Meghan E Jones

Lives and works in Seattle, WA

Artist statement

What happens when a photograph no longer functions as a photograph? Moving away from the rules of my photojournalist past, I search for ways to destabilize the image in non-traditional ways. I create “photo paintings,” large-format photographs printed on the back of photo paper, which refuse to adhere to the slick surface, then are manipulated with acrylic, salt, and varnish. I print abstract images of the magic that exists among a collective of people onto silk tapestries that float and shift like memories being recalled. I build 3D sculptures by stapling 12”x 18” photographs that appear to fly off telephone poles, forming new worlds of architecture and fostering a dialog with people on the streets. Shifting the photograph across various substrates poses questions about how photographs are consumed in a world of digital overload and AI. What does it mean to bring materiality back to the photograph? My work suggests that there are new emotions that can arise from seeing images in different ways, creating a more visceral experience than one consumed through a screen. Bio Meghan E Jones (b. 1979) is a photojournalist and multi-disciplinary artist based in Seattle. She graduated from Salve Regina University with a BA in photography and art history and has recently earned her MFA at SVA in NYC. While at The School of Visual Arts, she earned The Paula Rhodes Memorial Award, which honors master’s degree candidates whose work is deemed exceptional by their chair and faculty....

Artwork