ALAN JONES

Investigating notions of individual and collective identity, Alan Jones embraces his own geneaology, delving into the narratives of his ancestors and presenting the resulting ideas and themes in a thoroughly contemporary and compelling way.  Jones elegantly binds the thread of his own heritage throughout his painting, sculpture, installation and collage. In doing so he endeavours to communicate to the viewer the intricacies of human connections, even across continents and centuries.

Born in Sydney, Jones has long been interested in Australia’s colonial history and the journey of the First Fleet. This initial arrival of 717 British convicts formed the beginnings of modern day Australia, and it also marked a dramatic turning point in Jones’ own heritage. His ancestor, Robert Forrester was convicted of theft in London in 1783 and was destined for New South Wales on board the First Fleet. The lives of Robert Forrester and his common law wife Isabella Ramsey have been the genesis for the artist’s practice work, uncovering the early days of the convicts and English colonial rule.

In 2012, the artist took the opportunity to delve deeper into his ancestry, tracing his convict ancestors to their origins in North England. Whilst under taking a 6 month residency at The Ropewalk Studios in North Lincolnshire, Jones collected and produced imagery that related to personal landmarks in his ancestors’ lives. Based on several road trips, these studies formed the groundwork for a new body of work that not only documents an earlier chapter of his family’s heritage, but also draws attention to wider social and cultural issues.

Largely constructed with layers of canvas collaged and painted with thin acrylic washes, "The Mother Land" is a body of work that has evolved organically, directed by the discoveries of his various journeys in North England and the local aesthetic. The works will be exhibited in the Contemporary Gallery in October 2012, marking the first UK solo show for this fascinating and much admired artist.

In 1997 Alan Jones gained his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the National Art School in Sydney. Jones furthered his education abroad as the recipient of the Pat Corrigan Travelling Art Scholarship (1997) and Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship (2004). As well as a strong number of critically well received solo shows, the artist has been selected for a host of survey and group exhibitions in Australia and Asia. He has been the recipient of several important awards including the Waverley Art Prize (2012), Kedumba Drawing Award (2010), the Paddington Art prize for landscape painting (2008) and the Fisher’s Ghost Art Award (2011). His work is in several major collections including the Kedumba Collection of Contemporary Australian Drawing, The Campbelltown Arts Centre, Artbank, Macquarie Group, Maitland Regional Art Gallery, Hawkesbury Regional Gallery and the Gold Coast City Art Gallery.