The book, prepared by Herman Lelie, one of the leading art book designers in the world, includes text by well-known art critic Guy Brett and artist/photographer Laura Padgett. A distinctive voice in art criticism since the 1960s, Guy Brett has followed an independent path in mapping and interpreting contemporary art. Always informed by a trans-national perspective and positioning himself as an open-minded observer rather than a theorist, he sees art as a liberating energy within contemporary life and thought.

Joanna Jones’ paintings unravel her being. Like the unfurling of a draper’s tight roll of cloth, they reveal her consciousness as her body presses paint into waves of light and form. Her work has evolved over several decades as part of an intense emotional and intellectual process of self discovery and unveiling. The artist states that, ‘‘the work aspires to universality in its expression of being and presence. What prompted me the first time to this act was an overwhelming wish to enter my painting and do away with any separation between my work and myself’’. The body itself becomes the brush, not as a gimmick to attract attention but as a genuine effort to open an inner core and to transfer primal energy from the self onto the canvas with an almost matriarchal commitment to bring forth that which is whole and essential. As Guy Brett’s valuable conversation with the artist reveals, there is a primordial urge to make use of the body as a vehicle for the transference of subtle impulses and a desire to share gained experience.

In 2001, Joanna Jones had one of her works projected onto the cliffs of Dover from dusk to dawn – an event that attracted thousands of viewers. As the sky darkened the work came into view and as day emerged the vast image on the cliff surface disappeared. In the same year she was given the Artist of the Year award by the U.K. Arts Council. Joanna Jones has lived in Germany for twenty years and her work has been shown in museums and art galleries throughout Germany and Europe. She has an extensive bibliography.

The Pharos Centre for Contemporary Art is pleased to have the opportunity to show her work and to publish a major book on the artist. Joanna Jones will be in Cyprus on November 30 to sign copies of the book.