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Phoenix Artists Jo Aris
     
 
       
Pomegranate 04/4   Stones from a talc
mine near Mosset
  'Sky, sea' 1997     Beach leaf installation

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JO ARIS

The work is about the material and sensual world, places - both specific and landscape archetypes, colour and language. It investigates the relationship between non human nature, and human, domestic life.

Materials used include paper (sugar paper, newsprint, manilla etc.), plant material, silk, thread, wool, pearls, paint. They are typically fragile, often transparent, not waterproof, sometimes change when exposed to light: a broadly anti monumental stance.

Projects in development are [Pomegranate] fig, herb, spice (paintings) and square garden, crescent garden (writing).

[Pomegranate] fig, herb, spice comprises image, text, and image/text paintings. These all deal with edible and medicinal plants, but also investigate colour, language, and the interaction between image and text. The wider context for this work is concerns about land use and food production.

The text pieces include lists of plants according to colour; etymologies of English names; lists of species in a genus, their place of origin, uses in food and Chinese medicinal term for the part used; lists of different languages words for the same thing - names for mango, pomegranate, trees in the plum genus, herbs are arranged according to sound, and beginning with the languages nearest to where the plant is found in the wild.

Education

1996-97 MA European Fine Art, Winchester School of Art, Barcelona
1978-82 BA Honours in Fine Art, Leeds University


One Person Exhibitions

2006

 

inside, underneath, behind (text installation), io gallery, Brighton

2002

 

Red etc. (installation of boxed objects and text), 7 Arundel Place, Brighton

2001

 

Barcelona texts, Phoenix Gallery, Brighton

1997

 

Sky, sea installation and related work, Winchester School of Art
Beech leaf installation, Panorama Gallery, Barcelona

1992- 1996

 

Dark Gardens, Lamplit Windows at:
Leeds City Art Gallery, Leeds
Dean Clough Contemporary Art Gallery, Halifax
Lotherton Hall, Yorkshire
Queens Hall Arts Centre, Hexham
The Manor House, Ilkley
Newlyn Gallery, West Yorkshire Playhouse

1988

 

D.L.I Museum and Arts Centre, Durham

1987

 

Landscape Elements Part 1, South Square Gallery, Bradford

1985

 

South Square Gallery, Bradford
Artspace Gallery, Leeds

     

Selected Group Exhibitions

2005

 

Phoenix Open Studios and Sampler, Brighton
io windowspace, (thirty pieces from pomegranate project), Brighton

1999-2001

 

Monumental Miniatures for The Millennium, Scottish Touring Exhibitions Consortium:
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery;
St Fergus Gallery, Wick;
Swanson Gallery, Thurso;
The Dick Institute, Kilmarnock;
Gracefield Art Centre, Dumfries;
Scottish Borders Council;
Crawford Arts Centre, St Andrews;
Smith Art Gallery, Sterling;
Paisley Museum;
York College of Further Education;
An Lanntair, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis;
An Toba Fr, Tobermoray, Isle of Mull;
Bonhoga Gallery, Shetland;
London Road Gallery, Norwich.

1999

 

Gallery 100, Brighton
39 Sussex Square, Brighton Festival Open Houses
Tank, Octopus Gallery, Saffron Walden

1998

 

Contemporary Watercolours, Beatrice Royal Contemporary Art
International Artists Exhibition, Gallery Oboy, San Francisco

1997

 

Foreign Affairs, Can Felipa, Centre Civic del Poblenou, Barcelona
Tallers Oberts, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona

1995

 

Linton Court Gallery, Settle
Site Gallery, Riba, Yorkshire
The Walled Garden, Queens Hall Arts Centre, Hexham


e-mail:
www.axisweb.org

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