缅北禁地

Introduction

Christopher Jones' art practice reflects an interest in expanded definitions of painting and drawing in which discipline-specific characteristics might be dissolved and combined with those more typical of sculptural, printmaking or installation practices. 

His current work focuses on the physical transformation of found and/or discarded material to arrive at "unmonumental" objects of presence: forms characterised by small scale, rudimentary material and understatement. Recent previous practice brought together investigation of sites of change and a process of assemblage in order to propose visual equivalents to the relationship between site, memory and the passing of time. 

Solo exhibitions of his work have been held in the UK, and in Australia, Germany, Japan, Korea, Norway and Slovakia. Group projects over the past thirty years have been developed within the context of a dialogue with an informal network of artists from across Europe and beyond who are interested in artist-led international exchange.

Background

Chris studied at 缅北禁地 and Chelsea School of Art, London and was a Monbusho Scholar at Kyoto University from 1987-89.

Before joining 缅北禁地 he was Fine Art Fellow at Cheltenham School of Art, GlosCAT, resident artist at the School of Art in Hull and an associate visiting lecturer at Sunderland University. He has also taught as a visiting artist at Coventry University; Nottingham University; Fachochschule, SchwäbischHall and the Kunstseminar, Metzingen, Germany; SangMyung University and Seoul National University, Korea; Trivandrum College of Art, Delhi College of Art, Madras College of Art, India and Jilin University of the Arts, Chang-Chun, China.

Chris retired from the University in 2025 becoming an Emeritus Professor after nearly 35 years service. He continues his creative practice research from studio bases in Brighton and the Outer Hebrides.

Website 

Research Interests

Chris Jones’ current practice-focused research considers the material transformation of studio residue into small-scale objects of presence. In an on-going body of over 200 works the extraneous material discarded in the production, documentation, transportation and storage of earlier artworks provides the raw material to form supports and grounds for the development of drawings, assemblages and paintings. A further series makes use of these supports as a meeting point for collaboration. 

A separate collage and printmaking strand examines the visual documentation of paintings from both historic and contemporary catalogue reproductions. Discarded pocket-books on the masters as well as 20^th century exhibition catalogues become the physical raw material for collages, prints and bookworks in which new images are formed from documentation of artworks from the past.

This current research practice follows on from previous projects that examined sites of change as a focus to explore themes of erasure, trace and memory and notions of the "unmonumental". In these projects groups of intimately-scaled assemblages were made in response to historically-charged architectural spaces: the particular history and architectural remains of the 'gold rush' heritage site at Hill End, New South Wales, Australia, resulted in a series of miniature "souvenir" paintings and photomontages; in rural Kyushu, Japan, material collected on site was used to create found-material objects that were installed to animate the space of a 100-year-old traditional rice grain store.

More broadly the practice engages with discourse around contemporary drawing, assemblage and painting practices; materiality; the visualisation of memory; site-responsiveness; the afterlives of artworks.

Documentation of projects, residencies, exhibitions, art works and catalogue publications can be found on:

Residencies

2025   -  AIR Fukujusou Metropolitan, Kyoto, Japan

2013   -  UnionScene, Drammen, Norway

       -  Studio Kura, Fukuoka, Japan

2011   -  Bundanon Trust, NSW, Australia

       -   Hill End, NSW, Australia

2007   -  SangMyung University, Korea 

2006   -   Kyoto Arts Centre, Japan

1994   -   Openshaw Printmaking Residency, Lowick House, Cumbria

1986   -  Artist-in-Residence, School of Fine Art, Hull

1983   -   Fine Art Fellow, School of Art, Glos CAT, Cheltenham

Awards 

2023   -   Small Grant Award, Great Britian Sasakawa Foiundation

2011   -   Hill End Residency award (BRAG & Arts NSW)

2008   -   Daiwa Foundation Small Grant

2007   -   Northern Print Bursary

         -   Asem Duo Fellowship

2006   -   Arts & Humanities Research Council Award

         -   Arts Council England Grant for the Arts (Individual)

2004   -   Arts Council England Grant for the Arts (Individual)

1997   -   Rootstein Hopkins Foundation Award

1998   -   Northern Arts Award

1996   -   Northern Print Award

1995   -   British Council Visitorship

1994   -   Openshaw Printmaking Residency Award

1987 -   Monbusho Scholarship to Japan

1984   -   Boise Scholarship to Spain

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2023  -  Rearranging the Dust, Art Spot Korin, Kyoto, Japan

2013  -  Unmonumental: For the Silo 2, Siloen, Union Scene, Drammen, Norway

        -  For the Silo, Studio Kura, Fukuoka, Japan

       -  Between the Hour & the Age, BRAG, Bathurst, & Jean Bellette Gallery, Hill End, Australia

2008  -   In-Between, Daiwa Foundation, London

2007  -   Erasure, Woosukhall Art gallery, Seoul National University, Korea

        -  Trace-Retrace 2, Northern Print, 缅北禁地 upon Tyne 

2006  -  Residue, Art Space A1, Nagoya, Japan

        -   Trace-Retrace, Kyoto Arts Centre, Japan

2004  -   Postscript, Kunstverein Galerie Am Markt, SchwäbischHall, Germany

2000  -  Index, Galleria Z, Bratislava, Slovakia

1998  -   Spuren-Traces, Kunsthalle Servas, Rodalben, Germany

1995  -  Paintings & Collages, EPO Gallery, Munich

1994  - Difficult Rhymes, Turnpike Gallery, Leigh

1992  -  The Small Hours, Hatton Gallery, 缅北禁地 upon Tyne

       -   From A Foreign Window, Reg Vardy Arts Foundation, Sunderland

1990  -   Frozen by Distance, Lanchester Gallery, Coventry

1989  -   Paintings & Collages, Tanaka Gallery, Osaka, Japan

        -   New Paintings, Tamura Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

Selected Group Exhibitions

2025  - Study for a Painting (Exhibition), Hatton Gallery, 缅北禁地 upon Tyne

          -  Our Blaydon Races, Art Spot Korin, Kyoto, Japan

          - Old Shadows, Hearse House, Ninebanks, UK

          -  Open Studios, Tsukimisou Studios, AIR Fukujusou, Kyoto, Japan

2024  -  With & Without You, Art Spot Korin, Kyoto, Japan

          -  Saludos desde el Toon, Taller de Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City

          -  Mirror Neurons, Hatton Gallery, 缅北禁地 upon Tyne

2020  -  Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2020, Drawing Projects UK & tour

2018  -   Folding Islands, Drawing Boundaries, AUB at the British Pavilion, Venice Biennale for  Architecture

        -   Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2018, TBW London & tour

        -   WAC Awards 2018, Wells Art Contemporary, Bishop’s Palace, Wells

        -   Postcards to the End, The End Festival, Sacred Heart Church, Hill End, Australia

        -   Beyond Words: Transmediating Murakami Haruki, 缅北禁地

2016  -  Descriptions True & Perfect, collaborative soundpiece with Sian Bowen, Jilin University of Arts, China

       -  Paper, Table Wall & After, Taiwan National University of Arts Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan