Not dissimilar to the work of Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock, JonOne’s graffiti works depict multi-chromatic abstract compositions. Since the 1980s, JonOne has captured movement on canvas with layers of gestural brushstrokes that drip and splash over his original graffiti name tag. Despite being on canvas, JonOne’s artwork maintains the same unrestricted dynamism as his original street graffiti works. JonOne’s powerful compositions reveal the artist’s grasp of both urban cityscapes and contemporary art spaces.
In 2017, JonOne exhibited his artwork in a seminal exhibition at the Montresso Foundation in Morocco. Titled A Dream Longer Than Night, the exhibition presented over 30 years’ worth of JonOne’s work. The show demonstrated JonOne’s artistic development from street artist to museum artist and highlighted how his artwork pushes the boundaries of what street art can be.
For this exhibition, JonOne created brightly coloured oil paintings composed of smears, scrawls, and splatters. JonOne’s energetic paintings mimic his urban spray paintings, illustrating how graffiti has the ability to thrill and inspire regardless of whether it is displayed in a museum or on urban city walls.
Public Commissions
In 2014, JonOne collaborated with Perrier to create vibrant packaging designs for the French brand. JonOne’s abstract artwork was featured on limited-edition Perrier bottles and on street murals across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Los Angeles to promote the campaign.
