Hold On, It Won’t Last Long

A Hug From The Art World is pleased to present Jon Burgerman's, Hold On, It Won’t Last Long. I first knowingly encountered the visual language of Jon Burgerman in 2018, whilst putting my then three-year-old son to bed. He repeatedly requested I read Burgerman’s How to Eat Pizza nightly for almost six months straight. Those nightly bonding secessions left their mark. The character Burgerman gave those pieces of pizza simply by adding a couple of googly eyes and a squiggly mouth was immense. His visual language was firmly in my phantasia. In 2022, my eyes lit up as he produced a giant hot dog pool float, designed to look like a balloon that looks like a hot dog. Pink in color and again with googly eyes, squiggly mouth and mustard drizzle yet this time with squiggly buttocks in addition. This was for sure form over function. The hot dog certainly floated but was completely impractical for a human to rest on, as one simply slid off the inflated cylindrical capsule. In reality, these were simply whimsical sculptures. I bought two. There is a graphic and material element to Burgerman’s visual world and language, and he intentionally aims for there be a fluidity between his studio practice and broader accessible commercial endeavors. It’s no surprise to me that Burgerman has a large following in Asia. His practice resonates with the Japanese concept of Monozukuri. There is no hierarchy to objects within the Monozukuri philosophy, it’s the aim of achieving excellence that’s inherently important to the concept. Murakami’s language translates to a Louis Vuitton handbag and Nara’s to vinyl figurines or plush toys. The craftsmanship is impeccable and therefore hugely desirable, as much as an object for the home or a symbol to wear out. Burgerman has said he has always wanted his work to be equally enjoyed in the gallery and its gift shop. He does not see his work only existing within the pristine white walls of a gallery, he wants his work to live and engage with life, with the audience. Which is why it’s an equal thrill for him to see his work on random strangers’ phone cases or a t-shirt as it is in the immaculate surroundings of a gallery or museum. For Burgerman, letting the work live is key and, in his view, it can only live through people. As a result of this principle, along with Burgerman’s visual language ability to transcend mediums, he has a massive international presence, having collaborated with multiple brands such as Samsung, Casetify, Van Leeuwen, Sesame Street, Crocs, Pop Mart, The New York Times, Apple, Kid Robot, the list goes on… He takes on whole environments, hotels, shopping malls, store fronts, his large-scale sculptural characters have been erected on the top of buildings. In this regard, Keith Haring comes to mind. Keith’s canvas, if you like, was often the architecture of the city. From adorning buildings’ facades to the interiors of children hospitals, this is something Burgerman’s practice borrows and shares with Haring. For Burgerman’s first New York solo exhibition he is exhibiting twenty new paintings all made within the last three years. The concept and theme touches on family, togetherness, collective experience and the difficulties and challenges in expressing one’s own true emotions. What attracted me to this body of work is that’s it’s instantly recognizable as Jon Burgerman’s language but more melancholy than ever before. All of the characters are embracing but none of their eyes meet. It’s as if they are seeking recognition from another source, they appear to be longing for meaningful connection. They feel very of this moment. He predominantly uses spray paint and oil stick on canvas and for this exhibition it’s no different. He says it’s what big kids use to scribble on the walls of their cities, to mark territory, share jokes and openly declare I am here. Well, Jon Burgerman is here at a Hug From The Art World. And yes, there will be hotdogs in one form or another. Come and see the show. Jon Burgerman (b. 1979 UK) is a New York-based British artist whose works have been acquired by prestigious public collections such as London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the OÖ-Kultur museum in Linz, Austria. His art has been described as “bright, and intuitive, focused on the visceral energy of play as a tenet of communication” (Cate McQuaid, The Boston Globe, July 2021). In recent years he has exhibited at WOAW Gallery (Hong Kong), Chengdu Times Art Museum (China), MISA Art fair Berlin and Cologne, Ojiri Gallery (London), L21 Gallery (Spain), Dopeness Art Lab (Taipei) and Jane Lombard Gallery (New York). Burgerman’s highly distinctive fuzzy-edged characters epitomize the paradoxes of contemporary life. Their seemingly simple googly eyes betray a range of emotional complexities and anxieties, with comically distressed expressions and collapsing forms underlined by titles such as Xanax, Dualist, Lexapro and Chameleon (2022). Burgerman's artistic influences include early 20th century animation, Abstract Expressionism, the CoBrA movement, Art Brut and Pop Art. He encourages the viewer to look at the world in new and unexpected ways. It's his belief that simple creative acts can allow people to change not only their world but the world around them.

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