Gagosian presents: Jonas Wood solo exhibition

_{Photo credit courtesy of the artist and Gagosian.}

Gagosian is pleased to present an exhibition of ten new paintings by Jonas Wood, together with two sets of related drawings in Hong Kong this fall. This is Wood’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong.

The concept for the exhibition stemmed from the artist’s mid-career survey at the Dallas Museum of Art in 2019 when he reencountered Polka Dot Orchid (2015), a painting he had made of a single plant against a black background. The work was hung alongside other paintings of isolated plants in a room wallpapered with repeating tennis balls. Following that exhibition, and over the course of the lockdown period of 2020, Wood continued to consider the idea of making works on black grounds and the opportunity of hanging them together.

The new paintings continue Wood’s exploration into motifs of fruits, flowers, and houseplants. Depicting brilliantly hued orchids and succulents, full bunches of bananas, and a robust monstera plant, he uses plants as a vehicle to experiment with colour and geometry, isolating the forms on monochromatic backgrounds to explore colour theory, pattern, and line.

Wood planned the installation from his studio in Los Angeles knowing that he would not be able to visit Hong Kong in person due to travel restrictions. The architectural model, which appears in the catalogue, became essential to this process. As part of his conceptual vision, a room of the exhibition will be installed with floral wallpaper designed by the artist as part of his ongoing interest in pattern and in the repurposing and recontextualizing of his own imagery.