Thursday, April 25, 2024

Jonathan Ellery



why Ellery?

Jonathan Ellery's work is characterized by its distinctive britishness. It hints at the heritage of London and stereotypical notions of Britain, while the context suggests something more modern. 

After graduation, Ellery moved to London to begin his career as a Graphic Designer. In 1998, Ellery co-founded the design studio Browns. In 2002 Ellery took over ownership of Browns. 




In 2001 Ellery designed the book Coney Island, featuring the photopgraphy of Bruce Gilden, with a typographical language that recalls letterpress posters and ads from carnivals, cruises, and theaters from early Twentieth-Century.

Ellery's show "Unrest", featured large-scale brass works and a sound and video piece projecting the numbers 1–87, corresponding to the book "87", and "Constance", a "live performance" featuring a drummer and a girl undressing, held at The Wapping Project in London. Pieces like this highlight his attraction to the medium of book art, which plays a central role throughout his art practice.


What do we see?
 
1- minimalness,
2- iconographic seriality,
3- typeface as sculpture,
4- saturated symbolism,
5- circumlocution,

let's agree with this ellery statement: