If you are lucky enough to be in St. Barth’s and need a respite from the UV rays, white sands, and shots of rum, the colorful works by Jonas Wood, the impressive West Coast emerging artist, is a seamless escape.
Okay, so Jonas Wood is a bit more than emerging, as he has made quite a name for himself since receiving his MFA from University of Washington in 2002. Wood has found representation with global powerhouse, Gagosian Gallery, LA’s David Kordansky, and Chicago’s Shane Campbell. Wood’s first solo show with Gagosian’s London location just wrapped up in mid-December, just in time for his solo show at Gagosian’s Eden Rock Gallery in St. Barthélemy.
Open to the public until January 31st, the Gagosian-run show will feature the artist’s latest vegetation drawings. He is primarily known for his cardboard and canvas painting, featuring large acrylic depictions of moderately mundane scenes and still lives that appear abstract through Wood’s flattened shapes and forms.
The artwork on display at Eden Rock recycles “clippings” from his own paintings, sketches and photographs of exotic plants, and sets them into formal play. Although the drawings reveal undertones of Japanese and Chinese still life scenes with inspirations from Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, and David Hockney, this collection is a departure from Wood’s older paintings.
Jonas Wood is a creative genius and if you’re in St. Bart’s, why not put a pause on your sun-tanning and sail over to Eden Rock for a rare look into this artist’s recent work.
Like this article? Check out Yoko Ono’s dual-exhibition currently on view in New York, or other global art news.
