From late 2021 to early 2022, Gagosian hosted an exhibition of vibrant new work by American artist Jonas Wood at their Hong Kong space. Featured were a collection of ten paintings and two related drawings, with part of the gallery covered in kaleidoscopic floral wallpaper designed by the artist. This was Wood’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong.
Wood was born in Boston and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. His work is characterised by bright colour combinations, distinct use of line, two dimensionality and recurring subject matter including interiors, objects and natural forms. Wood’s work is grounded in his lived experience, with inspiration taken from items in his studio, his love of sport and the abundant nature of Southern California.
Plants and fruit were the core motifs of the exhibition, which Wood utilises to explore the formal elements of his practice. In the works on display, colour and line are put into stark focus through Wood’s use of purely black or white negative space, which isolates the subjects he depicts. His vivid colour juxtapositions, such as the yellow and greens of Yellow Flower with Lines 2 (2021) and the greens and purples of Purple Dog-Faced Orchid (2021), are all the more intense thanks to the solid monochrome plain on which they sit.
By isolating his subjects, Wood not only amplifies his technique, he also provides viewers with the space to consider these subjects as ends in themselves. Intricacies and quirks can be appreciated – the soft folds of orchid petals, veins on monstera leaves, pigmented banana skins, a bee seeking nectar, a snake entwined by the roots of an orchid. Indeed, the two collections of drawings on display, one of a bunch of bananas as they ripen and another of a selection of flora, are reminiscent of academic botanical illustrations with their focused compositions.
The premise for this exhibition came after a re-encounter Wood had with his work, Polka Dot Orchid (2015) at a mid-career survey at the Dallas Museum of Art in 2019. The work, a single flower against a black background, was displayed alongside similar floral compositions against a wallpaper of tennis balls. There is an economical nature to Wood’s approach, which is exemplified in this re-encounter and the resulting exhibition, with motifs repeated and recycled and previous work providing stimulus for future creations. So too does this exhibition reaffirm Wood’s work as grounded in his lived experience – not only are the subjects he depicts items of personal significance, but the exhibition concept itself stems from a previous moment in his artistic biography.
This exhibition was on display at Gagosian’s Hong Kong space from 23 November 2021 – 12 February 2022.
