I was lucky enough to be shown a preview of Galerie F‘s upcoming show, ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones,’ featuring a series of new work by the creative powerhouse Rob Jones. Limited preview images have been released but after seeing the full exhibit I was left stunned by the depth of beauty and brilliance Jones was able to craft from his series of portraits.
For the show, Jones turned to Charles Schultz’s Charlie Brown as his stand-in for his series of self portraits that span his personal history of self-doubt, embarrassments, and fears. The exhibit is a work in memory, those events we keep to ourselves — the ones that stay hidden. Jones plays out his memories of failure, sexual flaws, and experiments in suicide and drug use with his alter-ego, Charlie Brown.
‘Grief‘ is a mind blowing collection of self-portraits that use the medium as an exploration of the dark comedy of failure and doubt. Jones’ ideas are big (sin, death, happiness), but by summing them up in simple 8″ x 11″ two color designs he’s broken them down into a new iconography, his own wordless language.
‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Jones tosses in a few familiar faces — C3PO, Peter Criss from Kiss, and the Tin Man show up to touch on their own failures. The Tin Man tosses away the heart he worked so for, Criss the unsung hero of Kiss is woefully subjected to playing the triangle, and C3PO holds a letter from Han Solo where the famed smuggler calls him a ‘turd.’ Jones also captures the moment he first read the novel ‘Barabbas,’ depicting himself as a bulb, his fuse blown.
For an artist who has created a career of overseeing projects for others like Jack White, Mondo, and Criterion, Jones takes full advantage of the space and freedom given to him in ‘Grief’ and pushes beyond pop culture to explore his personal experiences in a series that’s full of humor, sadness, pain, and panic.
For more information on the exhibit visit Galerie F’s Facebook Page.
‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Thursday July 17th 2014 – 6PM to 10PM
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Self Portrait from ‘Grief: A Solo Exhibition by Rob Jones’
Images from the show pulled from Inside The Rock Poster Frame‘s write up the event which can be read HERE.
Previously on Evil Tender — Interview: Illustrator Rob Jones Dreams of Pakistani Goats