amounts of underlying paint applied by Monk.
The concept of recontextualising the works of another artist is also employed by Monk in a series of paintings that are based on different Ed Ruscha watercolours combined to form new meaning. Representing a rather playful irreverence to Ruscha's originals these paintings form exclamations that are both poetic and humorous.
Though obviously with a tongue in cheek and full of nostalgia for the classical era of Conceptual art, Monk's work also deftly challenges the notions of originality and authorship still present in art. His art suggests ways of rethinking both the traditional role of the artist and the creative process in general.
In 2006 Jonathan Monk had a touring solo exhibition "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, etc.", which visited Kunstverein Hannover, Kunstmuseum in St. Gallen, Kunsthalle Nürnberg, and Haus am Waldsee in Berlin. During 2007 Monk will have two solo shows at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
We are happy to welcome you in the gallery.
Galleri Nicolai Wallner
New paintings
From May 12th to June 16th 2007
Opening Friday May 11th 2007 from 17-19.
It is a great pleasure to present an exhibition with new paintings by Jonathan Monk.
Jonathan Monk continues the exploration of art as idea first instigated by the Conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s. The new and the old cohabit peacefully in Monk's works that draw upon various points of references to modern art history.
In a new series of paintings Monk pay homage to a seminal work by Sigmar Polke from 1969. With a text that translates roughly like: "Higher powers command: paint right top corner black!" the original intent of Polke was to subvert the metaphysical connotations of abstract expressionist painting. Remade by Monk the direction of the text is taken even further as the artist apparently intends to paint the corners all colours save black.
The process of painting is further inquired in two other series of works. Using oil paint as a sort of adhesive to glue pieces of paper onto canvas Monk presents works that happens over time as the materials fuse together beyond the artist's control.
One series offers deadpan, typewritten explanations on how the work was created. Another series uses vintage exhibition posters from American Minimalist Frank Stella, whose hardedge aesthetics are contrasted by the liberal amounts of underlying paint applied by Monk.
The concept of recontextualising the works of another artist is also employed by Monk in a series of paintings that are based on different Ed Ruscha watercolours combined to form new meaning. Representing a rather playful irreverence to Ruscha's originals these paintings form exclamations that are both poetic and humorous.
Though obviously with a tongue in cheek and full of nostalgia for the classical era of Conceptual art, Monk's work also deftly challenges the notions of originality and authorship still present in art. His art suggests ways of rethinking both the traditional role of the artist and the creative process in general.
In 2006 Jonathan Monk had a touring solo exhibition "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, etc.", which visited Kunstverein Hannover, Kunstmuseum in St. Gallen, Kunsthalle Nürnberg, and Haus am Waldsee in Berlin. During 2007 Monk will have two solo shows at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris.
We are happy to welcome you in the gallery.
Galleri Nicolai Wallner