Any Second Now

Catalogue statement by Embie

Tan Aren A distinctive aspect of Brisbane/Meanjin-based artist Dylan Jones’ practice is his attention to simplifying form without losing emotional or perceptual depth. Whether painting portraits, landscapes or domestic settings, Jones creates a clarity of composition which supports rather than overwhelms. His application of gouache on paper is energetic yet considered; the colour palette rich yet soft. In Any Second Now, Jones explores a new path beyond his recent series of nudes and interiors by illustrating the rhythms of Vietnam’s street life observed during a family trip this year. These lively thoroughfares still share the common threads present in Jones’ earlier work: the intimacy of space, the tension between presence and absence, and the idea that everyday scenes entail stories worth telling. The works are not simply representations, but invitations to experience, even if only briefly, the activity of other lives, rendered through a painterly balance of intensity and restraint. A moment appears, and there is a pause: a moment to value what we see. Time passes, yet each second is charged with possibility, and the street becomes quietly extraordinary.