Quentin Jones exposed

Quentin Jones’ star has been nudging stellar status since those signature thick swoops of ink began addictively illustrating everything in sight. From magazine covers to fashion film, cut and paste collaging, illustration, stop motion animation – the list goes on. “As soon as your work gets boring to you, I think it probably does to other people,” riffs Jones, who, most certainly isn’t at risk of that. With her work spanning a multitude of fields, it’s no wonder the young British artist, in collaboration with set designer extraordinaire Robert Storey, is currently putting the finishing touches on her new exhibition The Fractured and the Feline, opening at London’s Vinyl Factory.

Hailing from a creative mindset that has seen her slap a dense layer of paint on her naked body, turn Miley Cyrus tongue tied and scribble across the ad campaigns of brands like Kenzo and Louis Vuitton – Jones’ work is fresh, engaging and intelligent, and, courtesy of that Midas touch, she has successfully injected the (often stiff-lipped) art and fashion worlds with a much-needed dose of humour and an – always-appreciated – dream-like surrealism. Ahead of her exhibition, we re-live Jones’ titillating spread for Adult magazine and talk to the artist about rotting fruit, meditation and how she honed her signature style.

How do you and Robert Storey tend to work together? What magic can we expect?

Quentin Jones: It is so exciting for us both. Obviously Robert designs spatially for film and editorial, and also for physical spaces. But for me, it is so cool that he is building houses for my work that contains his work within it. The film rooms we are building will play animations that will reflect around the room on mirrors so the viewer really walks into the film, with the sound that Peter Duffy has edited together for me echoing around them in 3D space.

Robert is creating windows in rooms that look out onto sculptures, which when you pass you then see reflected back at you from mirrors in front of you. It will be like a surreal playground, piecing together the past five years of work. He’s also made the most beautiful sculptures.

“I’m really interested in how the images seem beautiful, but the smell and atmosphere is slightly too sweet, sticky and on the verge of turning foul” – Quentin Jones

Could you explain your working relationship for us – what's your process of working together?

Quentin Jones: I think this project is a good example of how it always works – I start by saying what I want to be able to do, Robert tells me how he can structurally support that, we both go away and do our thing. I make a mess of faces and paint, he makes clean strong designs, and we meet back and quite organically see how we can fit our things together. Although our aesthetic is quite different we both like things that are graphic and powerful, and seem to agree on things more often than not. The next step for me in the space is hand painting onto some walls so artwork can start creeping outside of its frames.

Your style is obviously so distinct and instantly recognisable – how did you hone this?

Quentin Jones: I tend to say through laziness – but maybe to give myself more credit I like to be able to work as quickly as ideas come up. To be able to visually think with paint, cutting and pasting so that the process is compelling for myself. As soon as your work gets boring to you, I think it probably does to other people. I find it tedious spending too long shading or doing details. Although actually sometimes doing a repeated pattern is a bit like meditation, you can go into a little mindless trance – so I have got into that since last summer. But only to take a break at points in the middle of designing the face, or page or film or whatever I am working on.

Dazed is featuring your Adult series – could you explain the concept behind the images? Where was your head at while you were working on them?

Quentin Jones: I was playing with the idea of ripeness, turning to decay, rotten fruit crumpling flowers, and the sexualised female form. I’m really interested in how the images seem beautiful, but the smell and atmosphere is slightly too sweet, sticky and on the verge of turning foul. I also got into making the images look slightly mythical – set in picture perfect nature. The characters seem quite empowered until you realise they are posing for the pornographers lens.

What do you usually have playing on your speakers while you work?

Quentin Jones: Kindness, FKA Twigs, Chopin, Jamie T, Nina Simone.

As such a young artist, how does it feel to have your "oeuvre" on display?

Quentin Jones: I just had to Google what that meant. But I think it feels natural – and by only displaying one series you would miss the films, or photographs or the other bits. And I think to be able to pick strands across all platforms I am putting together a more interesting show.

It is really nice to start to see the many illustrated characters, models, bits of stop motion all come together in a physical space. It is a great way to understand my own work, to see how most of what I do is some form of portraiture. It also feels good that I feel comfortable hanging commercial and non-commercial projects together – to see that what I do is all part of one thing.

The Fractured and the Feline: Quentin Jones with Robert Storey is presented by The Vinyl Factory at their space in The Brewer Street Car Park, London from 19 November to 13 December, 2014. Selected images from this series will be for sale as limited editions. Keep an eye out for Jones’ sister, whose catering company Tart will be hosting a pop-up restaurant