Jules Jones twists commonly held perceptions about political and environmental subject matters, and he forces his reader to create narratives based on fantastical scenarios that are loosely based in recent scientific discovery. Within this framework, Jones strives to unravel the nature of human superiority over other species. In this show Jones exhibits a series of paintings that reflect his interest in combining and manipulating preexisting systems of classification.

Jones takes the current discoveries of hybridization occurring in nature as a point of departure for creating his own ‘monsters.’ These ‘monsters’ represent the animals that humanity, for a number of reasons, forces to evolve. Humanity’s manipulation of species appears in society in a number of ways. One is the destructive nature of man’s intentional manipulation of species; for example, a recent story in Harper’s magazine detailed how the United States was trying to use computers to control shark behavior for military purposes. Secondly, unintentional hybrids result from humans manipulating the environment. For instance, scientists recently discovered a mix between a polar bear and a brown bear. Lastly, Jones is intrigued by the natural occurrence of hybrids in the environment such as the commonly occurring ass, which is a cross between a donkey and a mule.

Jones’ interests lie in blending popularized scientific accounts with the fantastical ‘monsters’ he creates. He buys into the fantastical power of these newly developed creatures and imagines what would happen if these ‘monsters’ overcame humanity. The theme of an apocalypse interests Jones and is an extension of his fascination with an abnormal hybridized world.

The work he exhibits here are small and intimate. The square wooden frames of varying sizes, which Jones either found or constructed himself, intentionally defy the ideas of the vertical/figural or the horizontal/landscape picture plane. He begins a narrative and wants a viewer to create their own conclusions to explain the images. Unlike other artists who try to reassure the viewer with a conclusion, his stories are not trying to appease the viewer or have a set conclusion. For Jones, the final piece is not as significant as the idea. Furthermore, he uses acrylic for its ability to go down on the canvas fast and dry quickly. Thus, he can focus on the ideas going into his work and not the finished application of the paint of the perfection of the final product.

In this exhibition, Jones plays with the hybridization of materials and landscapes in an attempt to challenge previously established notions of materiality. To read his work, one must consider the materiality of one element within a piece in the context of the other materials and objects presented. For example, when Jones makes a shark out of wood he displaces the shark’s position in the water by having it rise to the surface. In the same work, he places a bird in the sky which is made of marble, so it sinks into the ocean. Therefore, Jones puts a new spin on the traditional cycle diagram popular in natural science books and science periodicals such as National Geographic.

Jones’ works are both politically and environmentally minded. However, he does not want to ‘preach’ to his audience, but rather he wants to create a dialog. Jones addresses serious issues such as global warming, which both scare and make us feel helpless, but he does it in a humorous manner. This approach makes his work relevant to a large audience because of the universal appeal of his interests.

When seeing Jones’ work it is important to pay attention to the surface and to understand the different materials that he uses. His paintings at first appear simplistic, yet upon closer examination they reflect a complex theoretical approach to analyzing the environment reality that we all too often ignore. He carefully juxtaposes different substances, subject matters, and themes in order to create an ironic and yet serious look at the popularization of science in our contemporary society.