last supper 2014

Abstract HeadsThe Last Supper

jd holden 201 4

La Hormigonera, Barcelona24 Apri l - 1 5 May 201 4

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'La Última Cena' es el título del úl timotrabajo de la serie "Cabezas Abstractas", basada enuna escultura/pintura encontrada por Jonathan en lascal les de Gracia.

Le intrigaba este objeto, como le dio la oportunidad decrear una obra con un tema espiri tual ,manteniendo dentro de las l imitaciones de sus reglasautoimpuestas. Modernismo, como regla general ,prefiere deshacerse de lo espiri tual y referencias a Dios,que han sido un tema en el arte durante mucho tiempo.

Cabezas Abstractas es una serie estructurada de obrasque sigue tres principios fundamentales en suelaboración:

1 . I nspiración en vivo, lo que es la cabeza.2. Se presenta en un formato de 40 x 40 cm.3. El trabajo se presenta en forma de tríptico.

Al paso del tiempo, estos principios de alguna manerahan sido corrompidos para así obtener de diferentesmaneras.

Es evidente que para l legar a la elaboración de estaspiezas, tuvimos como inspiración una figura y no unaserie de personas, sin embargo debido a el acabado yrepresentación tan exacta de La última cena, el artistapudo plasmar de forma precisa la esencia de cada unode los rostros de los personajes que conformaron dichoevento. Para esta exposición el artista decidió trabajartanto con esculturas a base de metales como pinturas abase de acríl ico y tinta.

Lo que logramos con esta exposición, es revolucionarestos principios, buscando nuevos caminos para crearnuevas piezas pero manteniendo la esencia. A base detradiciones judías y cristianas, el artista decidió l levar acabo una cata de canapés representando algunos delos plati l los más característicos de esta rel ig ión.

Se servirán 7 tipos de canapés con un significadodetrás de su elaboración:

1 . Copas de lechuga romana, ensalada de zanahoria ehinojo, almendras tostadas, al iño de rábano picante -para simbol izar el amargor y la dureza de esclavitudque padecieron los Judíos en antiguo Egipto. (Maror &Chazeret)

2. Ensalada de hierbas, alcaparras, naranja,parmesano - los sabores salados simbol izan laslágrimas de los Judíos esclavizados. (Karpas)

3. Huevos rel lenos (devi l led eggs) - simbol izan elsacrificio del festival que se ofreció en el templo deJerusalén (Beitzah)

4. Chips de topinambur con sal de romero - un susti tutopara el sacrificio de Pesáj que era un cordero que seofreció en el templo de Jerusalén (Zeroa)

5. Puré de escal ivada, pan de pita, crudités - querepresenta el plato en el cual Jesus mojó el pan almismo tiempo que Judas, quien fue profetizado atraicionar a Jesus.

6. Albaricoque, azafrán, nuez de pacano en matzá conmanchego curado - Una pasta dulce y de color marrónque representa el mortero que usaron los judíos cuandoconstruyeron los almacenes de Egipto. (Charoset)

7. Cheesecake de fresas - un fin alegre, para celebrar yregoci jarse.

Se servirá también vino y cava, que forma parteesencial de la representación.

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‘The Last Supper’ is the ti tle of the latestwork in the series “Abstract Heads” . I t is based on asculpture/painting which Jonathan found on the streetsof Gracia in Barcelona. He was intrigued by this object,as it gave him the opportunity to create work with aspiri tual theme, whi le keeping within the constraints ofhis self-imposed rules. Modernism, as a rule, prefers toremove the spiri tual , and references to God, which havebeen a theme in art for the longest time.

Abstract Heads is a structured series of works whichfol low three fundamental principles in their creation:

1 . The Head must be inspired from a l iving person, anddrawn from l i fe.2. The size is a format of 40 x40cm.3. The work is created as a triptych.

Over time, these rules have been broken in some waysto find different ways of presenting new work.

I t is evident that the making of these pieces hadinspiration from a model and not a series of people,however due to the nature and representation of thisLast Supper, the artist could capture the essence ofeach one of the faces of the characters. For thisexhibition the artist chose to work with both metal basedsculptures and acryl ic paint and ink.

What is achieved with this exhibition is to revolutionizethese principles, seeking new ways to create newpieces whi le maintaining the essence. Based onChristian and Jewish traditions, the artist decided toconduct a supper, a tasting of appetizers representingnot only Passover and The Last Supper, but joyfulcelebration as wel l .

7 types of canapés with a meaning behind their creationwi l l be served:

1 . Romaine cups, carrot & fennel slaw, toasted almonds,horseradish dressing - symbol izing the bitterness andharshness of the slavery which the Jews endured inAncient Egypt (maror and chazeret)

2. Herb salad, capers, orange, parmesan - the saltytaste symbol ise the tears of the Jews in slavery (Karpas)

3. Devi l led eggs - symbol izing the festival sacrifice thatwas offered in the Temple in Jerusalem (Beitzah)Traditional ly a hard-boi led egg, the bedevi lment adds aChristian element, showing that the Devi l entered Judas

4. Jerusalem Artichoke crisps w/ rosemary salt -substi tuting the the Passover sacrifice, which was alamb offered in the Temple in Jerusalem (Zeroa)

5. Puré de escal ivada, pan de pita, crudités -representing the dish which Jesus dipped his bread intoat the same time as Judas, who was prophesied tobetray Jesus.

6. Apricot-saffron-pecan on matzoh with curedmanchego - A sweet, brown, pebbly paste of fruits andnuts, representing the mortar used by the Jewish slavesto bui ld the storehouses of Egypt. (Charoset)

7. Strawberry Cheesecake - a merry end to the supper,to celebrate and rejoice.

Wine and cava wi l l also be served as an essential partof the happening.

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Conversation with JDHoldenby Patricia Pla I l la

It's an honor to talkwith an artist like Jonathan Holden, because

his pieces are spectacular. And Iwould like to makedesigner

jewelrypieces like these!

How did you enter the world of art?

When I was 1 7 I went to Glasgow and wandered aroundthe art gal leries and had afternoon tea. I saw Dal i 's"Christ of Saint John of the Cross" and Charles RennieMackintosh's house at the Hunterian Museum. I fel t verycomfortable in this world. I t wasn' t unti l I was about 35that I started a Life Drawing Class in the UK, and thennot unti l I moved to Barcelona in 2007 did I start workingmore seriously as an artist.

Are you methodical or misled by the creativeprocess?

I 'm definetly not methodical . I l ike to play with ideas, tosee where I can take them. But I also l ike to have someconstraints, some "rules" that give some structure to mywork. Of course then, I l ike to break the rules!

Did studying religion help you to shape your work,as it did El Greco?

What I remember most about studying rel ig ion atUniversity was the "I conography of Rel ig ions" course. I twas a presentation of rel ig ious ideas as seen throughthe art of Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and I slam. TheEl Greco paintings real ly struck me as being amazingbut which happened to use a rel ig ious theme. Modernart moved away from the traditional rel ig iousiconography, but i t's an important tradition, so I 'm happyto use it as a reference in my art.

What attracted you to "The Last Supper"?

This real ly came from the painting/sculpture/rel ief whichI found on the streets of Gracia. One of my rules forAbstract Heads is to make the original drawing from l i fe.When I saw the three dimensional heads in this LastSupper I real ised that I could bend this rule (thoughthere are some who would say that one of thecharacters at the table is sti l l al ive! )I am interested in the traditions of art, and using them asa basis for moving forward. I don' t bel ieve that artshould always be looking to destroy the past, to rejectrel ig ious art just because we have found new subjects(or non-subjects) for art. Modern Art can just as easi lyhave a traditional/rel ig ious/spiri tual element to its theme,i f the use of the media is moving in new directions. Andthat is what I am trying to do.

Do you usually make the sculpture first andafterwards draw or paint it, or the other way round?

With "The Last Supper" I was exploring the idea of howto represent the image of a sculpture without just takinga photograph. Richard Serra creates engravings of hissculptures, and I thought painting pictures of thesculptures would add a new dimension. I l ike to playwith the "Modern" idea of "What is a painting? What is asculpture?" and see how these two areas of art interplay.

Which authors influenced you the most and why?

Clement Greenberg, the American art cri tic and RobertHughes, a cri tic who fol lowed him.I also love reading interviews with artists, as it gives agood insight into their practice. I 've spent a lot of time inthe l ibrary at the Tàpies Foundation reading col lectionsof discussions with artists.

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He citedPietMondrian as an artist that he likes. It is a great

coincidence that Imade two collections of jewelry (Mondrian

andPetitMondrian)!. I guess hemoved the straight lines and

precision ofMondrian to move to transform them into three

dimensions.

Do you play with volume to make sculpture?

The sculptures in the "Abstract Heads" series start l i feas a flat surface with l ines. They are l ines that becomeplanes that become volumes. I suppose the key with theAbstract Heads sculptures is that I have in mind thedimensions of a head, which give them a certain form.I 've never thought about this before and I suppose if youlook at some of the sculptures in "The Last Supper" theyare moving away from these "square" dimensions.The other point is that the sculptures must be free-standing. As I weld them together, I have to make surethat they wi l l balance physical ly. I n fact, i t's a bit of asurprise when I see the finished sculpture, because Idon' t plan or design it fi rst, i t evolves out of the processof creation from the table out.

Can objects found in the street become a work ofart?

I 'm not a big fan of "found object art" personal ly, but ofcourse, anything can be art. Having said that, I have aseries cal led "Groundworks" which looks at making fineart from the city environment. I wouldn' t want to makeart from concrete blocks, but I do make art by printingconcrete blocks onto paper. I l ike my art to look"Modern", but to be made via a "contemporary" practice.

Please explain the experiment of carved wood... forme it's great!

This was the first i teration of "The Last Supper", which Imade from pieces of old doors and other furniture whichI found on the streets near my studio. I t was my first

large scale experiment with Abstract Heads sculptures,and I was del ighted when I was able to exhibit i t an"Upper Room" in the gal lery of Mezzanina in Gracia. I twas a kind of homecoming for the piece, because theoriginal painting/sculpture/rel ief was found on the streetsof Gracia.

The pieces are verydynamic andwith a great balance.

Does Barcelona promote artists?

Barcelona is a fantastic city to l ive in as an artist. Thereis a real freedom here to create work. But in order tocreate the next work, artists need to sel l the previouswork. And this is the problem. There are bars andrestaurants that wi l l d isplay work; there are spaces youcan rent to put on a show. But at the moment, i t's quitedifficul t to find a gal lery to show my work. They are quiteconservative. But there are some new initiatives that thegal leries are talking, and I real ly bel ieve that Barcelonahas the potential to be a world class centre for fine art,in the way that Berl in has been, but i t also needs to lookto the outside world.

You are a person with a great sense of humor. Howdo you acquire new personal art challenges?

I see most of my artistic practices as series ofchal lenges or problems to solve. I t's that which makesme a Modern Artist, I think. I t's not that the content is notimportant in the work, just that exploring the artisticprocess is more important. Although I don' t think my artis humorous, I do enjoy stepping back as it's nearingcompletion and feel ing an enormous joyous satisfactionwith works as they come to have a l i fe of their own.

You see, an artist of the highest quality. I love his work. It has

its own stamp anda storybehind it thatwill surprise and

astonish everyone.

Al l "Abstract Heads: The Last Supper"

sculptures: recycled steel , 201 4

1 . Judas

3. Disciple 1 2

4. Last Supper, plaster rel ief, found object

5. Disciple 1 2

6. JD Holden at the inauguration

7. Disciple 9

8. Disciples 1 , 2 and 3

9. Disciple 5

1 0. Disciples 9 and 1 0

1 1 . Disciple 1 0

1 2. Disciple 8

1 3. Disciple 8

1 4. Abstract Heads: The Last Supper,

instal lation view

1 5. Jesus

1 6. Canapes at the inauguration

Al l "Abstract Heads: The Last Supper"

paintings: goache and ink on paper, 201 4

1 7. Disciple 6

1 9. Disciple 2

21 . Disciple 1 1

22. Sculptures 9, 1 0, 1 2 and painting 1 3

23. Judas

25. Disciple 1 1

27. Disciple 3

29. Disciple 1

31 . Disciple 1

32. Studio View: The Last Supper




36. Col lector View: Disciple 9

37. Studio View: Jesus, 1 , 9, Judas, 5, 4

38. Studio View: 8, 2, 1 1 , 6, Jesus, 3

Photographs

last supper 2014

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