Spiaggia Libera

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ARTISSIMA - Solo Booth by Jack Warne - 31.10 - 03.11
Jack Warne
(UK)
  • Jack Warne

Jack Warne’s multimedia practice sits across art, animation, sculpture, music and performance. The lush, painterly abstraction of his digital composites, frenetic augmented reality animations and dense soundscapes, provide different points of entry for his audience, albeit originating from his distinct perspective. All are represented by his avatar Gaunt – a digitally rendered suit of armour.

At a time when AI and surveillance technologies are both a source of real change and popular paranoia, Warne is fascinated by the imperfections and glitches of computer vision. In his artworks, digital simulations designed to render real life surface effects are subverted as he deconstructs, collages and manipulates photographic source material. Visceral compositions are produced in which the real underpinnings eek through in skin tones or shadowy structural elements.

*Illy Its No Teh Toab*, 2023, net curtain, foam, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 188 x 150 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Illy Its No Teh Toab, 2023, net curtain, foam, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 188 x 150 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

*Htwa Coorlu Eskam Teh Coorlu Yelowl (6)*, 2023, foam, curtain, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 79 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Htwa Coorlu Eskam Teh Coorlu Yelowl (6), 2023, foam, curtain, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 79 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

*Htwa Coorlu Eskam Teh Coorlu Yelowl (6)* (detail), 2023, foam, curtain, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 79 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Htwa Coorlu Eskam Teh Coorlu Yelowl (6) (detail), 2023, foam, curtain, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 79 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Exhibition view, « Alors, je ferme les yeux », Spiaggia Libera, Paris, 2023. © Aurélien Mole

Exhibition view, « Alors, je ferme les yeux », Spiaggia Libera, Paris, 2023. © Aurélien Mole

These half-glimpsed scenes, in which light plays against form, echo impressionistic painters from the last century. However, the effects Warne conjures originate closer to home. Suffering from a hereditary disease of the cornea called Thiele Behnke Corneal Dystrophy he lost his vision at the age of four. Painful hypersensitivity to light meant periods spent in complete darkness. If you look through almost entirely closed eyes you enter Warne’s flickering world.

*Htwa Coorlu Eskam Teh Coorlu Yelowl (4)*, 2023, carpet, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 188 x 150 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Htwa Coorlu Eskam Teh Coorlu Yelowl (4), 2023, carpet, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 188 x 150 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

*Lily Nad Three Segtranrs*, 2023, carpet, curtain, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 186 x 150 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Lily Nad Three Segtranrs, 2023, carpet, curtain, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 186 x 150 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

*Yily Streas at het Lkco*, 2023, foam, curtain, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 80 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Yily Streas at het Lkco, 2023, foam, curtain, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 80 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

*Liyme Warcls on teh Petcar*, 2023, foam, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 77 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Liyme Warcls on teh Petcar, 2023, foam, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 77 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Warne’s father shared his condition and Warne’s world is shaped by his impact. “Gaunt was my dad’s World of Warcraft character name”. The two often played the hugely popular role-playing game together, when the artist was growing up. His father was also key in Warne’s musical journey, playing him Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, while he was suffering one of his painful episodes, “That undoubtedly was done of the most consciously profound musical moments of my life,” Warne says, “It sparked my love of music and technology.”

This autobiographical detail also guides Warne’s choice of source material. He incorporates archival images and audio of family life in his work. Personal and intimate, they also speak to the pervasive nature of technology in the contemporary home.

*Liyem Dcesan ni teh Givlin Room*, 2023, carpet, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 77 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Liyem Dcesan ni teh Givlin Room, 2023, carpet, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 77 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

*Lily Glnasec Ta Add*, 2023, carpet, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 79 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Lily Glnasec Ta Add, 2023, carpet, tile adhesive, aluminum, augmented reality filter, 95 x 79 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Yet, computers are fallible man-made machines. Physical malfunction has fed into Warne’s interest and exploration of digital error. There is a catharsis in exploring his past trauma in his art. He embraces technology’s creative potential but also hacks it. The armour of the Gaunt character gives him the protection he needs for the journey.

Although forged in a virtual world, Warne’s artworks are made to be encountered in person. Wrapped and overlayered on large frames, they are often printed on a composited surface crafted from a variety of domestic materials; such as foam, carpet, tile adhesive and curtains. These painterly canvases stand on their own merits. However, they spring to life with augmented reality animations activated via QR codes. Each visual loop breathes life into the picture surface, pulling apart the structural underpinnings, zooming in and out, mixing and exploring the layers of composite imagery. These distortions are mirrored in audio collages of voices and metallic feedback which fizz with a disorientating energy. Warne’s digital portals pull us momentarily down the rabbit hole into Gaunt’s immersive and hallucinatory world.

Warne releases his album Blind at the Age of Four this Autumn.

*A stranger loshd illy above het lock*, 2023, foam, tile adhesive, net curtain, UV print, AR filter, 95 x 77 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

A stranger loshd illy above het lock, 2023, foam, tile adhesive, net curtain, UV print, AR filter, 95 x 77 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

*A strenagr oldsh lily baove teh kolc*, 2023, Foam, tile adhesive, net curtain, UV print, AR filter, 95 x 77 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

A strenagr oldsh lily baove teh kolc, 2023, Foam, tile adhesive, net curtain, UV print, AR filter, 95 x 77 cm. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Aurélien Mole

Exhibition view, “Salon d’Été”, Maison Louis Carré, France, 2023. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Margot Montigny

Exhibition view, “Salon d’Été”, Maison Louis Carré, France, 2023. Courtesy the artist & Spiaggia Libera, Paris. © Margot Montigny

Exhibition view, “Blind at the Age of Four” in collaboration with Buildhollywood, 228 Homerton’s billboard, London, 2023.

Exhibition view, “Blind at the Age of Four” in collaboration with Buildhollywood, 228 Homerton’s billboard, London, 2023.

Exhibition view, “Blind at the Age of Four” in collaboration with Buildhollywood, 305 Kingsland Road’s billboard, London, 2023.

Exhibition view, “Blind at the Age of Four” in collaboration with Buildhollywood, 305 Kingsland Road’s billboard, London, 2023.

Exhibition view, “Perfect Partner in the Near Future”, Yuelai Art Museum, Chongqing, China, 2022.

Exhibition view, “Perfect Partner in the Near Future”, Yuelai Art Museum, Chongqing, China, 2022.

Exhibition view, “Mirage Genesis”, New York, USA, 2023.

Exhibition view, “Mirage Genesis”, New York, USA, 2023.

Exhibition view, “Rtapte”, Castor Gallery, London, United Kingdom, 2021.

Exhibition view, “Rtapte”, Castor Gallery, London, United Kingdom, 2021.

Exhibition view, “In Crystallized Time”, Museum of Museums, Seattle, USA, 2021.

Exhibition view, “In Crystallized Time”, Museum of Museums, Seattle, USA, 2021.

Selected exhibitions include:
Sweet Harmony: Rave; Curtain Call London, (2024); Frieze Seoul, Mai 36 Galerie, South Korea (2024); Double Take, LVH, London (2024); Art Brussels, Spiaggia Libera, Belgium (2024); Sparks, Future Gallery, Berlin (2024), Art Basel, Mai 36 Galerie, Hong Kong, (2024);
The Safe Spots Become Impassable, Ethan & Yisi, Hong KongBehold, Hypha Studios, London (2023); Mirage Genesis, New York (2023);Perfect Partner in the Near Future, YUELAI Art; Museum, Chongqing, China (2022-2023) ;
Worm At the Core, SET, London (2022); In Crystallized Time, MoM, Seattle, 2021 ; Rtapte, Castor Gallery, London (2021) ; Old Friends, New Friends, Collective Ending, London (2021); 06, PM/ AM, London (2020-2021); In Our Blood, I Thought You Were Dancing?, Limbo, London (2020); Terra Nexus, Proposition Studios, London (2020); Graduate Show, Royal College Of Art, London (2019); Reverse Landscape, Hannah Barry Gallery, London (2019); Relay, Fitzrovia Gallery, London (2019); I Like Your Work, Royal College Of Art, London (2018); Capital, Barbican Centre, London (2018);Digital Makers Collective, Tate Modern, London (2017); London Design Festival, London College of Communication, London (2017); Perfume Synaesthesia Late, Somerset House, London (2017); and Neuroscience & Diversity, Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2017).