20 November 2008

Chris Lewis-Jones's Page

Chris Lewis-Jones: 3no7svgaxyqu3; Share Spot it

Artworks (61)
Videos (1)

Chris Lewis-Jones's Friends

View All

Chris Lewis-Jones's Groups

Kosuth's Chairs (57 members)
Basel Art Fairs June 2008 (41 members)

Art Schools (41 members)

View All

Profile

Website: www.chrislewisjones.co.uk

Relationship status: married

College / University: Derby University

Program: MA ADAPT

Member type: Artist

If you're an artist, what kind of art do you make?: Conceptual, Digital, Drawing, Event, Film, Installation, Painting, Performance, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Video

I am...: a fine artist (based at Oldknows Studio Group in Nottingham, UK) who explores evolving notions of cultural identity and associated existential issues using film, live art/performance, installation, painting, music and anything else that takes my fancy.

About my artwork: my practice is ideas driven and, although I am still excited by the extent to which post-modernism invites and embraces a multiplicity of post aesthetic approaches and narrative interpretation, I have a huge respect for the formal values that have shaped (and continue to shape) the evolving discourse/s of fine art. I tend to use a lot of found objects in my work, objects that are pregnant with association. Often I imbue these objects with a sense of stylistic/associative unity by painting them with bold colour/s. Like the artists whom I admire, I strive to make art that is visually arresting

Artists I like: Mark Wallinger is my fave rave; he tackles profundity with wit, others include my Oldknows Studio colleague Simon Withers, my erstwhile Oldknows colleague Samson Kambalu, Cornelia Parker, Rebecca Horn, Picabia, Man Ray and their contemporary: Cyril Seaton, 'the sexy surrealist from naughty Nottingham

Interests: all art, all creativity, music/s, wine, drinking, eating, cooking, reading and walking in wild landscapes with my wild family

What exhibitions are good at the moment?: an unlikely series of urban texts, airspace gallery, Stoke on Trent

The centre of the artworld is: nowhere and everywhere

My artreview.com URL:
http://www.artreview.com/profile/ChrisLewisJones
You can use this URL in your email, on your website, or on your facebook profile.

Chris Lewis-Jones's Artworks

Loading…

Add to Facebook

View All

Chris Lewis-Jones's Videos

Sleaford 067 Added by Chris Lewis-Jones

View Videos

Comment Wall (12 comments)

You need to be a member of artreview.com to add comments!

Join this network

At 8:13pm on 24th June 2008, Chris Lewis-Jones said…: I did. Great stuff! I particularly like the theatricality of your work and its visually arresting aspect!

At 8:00am on 11th June 2008, Frank Fu said…: Interesting works!
Please check out my site.

cheers,
Frank Fu

At 5:19pm on 4th June 2008, Luke Gilliam said…: Hey wow thanks for adding me. I really like ehat you're doing. :)

At 3:36pm on 14th May 2008, fabio said…: Hi Chris,
non mi esprimo bene in inglese perciò ti scrivo in italiano. Trovo interessante il tuo lavoro,ma devo avere tempo per entrarci dentro. C'è molta roba e come molti lavori artistici serve tempo per essere meglio apprezzati.
ciao fabio

At 9:40am on 13th May 2008, Chris Lewis-Jones said…: thanx Yewy. Maybe a performance will be undertaken on the strength of your recommendation!

Regarding the white shirt, it's referencing a number of things: white cotton was much beloved by the Victorians, who believed that 'cleanliness was next to Godlinesses', so it's emblematic of English Protestantism/spirituality. But I'm also referencing the white shirts of the Crusaders and their contemporaries, the businessmen of the 20/21st centuries who conquer foreign markets rather than soil (or, in the case of Iraq, sand). 'Holy Trinity' (which caused a stir when it was exhibited as part of 'North + South' at Southampton's City Gallery last Autumn) is an essay on English spirituality. In addition to the white cotton shirts I used (suspended) pants and hankies, as if god the father, god the son and god the holy ghost are dancing/performing a rite together. Like the shirts, the (utilitarian but not sexy) Y front pants are quintessentially English, protestant and male. I'm also, through them, exploring the extent to which God is still perceived as being male, despite his ostensibly nurturing/female characteristics. And some (hard-of-thinking) people still believe that man was made in God's image. If so, how (if at all) does he support his genitalia? If he's English, he probably wears Y Fronts! The hankies reference another aspect of English spirituality: (pagan) Morris Dancing, so the whole thing is a sort of critically affectionate exploration of the history and function of English ritual. As one who was christened into the Church of England, was a novice member of a Morris side, a white shirt wearing company director (1994-2004) who was inspired by Jung's analysis of the primacy of ritual, I feel thoroughly vindicated in presenting and defending this piece (in fact I really enjoyed the flack)!

At 5:21am on 13th May 2008, dianne bowen said…: interesting work. thx for the add will check in out and about...

At 3:55am on 12th May 2008, Yewy said…: "neither am I really heterosexual or middle class or even white.
I just look and sound it" I am liking the sound of that. It readslike the beginning of something, a novel, a text book , a performance, a film even.

This is the start of a dialogue. I wonder how people will repond to that.
Keep smashing the box 2. Its good fun.

Whats the symbolism of the white shirt?

At 3:52pm on 11th May 2008, Yewy said…: Hi Chris

I refuse to be put into a box, so the flip side of that is I dont see others in their boxes( as constructed by society) Therefore
I would not necessarily known about the uncool white middle class male artist.

However now that you have brought it to my attention, I think the role you are playing in the identity discourse is crucial. It shows how fluid our postmodern( I always feel uneasy using the word) world and identities are.
Very interesting