Locust Jones
11 Sayers Street
Lawson, NSW 2783, Australia
Tel: 61247593672
Email:
D.O.B: 1963 Christchurch New Zealand / lives in Sydney
Solo Exhibitions: (selected)
2008
'Final Notice' Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch, N.Z.
'Loke Time' The Godley Hotel, Lake Tekapo, New Zealand.
'The Bird Agents' Tin
Sheds Gallery, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
2007
'Clearing Station' Centre of Contemporary Art, Christchurch,
New Zealand
"Two footsteps into Locust Jones' almost monochromatic park and a gallery
visitor catches me mouth agape, at once hemmed in and struck off balance by
two massive scrolls of paper that stretch the length of the Mair Gallery. Black
acrylic and ink have been applied varyingly, now gossamer, next leather. The
result is an intensely inhabited world - scraggy faces and jagged situations.
A show that is a continuation of Jones's vibrancy..."
Click here for full review from The Press
'Delta park' Sheffer Gallery, Sydney
"...Jones tackles the big picture head on; his epic drawing is a tortured
condensation of everything that is wrong with the world. Climate change and
war morph together in his huge dark inky blobs, a toxic blend of apocalyptic
mushroom clouds and the ghosts of old growth forests..."
Click here for review in the Sydney Morning Herald
2006
'Oh the tangled web…' Damien Minton Gallery, Sydney
'Spin Cycle' Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, India
2005
'Live by the Sword' Mahara Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
"I am obviously not a landscape artist!"
Locust Jones is an artist possessed. It doesn't seem like he really wants to
create, necessarily; he's just got the bug. Like my desk, which looks messy
although I guarantee it's organised and I know where everything is, Jones'
works might initially seem chaotic but it's obvious that each expressive mark
was made with intent. As a result, his ink works and drawings have a satisfying
sense of vigour and clean, raw honesty: his pencil often jerks, but it's never
hesitant; his words are often bumbling, but never contrived - "it is not intended
for people to read it's intended for my sanity!". This rawness is matched by
Jones' juicy thick ink outlines and bold colours - all balanced with surprising
skill considering the apparent spontaneity of execution.
Automatic writing reveals the artist as a compulsive truth-teller, slightly
obsessive and politically preoccupied. Jones overtly vents his anger over American
imperialism and the war in Iraq - his works have been described as "violent"
and there's a viewer discretion warning at the entrance to the show. Yet it
doesn't seem that Jones wishes to impose his views; he simply desperately needs
to vent them. Having travelled widely, Jones feels particularly affected and
troubled by the issues he speaks of. He doesn't distinguish between the personal
and the political, and statements such as "you see my friends I am not certain
about any of this but I have to keep going regardless" disclose that Jones
is deeply concerned, rather than aggressively opinionated. Writing frankly,
Jones relates his political views to observations in Sydney cafés and
intertwines them with talk of upcoming exhibitions and visits from the landlord.
I really recommend this exhibition, as Jones is an expressionist with a refreshing
sincerity and frankness, an unconstrained drive to create (albeit often drug-induced),
and admirable passion for both his art and its subject."
- Review by Renée Gerlich for Salient Magazine
2004
'Poverty Jet set' Espace SD Gallerie, Beirut, Lebanon
"A show of new works by Australian artists Damian Dillon & Locust
Jones, which opens this Thursday May 27th, 2004 at Espace SD Gallerie, Beirut,
Lebanon. Dillon & Jones are both returning to Beirut after their involvement
in the cultural exchange 'Sydney Beirut - Beirut Sydney' at Espace SD in 1999.
Jones woodcut prints, oil paintings & drawings are the product of his New
York residency in 2003 and his self imposed isolation on Mt. Gerald Station
in the south island of New Zealand. Jones often places himself into unusual
environments or confined spaces producing work that is spontanious, determined
by particular time & space without any preconceived plan of the subject
matter"
'Artist in Residence', Beirut, Lebanon
'Amnesia Beyrouth' Riviera Gallery, Brooklyn, New York
"These Paintings were made during my residence in Beirut in May/June
2004. I first came to Beirut in 1999 to participate in a group exhibition of
Australian Artists. I was instantly infected by the virus of the city and its
people. I vigorously returned following an invitation to exhibit a show titled
'Poverty Jet set' in May 2004. The Paintings express a cathartic biographical
diary, with figures and text not dissimilar to a barometer of the exuberant
nature of the cities inhabitants. From the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra
and Chatilla to the ultra-chic over the top enclave of the Christian Riviera
Beach resort - they reflect ideas and situations encountered within the limits
and extremities of this country. They also serve as Maps of places, real and
imaginary, peopled by masked strangers, along with scribblings of the little
Arabic I've learned."
2003
'Patterns of Behaviour' Grodentz Gallery, Wellington, New
Zealand
'Lunchtime @ the helicopter gunship training facility' COCA,
Christchurch, New Zealand
'Fantasies Monsters & Self Portraits' Fresh Gallery, Christchurch,
N.Z
'Lower east side print workshop' Residency, New York
2001
'Ghost Train' Boutwell Draper Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1999
'Sydney Beirut - Beirut Sydney' Espace SD Gallery, Beirut,
Lebanon
'Deep in the Woods' Mary Place Gallery, Sydney, Australia
'The Green Line, Beirut' Herringbone Gallery (Imperial Slacks),
Sydney, Australia
1996
'Untitled Paintings' Kas Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1994
'Car Smash' Post Gallery, Sydney, Australia
1993
33 1/3 Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand
'Hunt me Down & Kill Me' Airspace Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Ute Groebuhle Galerie, Karlsruhe, Germany
Public Collections:
Art Bank, Australia
University of Wollongong, Australia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand
Audi Bank, Beirut, Lebanon
Centre of Contemporary Arts, Christchurch, New Zealand
University of Sydney, Australia
Group Exhibitions:
Participated in numerous group exhibitions most recent being:
2007
Riviera Real Estate, Riviera Gallery, Brooklyn, New York
2005
Diversity 1, Sulkin Secant Gallery, Santa Monica, California
Education:
1991-3
Bachelor of Visual Arts, Sydney College of the Arts, Australia
Awards/Prizes
Selected for Hazelhurst works on paper and Fremantle print prizes.