Duncan's new bio and next project



Duncan Jago
Born: UK, 1972

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

(Thomas Merton No Man Is an Island )

Since graduating from the University Of The West of England in Bristol in 1998, Duncan Jago’s work has undergone a prolonged and continuous process of abstraction.

Duncan’s early – doodle-derived – mark making evolved deliberately into his current way of working; the droid-like figures of his formative, commercial illustration slowly enveloped in ever-deepening layers of colour and shade.

These figures have now become almost entirely hidden, remaining as shadowy, compositional elements, specters lurking in the gloom behind the kaleidoscopic vapours of (what might perhaps be) humankind’s vanity and pollution. One senses a narrative, but it remains obscured, teasingly just out-of-view.

Most recently, Duncan has taken the idioms of spray painting to a level of sophistication rarely seen in the medium, completely uninhibited by any notions of what spray painting is, or should be. There is maturity and depth to the use of colour that hints at the mineral traces left by geological time, or the complex nebulae of deep space revealed by Hubble’s keen eye.

His work is the result of a stream-of-consciousness approach, where meaning presents itself through process. One might well use the phrase abstract expressionism, since form and structure have undergone a process of abstraction, whilst primarily being emotionally expressive. It is both formally organised and balanced, as well as spontaneous and visceral.

Duncan’s work has been exhibited extensively worldwide and is held in both public and private collections

You're damn right there mate. More representive of where his is after a decade as an artist. So eloquently written by Felix 'FLX' Braun, Bristol stalwart, author of Children of the Can and close friend of Duncans.

Small write up and images of Jago's latest work at SCOPE NY which opens today, on the delightful 'Graffuturism' website

graffuturism.com/2011/03/01/how-and-nosm-mr-jago-at-scope-new-york/

Obviously a wise woman G. You know where I am so drop me a text and we'll arrange to talk.

You need to get that 'list' together from what I hear

just checked and it's down. His email is bouncing back too.

I cannot confirm nor deny reports of said list, perhaps just a rumour

Oh yeah i hear on good authority that one of the Dring brothers needs male grooming products more than the other!! Lips are sealed

I say self-praise was always cheap ;D

Having seen these in the flesh then I have to say these pics don't come anywhere near to doing them justice by a long long chalk. In fact I think one's upside down

"Pretty, Pretty, Pretttyyyyyyy Good" Larry David, 2010

IMO, very good price for original given what the editioned prints go for.

These two guys are awesome. Somebody had a genius idea to get them together.

I am fortunate enough to know Andrew personally and he is on top of his game right now with loads to come.

He's built a new studio and made a conscious decision to reduce output but only produce amazing pieces.

The demand for his work is huge and there are auction houses in France queueing up for pieces.
A massive canvas recently went through artcurial at 9,500 euros which was over their estimate.

You have to get yourself in front of one of his canvases and see them in the flesh. Amazing stuff.

I triped over the vacum cleaner last night and landed on my biggest Jago painting 1.8m x 1.5m. luckily it was just my hand and near the bottom of the painting. I kicked fuck out of the vacum cleaner twice and got pretty upset for a while as there was clear dent in the canvas.
Luckily I decided to sleep on it (not the Jago) and think if there was anything i would be able to do to save it.
I took it off the wall this morning and amazingly was able to rescue it to the point where you can't even notice it.

It made me realise how much my art means to me, particularly my orginals and how much I hate Henry the vacum cleaner ;D.
My foot doesn't even hurt.

It's not Henry's fault you didn't put him away had you had a few sherbets last night?

Seriously, glad the canvas is ok ;D

Hope you warned the wife about putting her tools away in future

Snarf snarf @ polishing wood

Has the canvas got spacers in the rear corners? (reverse) tap them in to make it drum tight, least that's how i will be wanting mine

Now I know you have a cricket bat I'm going to keep my glib comments to myself