Jennie C. Jones
29 Jan - 27 Mar 2011
JENNIE C. JONES
Counterpoint
Jan 29 — Mar 27, 2011
Jennie C. Jones' practice resides at the intersection of art history, music history and African-American history, layering the formal language of modern art — abstraction and minimalism — over the conceptual and technical strategies of avant-garde jazz. Her work in audio, sculpture and drawing extends the parallel legacies of experimentation, of what Jones calls, 'wit and riff of these types of radical cultural forms — exploring cultural confluence, hybridization, and a more complex and historically inclusive version of modernism.'
Counterpoint is an intimate foray into the investigation of African–American modes of formalism, with an emphasis on the contributions of the influential composer/pianist John Lewis, a founding member of the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ). Inspired by a concert of the MJQ at the historic Blackhawk Jazz Club in San Francisco, the project re–frames the notion of 'West Coast Cool' linking its beginning to this single early performance. Functioning not only as an homage to Lewis and MJQ, Counterpoint is comprised of prints and works on paper, as well as sculptural objects ranging from re–configured piano sharps to vintage LP storage racks.The project attempts to transform the routine action of listening into a minimalist art form. Counterpoint also marks the artist’s first collaboration with a musician, Seattle–based Cellist Paul Rucker, who will perform interpretations from a rare book of scores written by John Lewis.
Counterpoint
Jan 29 — Mar 27, 2011
Jennie C. Jones' practice resides at the intersection of art history, music history and African-American history, layering the formal language of modern art — abstraction and minimalism — over the conceptual and technical strategies of avant-garde jazz. Her work in audio, sculpture and drawing extends the parallel legacies of experimentation, of what Jones calls, 'wit and riff of these types of radical cultural forms — exploring cultural confluence, hybridization, and a more complex and historically inclusive version of modernism.'
Counterpoint is an intimate foray into the investigation of African–American modes of formalism, with an emphasis on the contributions of the influential composer/pianist John Lewis, a founding member of the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ). Inspired by a concert of the MJQ at the historic Blackhawk Jazz Club in San Francisco, the project re–frames the notion of 'West Coast Cool' linking its beginning to this single early performance. Functioning not only as an homage to Lewis and MJQ, Counterpoint is comprised of prints and works on paper, as well as sculptural objects ranging from re–configured piano sharps to vintage LP storage racks.The project attempts to transform the routine action of listening into a minimalist art form. Counterpoint also marks the artist’s first collaboration with a musician, Seattle–based Cellist Paul Rucker, who will perform interpretations from a rare book of scores written by John Lewis.