False. Beauty.
2009-ongoing. Chromogenic Prints
Edition of 5 +AP each
Each piece in this collection of photos possesses the power to evoke a kind of aching and longing triggered by a viewer's familiarity with what is depicted. In this body of work Jones does not present us with grand theatrical scenery. Rather, he deliberately chooses the more quiet, less cinematic, less studied. These places feel more familiar and democratic. In these images the presence of humans is only implied and the reality of physical space is supplanted by a digital reconstruction. For Jones, this evokes a sense of what could be called social voyeurism; the figures have left and we are invited to peek through the curtains, an all too familiar practice as we become increasingly dependent on showing, looking, and telling through digital media. For others, this absence only enhances feelings of isolation, longing, and wonder. Using the already fictional media of cinema, television, and photography, Jones presents viewers with mere fragments of larger narratives, allowing us to consider whether he is telling a greater truth or a greater lie. Either way, the viewer is allowed entrance into the space of the image and that of the artist's thoughts, and is free to complete their own story. — David Willburn