Brian K. Jones
Spin Burn Repeat
September 15 - October 13, 2018
OPENING: Saturday, September 15, 7-10pm
Ro2 Art
1501 S. Ervay Street, Dallas TX 75215
September 15 - October 13, 2018
Ro2 Art, Dallas, TX |
Ro2 Art is proud to present Brian K. Jones’s solo exhibition Spin Burn Repeat! If you’ve ever stepped foot into the Texas State Fair, you may have seen the rooster crowing contest, the sculptures carved out of butter, or you’ll know you can fry up just about anything under the sun, but you’ve probably found yourself face to face with the tallest cowboy in Texas, Big Tex. Any Texas native will remember Big Tex’s demise as he went up in flames, known no longer as simply a colossal cowboy, but a burning effigy. Dallas-based artist Brian K. Jones plays with this event, employing exaggerated caricatures of the famed Texas State Fair icon integrated seamlessly with his own likeness. Describing his Big Tex portrayals as self-immolation portraits, Jones emboldens his outrageous subjects to take on a life of their own, resurrecting the notorious cowboy with his own twist.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST
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Brian Keith Jones earned his BFA in Painting from The University of North Texas in 1998. After completing his degree, he established a studio in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, where he has lived and worked for over 20 years, co-founding the annual Oak Cliff Visual SpeedBump Art Tour. Jones is also widely known for his role in the acclaimed Dallas art duo Chuck & George. The wild, yet symbiotic collaboration of Brian K. Jones and Brian K. Scott influences, and is influenced by each artist’s individual work, serving as a constant source of inspiration. They both own and operate Art Services Collective which offers many art related services such as murals and trompe l'oeil for the private and design community. As well as creating his individual art for the galleries Brian K Jones has created many privately commissioned works.
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ARTIST STATEMENT
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Howdy Y’all! Texas State Fair is upon us once more. Brian K Jones has wrangled himself back into his Big Tex persona and whipped up a new series of self-immolation portraits. The corny dogs and fried twinkies have taken their toll, as his Big Tex is even bigger now.
Like in his 2013 “Meanwhile...back in Dallas!” the 32 individual pieces are stitched together at 16 portraits per second to create a dynamic animation of the corpulent doppelganger as he spins, burns and repeats. This time the paint style is less traditional and less grungy than the previous series. The brightly colored stylized flames and smoke spiral around the spinning zaftig puppet like a candy-coated mandala. Brian calls this style “Scooby-Doo Disco,” a phrase bestowed upon him by an internet troll who meant it as a personal insult. |