My work can be seen as a therapy for the uncertain future. There is a growing public concern about environmental and technological issues, and I want to raise the critical awareness of viewers by drawing their attention to these themes
Jonathan Monaghan, artist
Premiering for the first time as a three-channel installation, Out of the Abyss, a 19-minute seamlessly looping video references the symbols and narratives associated with the biblical Apocalypse. Visually extravagant, the work re-imagines elements such as the seven-eyed lamb and the four horsemen as terrifying beasts of the present day, adorned with security cameras, riot gear, and consumer electronics. To create the work, Monaghan used high-end computer animation software and appropriated the slick and seductive visual aesthetics found in commercials or advertisements.
Apart from creating video installations, Monaghan uses digital technologies such as 3-D printing and CNC milling to produce sculptures from various materials like plastics, marble, and gold. Resembling artifacts from another dimension, his works create something which truly blends the moving image and the notion of the art object.
Jonathan Monaghan’s work has been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, bitforms gallery, Spazio Ridotto in Venice, and Market Gallery in Glasgow. Group exhibitions include The Palais de Tokyo in Paris, New Frontier at the Sundance Film Festival, Lehman College Art Gallery in New York, Ars Electronica, the State Hermitage Museum, and Postmasters Gallery in New York. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, VICE, The Wall Street Journal, and The Village Voice. His work has also been acquired by numerous public and private art collections, including The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Washington, D.C., Art Bank Collection.
