Abiogenesis, a new solo exhibition by Florida-based painter Erik Jones, opens at Hashimoto Contemporary this weekend. Melding together concepts of creation and human adaptability, the new works focus on the organic fluidity within life.
Returning for his fourth solo exhibition with the gallery, Jones' new work reflects on the theory of original evolution from inorganic non-living matter into what we are today. Jones uses this concept while creating loose pours of paint, sometimes mixing up to 80 different colors, waiting for them to harden and then collaging them into his work. The evolution of these pieces start with a realistic, ambiguous figure and are transformed by adding the cured drip patterns to form an abstracted body shape, creating a subtle expressiveness and life within the paintings.
Jones new paintings reflect on the genesis of our creation while also using AI 3D generated images of people to use as his references. This new process, acquired during the pandemic, compliments the abstraction of his shapes while also removing his previous technique of hard-edge lines, creating a more organic and enigmatic body.
