Exhibitions
CATHERINE IRWIN & JON LANGFORD: FREAKONS
Julia Martin Gallery / 444 Humphreys St. September 5 - 26th (Reception: September 5 5:00pm - 9:00pm)
Catherine Irwin, Jon Langford
Two legendary artists, and longtime friends, come together this Fall for a powerful exhibition - titled in honor of their music collaboration in 2022, that merged Freakwater & Mekons for a rare and beautiful record.
Opening night, while we won't have the full bands with us, it is joy to announce we will have Catherine & Jon & some great pals sharing tunes on the porch to mark the occasion of this long anticipated fine art exhibition.
about this work
today in the grocery store 4 complete strangers were flat out asking each other how people are gonna survive this. the cost of food versus people's wages is just unsustainable. a person who appeared to be approximately my age said "i think i'm about ready to not be alive anymore." none of the 3 other people seemed shocked. a white man in his 40s said, "i'm not quite there yet..." people are getting ground down to dust. sometimes i can ignore it, and sometimes i just can't. neither of these states of being imply any type of action.
-CI
Catherine Irwin is well known as a founding member of one of the most acclaimed alt-country bands of the 80s & 90s. You might have already fallen in love with her painting from Freakwater's Old Paint cover. Odds are she's influenced or had a hand in many cherished covers, rarely seeking a drop of credit. She's just that cool and humble and I am a fan - a fan here to rave about what a gifted American Painter she is. It is my opinion that she is not just able to tap into flow with the grace and ease of slipping on a well worn jacket - Catherine IS flow... hyperbole be damned. Her paintings develop alongside, and in concert with everything she does.
Jon Langford fronts more bands than anyone I've ever met. The Chicago-based Welshman's multidisciplinary practices span at least as many mediums. Jon simply amazes. Like Catherine, Jon's visual art language percolates right alongside everything he puts into the world. Song lyrics, poems and musings of all kind populate his paintings - each creative drive fueling another.
His style is unmistakeable, and has graced records, billboards, documentaries, protest posters... To own an original Langford is to own a sliver of such rich, layered history that it is difficult to encapsulate with words.
