Who? Swirling black ink, paper masks, collage, cats and pop culture references galore – it has become easy to identify the abundant work of esteemed artist and filmmaker Quentin Jones. Over the past few years she has lent her off-kilter flavour to projects for AnOther, Victoria Beckham, Chanel, Kenzo and Louis Vuitton, alongside a kinky short film for NOWNESS featuring Miley Cyrus.
This week, Jones takes a personal moment to open her new exhibition at the Vinyl Factory. It is the first exhibition to feature the full range of Jones’s oeuvre and embodies all of our favourite surrealist QJ traits, made in collaboration with set designer Robert Storey.
Blind Eyed 1, 2014Artwork courtesy of Quentin Jones
What? Storey and Jones first met through AnOther Magazine’s senior fashion editor, Agata Belcen. “I was making a film with her for AnOther and I decided I wanted a set designer,” Jones recalls. “She suggested two options and I chose Robert. That was the first of many, many projects together. By working with Robert, my ideas could become so much bigger.”
The Robots Cloak, 2014Artwork courtesy of Quentin Jones
Why? "I have wanted to do an exhibition for a while, to challenge myself and to have the excuse to make new work outside of a commercial brief,” Jones explains. “I began talking to Robert about what we could do. We sort of wanted to do everything – the space is so huge and full of potential that we were immediately excited.”
Jones’s inspirations stretch from Robert Motherwell’s abstract mark-making and Keith Haring’s graffiti hearts to Dennis Hopper photography and Grace Jones' album artwork by Jean Paul Goude. Her eclectic portfolio of ideas is informed by pop culture and a rebellious spirit, recognisable within Jones’s vibrant montaged work, with each piece presented in separate set space designed by Storey. Here, we take an exclusive look at the exhibition, her working process and a gallery of reference images.
The Red Eyed Monster, 2014Artwork courtesy of Quentin Jones
Caught in the Headlights, 2014Artwork courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
From the Cutting Board, 2014Courtesy of Quentin Jones
