Jonathan Michael Ray: Field Work

Field Work is an exhibition about a distinct moment in time in Jonathan Michael Ray's life, but it is also an archaeological dig through impermanence. In 2023, Ray spent a month on residency in Orkney and, as an artist who lives and works in Cornwall, the isles of Mainland, Hoy or Rousay at first offered a certain coastal familiarity. However, in his explorations across the sparse Scottish archipelago, a wealth of unforeseen inspiration was revealed. The discoveries he made while on Orkney have led to a body of work rooted to the culture of its unique landscapes, history, folklore, poetry, art and music. These newly conceived works, including wall-based sculpture, assemblage, drawing, and photography are brought together here for the first time. 

Jonathan Michael Ray is a seeker of chance. His practice, firmly rooted in encounter, sees the gathering together of the various materials, artefacts and stories that he finds, in order to communicate the layered uniqueness of a place. Ray’s source material, accumulated like a Wunderkammer, is seemingly ancient and solid. But his work inaugurates diversified relationships that require us to think again. These are explorations in narrative through assemblage, where the slippages of time are made palpable. Everything is always changing; nothing stays the same.