I Was And I'm Not No Angel by JP Jones

An exuberant exploration of contemporary divinity by international artist JP Jones.

Welsh rocker JP Jones is no stranger to putting on a show. An acclaimed musician, he formerly fronted British band Grace, collaborated with Chrissie Hynde and toured with Guns n’ Roses. For the last five years he’s been making sweet, sweet music of a different kind - swapping his guitar for a paint brush and his patented ‘sound pattern’ technology.

Long before JP was seduced by the irresistible debauchery of London’s rock n’ roll scene, he was a student at Chelsea Art College. It was there that he pioneered a technique allowing the deaf community to experience original acoustics, optically, for the first time. An aural visionnaire, he elevated glass shards and kinetic lasers into a vibrant, multi-sensory performance.

It was this aesthetic celebration of reverberation that inspired his premiere collection ‘Sound Portraits’. It was showcased worldwide, to critical reception, and for JP marked a poignant shift in trajectory. Whereas tours past had been hallmarked with all the sleazy, nocturnal atrocities one would expect from a travelling muso, journeying this time with canvases for companions proved cathartic and reflective.

Whilst wandering Rome with a pocket full of profound, handwritten short stories, JP was captivated by the moody intensity of the city's omnipresent sculptured Saints. The highly visual culture of catholicism, the symbolism of the church, the brilliance of its artefacts and the striking contrast between darkness and light, pure and evil proved fascinating.

Brooding on what these exalted icons and divine deities would be, were they transported to today, tendered the predominant inspiration for JP’s latest body of work. 

‘I Was And I’m Not No Angel’ is a vivid, multi-faceted and immersive arts experience. 

With over 20 pieces on display, each artwork is emblazoned with a single line from JP’s leading short story, which also gave the exhibit its name. Honouring his two present outlets, the collection masterfully marries art and storytelling, and in a nod to his earlier creative endeavours, features a colourful, abstract sound pattern of JP narrating his prose. 

The works are a flamboyant triumph of mediums layered en masse, a bold, theatrical, multi-sensory explosion of punk rock, renaissance, expressionism and all that is holy.

Get amongst it.