RIOTS & RALLIES, PARADES & PROTESTS :: Michael Jones
JUNE 4 - JULY 9, 2021
OPENING RECEPTION: FRIDAY, JUNE 4 @ 6PM & 7PM (by appointment only - text 813-340-9056)
Tampa, FL – Tempus Projects proudly presents RIOTS & RALLIES, PARADES & PROTESTS, new work by Michael Jones, curated by K. Tauches. Michael Jones brings his gritty collage aesthetic to the gallery to comment on the things Americans like in 2021. His latest series, “Riots & Rallies, Parades & Protests,” conjures a mood of unrest in the streets. The surfaces of the artworks are riotous! Spliced and sampled into multiple layers, viewers will find gesture, portraiture, color, stencils made from found photos, Astroturf, glitter, graphics from printed ephemera, and found objects like furniture and fragments left on the curb.
Known for creating murals the size of buildings, it is no surprise that Jones’ relatively smaller paintings and assemblages pack a punch of energy. The work expresses the experiences and observations of a black man brought up around the bravado of Texas nationalism. Living and working in the Atlanta art community for decades, he speaks from a place of love and activism at a time of political transformation.
“Jones gives us an opportunity to think, and even laugh, about the norms of our popular, patriotic past through his hilarious and timely curation of objects, images, and stories. Here’s an artist who identifies equally as a stand-up comic and a speaker of truths. . .”
--K. Tauches, Curator
RIOTS & RALLIES, PARADES & PROTESTS will be on view from June 4th through July 9th. Our opening reception will be by appointment Friday, June 4th at 6pm and 7pm, and both the artist and curator will be in attendance. Text your appointment request to 813-340-9056 and we will do our best to accommodate. LiveWork Studios is located at 6405 N. Florida Ave.
My life is a collage
Sometimes a mirage
It may look like dust
Or glitter in the mirror.
I don’t shine light
I’m just very reflective.
So what some may call art
Is just a mere reflection of life
To critique my work you must first critique life
$hit that Americans Like
An evaluation of life growing up in America from the perception of an individual’s perspective of reality.
Michael Jones was born in Dallas, Texas, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1994. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Painting and Sculpture from Atlanta College of Art (SCAD) in 1998. Jones has completed public murals throughout Atlanta and most recently, his design was selected for the MARTA Atlanta Airport mosaic commission. He curated “Westside Murals” a collective effort between the community and 14 emerging Atlanta-based artists blending mural and street art installations onto the interior walls of self-service car wash bays. He completed the mural “Butta Upper Westside,” a five story mural on the parking deck of an apartment complex in Atlanta’s upper west side.
Jones’s “Moving Targets” series was exhibited at the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, AL, and at Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery in Atlanta, GA. “Riots and Rallies, Parades and Protest” is his latest series of work.
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Tempus Projects is dedicated to nurturing established and emerging local, national, and international artists through exhibitions, collaborations, residencies, and events. Our non-profit organization promotes artists working in all media, and develops, organizes, and hosts exhibitions that engage the Tampa Bay community through the arts.
Our vision is to foster a vibrant and critical arts nexus that connects grassroots efforts to an international arts dialogue through innovative, equitable programming. Tempus Projects is committed to inclusion, accessibility, collaboration, innovation, and integrity.
