Artist: Joan Jonas
Exhibition title: Inscribed in the Air
Venue: Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Date: January 29 – March 12, 2022
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas’s drawing practice has been a core through line in her work, connecting her multi- dimensional and disciplinary practice that spans performance, sculpture, film, and dance over the last fifty years. For her first exhibition with the Gallery, Jonas presents a selection of significant drawings that reference animals, history and her own body.
Inspired by the intersection between fantasy and reality, Jonas explores myths, fairy tales, and the natural world in the works on view. The exhibition features a major installation of the series, ‘I know why they left’ (2017), created while Jonas was an Artist in Residence at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 2017. The artist photographed and documented an assortment of real and mythological creatures found throughout the museum, conservation labs, and archives. Redrawing and tracing from these photographs, Jonas paid particular attention to both birds and fish – animals in movement, studying their various states of swimming, gliding, and flying.
In ‘Draw on the wind’ (2018), Jonas extends this physical movement into her materials, employing bamboo and collaged paper to create kites that float in the gallery space. Following a formative trip to Hanoi in 2018, the kites were handmade in Vietnam, which Jonas then hand painted and collaged with vividly colored paper cutouts. This is the third body of work in Jonas’s practice to incorporate kites and marks the European debut of ‘Draw on the Wind,’ having only ever been exhibited at the Carnegie International in 2018.
The forms that Jonas creates in her drawings stem from the connections she holds to spaces, living beings, and even her own body. This exhibition features a series of body drawings made by the artist during live performances between 1999 and 2017, wherein the combination of drawing and performance is at the forefront. The drawings of pagodas were made in response to her piece Reading Dante. Displaying intimate and sometimes uncomfortable aspects of one’s own sensibilities, Jonas shows an examination of the self.
Joan Jonas (b. 1936, New York) has exhibited and performed her work at museums and large scale group exhibitions internationally, including documenta 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 13. She has recently presented solo exhibitions at Dia Art Foundation, Beacon, New York; Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional, Madrid; Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, Brazil; Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston; Serralves Museum, Porto; Tate Modern, London; and the United States Pavilion for the 56th Edition of the Venice Biennial. Jonas will be the subject of retrospectives at the Haus der Kunst in Munich in fall 2022 and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in spring 2024.
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Installation view, Joan Jonas: Inscribed in the Air, at Gladstone Gallery, Brussels, 2022. © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery. Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, My New Theater IV, Dog Hoop, 2004, Wooden box, wooden trestles, video on DVD (color/sound), LCD monitor, speakers, props, 163 x 63.5 x 166 cm Duration: 2 min 34 sec looped, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Too Busy Bees V, 2014, Watercolor on handmade paper, 19 1/2 x 25 1/2 inches (49.5 x 64.8 cm), 22 x 27 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches (55.9 x 70.5 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Too Busy Bees VI, 2014, Watercolor on handmade paper, 19 1/2 x 25 1/2 inches (49.5 x 64.8 cm), 22 x 27 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches (55.9 x 70.5 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Too Busy Bees VII, 2014, Watercolor on handmade paper, 19 1/2 x 25 1/2 inches (49.5 x 64.8 cm), 22 x 27 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches (55.9 x 70.5 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Too Busy Bees VIII, 2014, Watercolor on handmade paper, 19 1/2 x 25 1/2 inches (49.5 x 64.8 cm), 22 x 27 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches (55.9 x 70.5 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Too Busy Bees IX, 2014, Watercolor on handmade paper, 19 1/2 x 25 1/2 inches (49.5 x 64.8 cm), 22 x 27 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches (55.9 x 70.5 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, They come to us without a word X, 2013, Watercolor on paper, 31 1/8 x 43 1/16 inches (79.1 x 109.4 cm), 34 1/2 x 46 1/2 x 2 inches (87.6 x 118.1 x 5.1 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, They come to us without a word XII, 2013, Ink on paper, 12 x 16 1/2 inches (30.5 x 41.9 cm), 16 1/4 x 20 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (41.3 x 52.1 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, They come to us without a word XVII, 2013, pastel on paper, 28 x 40 1/2 inches (71.1 x 102.9 cm), 32 1/4 x 45 1/4 x 1 1/2 inches (81.9 x 114.9 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Body Drawing 43, 1999-2017, Charcoal on handmade paper, 55 x 29 inches (139.7 x 73.7 cm), 61 3/4 x 35 1/2 x 2 inches (156.8 x 90.2 x 5.1 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Fabrice Schneider
Joan Jonas, Body Drawing 41, 1999-2017, Charcoal on handmade paper, 38 x 25 inches (96.5 x 63.5 cm), 44 3/4 x 31 3/4 x 2 inches (113.7 x 80.6 x 5.1 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Body Drawing 29, 1999-2017, Charcoal on handmade paper, 55 x 29 inches (139.7 x 73.7 cm), 61 3/4 x 35 1/2 x 2 inches (156.8 x 90.2 x 5.1 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Fabrice Schneider
Joan Jonas, Body Drawing 16, 1999-2017, Charcoal on handmade paper, 53 1/4 x 27 3/8 inches (135.3 x 69.5 cm), 61 3/4 x 35 1/2 x 2 inches (156.8 x 90.2 x 5.1 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Fabrice Schneider
Joan Jonas, House Drawing 12, 2007-2012, Watercolor pencil and Japanese watercolor on paper, 9 x 7 1/4 inches (22.9 x 18.4 cm), 14 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches (36.8 x 31.8 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Pagoda 3, 2016, Watercolor and graphite on paper, 30 x 22 inches (76.2 x 55.9 cm), 32 5/8 x 24 5/8 x 1 1/2 inches (82.9 x 62.5 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Twilight, 1975, printed 2019, Photographed by Gwenn Thomas, Gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm), 18 3/4 x 25 x 1 1/2 inches (47.6 x 63.5 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, Stage Sets II, 1976, printed 2019, Photographed by Gwenn Thomas, gelatin silver print, 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm), 18 3/4 x 25 x 1 1/2 inches (47.6 x 63.5 x 3.8 cm) framed, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery
Joan Jonas, I Know Why They Left , 2016 – 2018, 55 drawings and 12 props installation, 32 drawings: 8 x 8 1/2 inches (20.3 x 21.6 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 26 x 3.2 cm) framed each, 23 drawings: 12 x 8 inches (30.5 x 20.3 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 13 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 34.3 x 3.2 cm) framed each, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, I Know Why They Left , 2016 – 2018, 55 drawings and 12 props installation, 32 drawings: 8 x 8 1/2 inches (20.3 x 21.6 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 26 x 3.2 cm) framed each, 23 drawings: 12 x 8 inches (30.5 x 20.3 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 13 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 34.3 x 3.2 cm) framed each, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, I Know Why They Left , 2016 – 2018, 55 drawings and 12 props installation, 32 drawings: 8 x 8 1/2 inches (20.3 x 21.6 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 26 x 3.2 cm) framed each, 23 drawings: 12 x 8 inches (30.5 x 20.3 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 13 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 34.3 x 3.2 cm) framed each, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, I Know Why They Left , 2016 – 2018, 55 drawings and 12 props installation, 32 drawings: 8 x 8 1/2 inches (20.3 x 21.6 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 26 x 3.2 cm) framed each, 23 drawings: 12 x 8 inches (30.5 x 20.3 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 13 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 34.3 x 3.2 cm) framed each, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, I Know Why They Left , 2016 – 2018, 55 drawings and 12 props installation, 32 drawings: 8 x 8 1/2 inches (20.3 x 21.6 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 26 x 3.2 cm) framed each, 23 drawings: 12 x 8 inches (30.5 x 20.3 cm) each, 10 1/4 x 13 1/2 x 1 1/4 inches (26 x 34.3 x 3.2 cm) framed each, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, Draw on the wind, 2018, Paper painted kites, bamboo, Dimensions variable, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, Draw on the wind, 2018, Paper painted kites, bamboo, Dimensions variable, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, Draw on the wind, 2018, Paper painted kites, bamboo, Dimensions variable, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, Draw on the wind, 2018, Paper painted kites, bamboo, Dimensions variable, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, Draw on the wind, 2018, Paper painted kites, bamboo, Dimensions variable, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, Draw on the wind, 2018, Paper painted kites, bamboo, Dimensions variable, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, Draw on the wind, 2018, Paper painted kites, bamboo, Dimensions variable, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek
Joan Jonas, Draw on the wind, 2018, Paper painted kites, bamboo, Dimensions variable, © Joan Jonas/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery, Photography by Philip Poppek