Many Meanings of Animation

Rachel Jones lives in an animated universe where characters are larger than life, "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" plays in the background, and cartoon physics trump logic. Jones is a British multi-disciplinary artist who specializes in using oil pastels on large linen canvases. In !!!!! curated by Erin Jenoa Gilbert, on view at MoAD from March 27 to September 1, 2024, the London-based artist immerses the audience in her own world shaped by Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. All of the works in !!!!! are of mouths. Jones was inspired by the visuals and music of the golden age of cartoons in the creation of !!!!!, playing on the vernacular of classic animation in her own practice. The combination of the mouth as a subject and the comical, dramatic range of cartoons shows Jones’ deep understanding of animation as an art form as well as an action. Jones’ work uses striking movements to entice the viewer, pulling them in by stretching the recognizable form of the mouth into extreme shapes and sizes. Walking into the third-floor exhibit, the pieces talk. It’s like watching a cartoon—the paintings are physically inanimate, but their lips move with an invisible energy. I can hear the independent character voices and the sounds of the mouths chewing, spitting, whispering, yelling, and gulping without physically seeing the paintings move. Each mouth is having a conversation of its own, but together they create a symphony; they talk to each other from across the room, but they also include the viewer in their conversations. Jones’ use of texture and color on a flat surface creates a character on top of each artwork, bringing her work to life through oil pastels.

‍

Positioned to the right of the visitor when first entering the gallery, !!!!! (5)² boldly embodies this ability to call the viewer in. It is unique from the other pieces in the exhibition in that it depicts a mouth in profile rather than facing the viewer. This perspective dramatizes the subject, drawing attention to the mouth’s purpose of creating voice and sound. The jaw is unhinged in a screeching position. The top lips stretch over the teeth, hiding them in a gnarly snarl, but the bottom lips are pulled taught to display the pearly whites. The mouth is holding a solid gold bar of smudged-together mustard and electric yellow pastels, invoking an image of an ill-fitting grill. Jones shows intention in her use of space and background; she has crafted a smashed brick wall background of crimson red, black, baby blue, green, orchid, teal, and maroon clay, but much of the cardboard-brown linen canvas is purposefully left blank. The colors and striking textures of !!!!! (5) pull me in every time I walk into the gallery. The mouth is open the widest, so I know that it has an unwavering message for me.

‍

The influence of the heyday Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animations is clear in !!!!! (5); Jones uses dramatic and comedic motifs from these vintage cartoons to transform her artwork, bridging the worlds of contemporary art and animation. The multi-colored brick wall is a reference to classic slapstick comedy and cartoon physics where a character gets hilariously hurt because the animator has bent the rules of logic. These concepts are best exemplified in the 1957 Merrie Melodies "Zoom and Board" short. In an attempt to catch and eat Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote has built a brick wall across a two-lane mountain road, hoping that the bird will run into it. Wile E. hears Road Runner stop and looks around the corner, only to be met by his own behind on the other side. He walks around the wide brick wall, followed by his bottom half, and ultimately determines that he is being followed by a doppelganger. He switches plans, ignoring his quest to catch Road Runner and deciding instead to attack the duplicate by chucking a stick of ACME dynamite at his own butt. He points and laughs at the duplicate’s misfortune as his rear wraps back around the wall and catches up with him. He turns to the audience before realizing that he has lit himself on fire, jumping a ridiculous height into the air and falling off the mountain. The short defies the laws of biology and physics: Wile E. cannot stretch himself around the brick wall, blow himself up and not feel the pain, nor break the fourth wall and see the audience, but he does it for the bit.

‍

Jones translates this cartoon logic to !!!!! (5) through her own use of the brick wall. The shape and posture of the mouth signal that the voice has broken the wall – and while the act of a voice shattering mortar is completely unfathomable according to our laws of physics, it is a completely normal thing in Jones’ world. She flips the concept of slapstick comedy on its head, allowing the mouth the ability to control the background rather than have pain inflicted upon it. The mouths function as an abstract for Black voices – in giving the mouth the power to break down barriers without inflicting pain, Jones flips the script by transporting the Black identity into the spaces of museums and animation that have historically marginalized and caricaturized Black people. Jones both utilizes and challenges the language of comedy and drama to amplify !!!!! (5), showcasing her strong understanding of animation as an art form. Jones’ work further confronts traditional cartoons in that she recognizes that animation isn’t just a medium—it’s the act of giving spirit. She presents her mastery of oil pastels in the contrasting textures and forms of the entire exhibit as she infuses each piece with life and energy. The cartoon elements tether us to Jones’ work and provide a portal into her world. In providing life to her pieces, Jones weaves together scenes and situations that give power to Black voices. Each mouth lives in a cartoon universe of its own where Jones is the architect who uses unexpected forms of the mouth to challenge viewers’ emotions and perceptions, pushing us to reevaluate how we can animate our own lives. !!!!! brings us into Rachel Jones’ world where she is in charge—she is the animator who not just crafts images but imbues them with life and voice, giving them the ability to speak to us.

‍