LAURA JONES

INTERIOR MONOLOGUE

Sophie Gannon Gallery

29 Oct 2024 – 16 Nov 2024

‘Interior Monologue’ invites viewers to muse on the benefits of slowing down and zoning out. Laura Jones stages a survey of her changing daily environments, and the way that they interact with the creative process. A pitstop at a florist. Vases filled with flowers in a Darlinghurst art studio. A friend and a martini at an inner-city bar. A man and a dog in the lounge room of an old house in a small town.

This is ‘still life’ as a raison d’etre, not just a genre of painting. You can sense the tension between the craving for amazement and vacancy. The stunned are not calm. But sometimes our eyes need a break from the sublime to be surprised when we see it. And occasionally our hearts need a break from love for the muscle to recover properly.

In a society obsessed with productivity, Laura Jones provides a reminder that not all worth can be measured by speed or success. Between each brushstroke is a sudden adrenaline rush. A long, slow comedown follows. The pursuit of beauty is a guilty yet necessary pleasure. Where did the time go? And when will the penny drop?


Written by Lech Blaine


2024 Archibald Prize Winner, Laura Jones (b. Sydney 1982) works across painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. A bold colourist, Jones is known for her exploration of the floral still life genre and for her series investigating climate change impacts on the Great Barrier Reef. Her unique visual language is defined by poetic observations of the natural world.