EXPLORING THE FUTILITY OF PLEASURE WITH ARTIST ANDY DIXON
The Vancouver-born, Los Angeles-based artist Andy Dixon creates bright and opulent works that often riff on Renaissance-era portraiture or Flemish still lifes, integrating odd juxtapositions, electric palettes, and old-world motifs into colorful canvases that reflect upon the rituals and totems of affluence and privilege in the context of the art historical canon.
Dixon is a self-taught painter who transitioned to fine arts after years as a professional musician. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and art fairs internationally, including Beers, London, UK (2018); Wilding Cran, Los Angeles, CA, USA (2018); Pulse Miami, FL, USA (2017); and Volta, New York, NY, USA (2017). Dixon's work is in notable collections worldwide, including the Walton Family Private Collection, Crystal Bridges, AR, USA, and the West Collection, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
With a sense of satire and self-deprecation, Dixon's art serves as a vibrant commentary on the intricate relationship between art, wealth, and desire, employing a historical perspective that invites viewers to consider the role of privilege and consumerism in contemporary society.
In 2019, Dixon's work was showcased in the exhibition "Look at This Stuff Isn't It Neat" at Joshua Liner Gallery in New York, where he continued to explore themes of opulence and artifice. In 2021, he presented "Masterpieces!" at Over the Influence in Los Angeles, further delving into the relationship between art and luxury. His most recent exhibition, "All Together Now," was featured at The Armory Show in New York in 2024, presented by The Hole.
Most recently, he has contributed an original, large-scale, multi-piece painting entitled “Vanitas Vision” that serves as the central artwork of the new JMM Gallery in London.
J.M.M.:How did the concept for “Vanitas Vision” come about? Might you indulge us with some insight into the relevance of some of the iconography included?
AD:Some of the objects have thematic meaning while others less so. If you can imagine a rap producer making a new beat, sampling from various sources. He might start with a primary sample, say the Annie sample in Jay-Z’s Hard Knock Life. Then the beat might be augmented by other samples, a drum break from a jazz song, an 808 kick drum, etc. These secondary samples help complete the mood and just kinda feel right but their original meaning isn't necessarily important to the vibe.
The primary samples in these pieces are the Vanitas ones. The skull, candle, and jewelry box all reference Momento Mori, paintings that illustrate the futility of pleasure and the inevitability of death. I actually disagree with the first half of this idea, personally - since death is inevitable, that kinda makes pleasure the only thing that matters in a YOLO kind of way.
J.M.M.:How do you think the piece operates in the context of a “retail” space versus a gallery or museum (both also commercial entities of a sort)?
AD:I've always thought it kind of ironic and hilarious that a classical Vanitas painting which depicts luxurious objects in order to illustrate the futility of luxury becomes an object of luxury itself. I think these pieces hanging in such a beautiful commercial space completes the joke. It's the ultimate punchline.
J.M.M.:How does “Vanitas Vision” fit into where you are currently in your process and projects?
AD:My work always samples from art history and I've explored the Vanitas themes many times. These pieces mark a breakthrough in how things look, though. They're among the first paintings that have this kind of punk cut-n-paste aesthetic to them and I plan on carrying that into all pieces moving forward! So thank you!!
