Chris R. C. Jones (British, b. 1986) - Data-painting, Mixed-media assemblage on panel

Name: Chris R. C. Jones (British, b. 1986) - Data-painting, Mixed-media assemblage on panel
Brand: The Collector
Availability: LimitedAvailability

A large rectangular contemporary art piece made of thousands of vertical colored paper strips and found objects, all covered in a thick glossy resin, hanging on a dark blue wall. - view 1

1/3

Estimated value

$25,000 - $45,000

Rarity

Scarce(6/10)

Type

Museum Object

CHRIS R. C. JONES (BRITISH, B. 1986) - DATA-PAINTING, MIXED-MEDIA ASSEMBLAGE ON PANEL: ORIGINS & SIGNIFICANCE

This is a significant mixed-media assemblage, consistent with the 'Data-paintings' series by the British contemporary artist Chris R. C. Jones. The work presents a dense, almost geological field of vertically arrayed paper strips, sourced from what appear to be financial statements, tickets, and other ephemera of daily life. These fragments are punctuated by embedded found objects, most notably vintage digital clock displays. The entire composition is encased in a thick, high-gloss layer of epoxy resin, creating a surface that is both artifact and vitrine. The visual effect moves between a shimmering, abstract color field from a distance and a dense, archaeological record of information upon closer inspection.

ECHOES ACROSS THE ART WORLD

Where This Object Echoes

Nouveau Réalisme1960s

The work's use of accumulation and found objects directly echoes the strategies of artists like Arman, who created sculptures from vast quantities of identical consumer items.

ArchaeologyAncient to Modern

The layered, dense composition mimics archaeological strata or ice core samples, where layers of sediment reveal a history of a specific time and place.

Digital Culture21st Century

The piece is a physical manifestation of abstract digital concepts like 'big data', information overload, and the permanence of our digital footprint.

Ritual & Ceremonial Use

•The ritual of shredding documents for security is subverted here, transforming a protective act of destruction into a creative act of preservation.
•The work reflects the collecting culture of contemporary art, where conceptual depth and unique material execution are highly valued.

Meaning Through Time

Pre-Digital Age

Junk mail and bank statements were ephemeral, disposable annoyances.

Contemporary

In this artwork, the same materials become permanent artistic media, representing a 'fossil record' of a person's life and economic activity.

THROUGH THE ARTIST'S ERA

This work sits firmly within a post-conceptual framework, updated for the information age. It owes a debt to the mid-20th century practice of assemblage and the Nouveau Réalisme movement, particularly the 'accumulations' of Arman, who collected and displayed vast quantities of identical objects. However, Jones shifts the focus from industrial consumer goods to the intangible yet ubiquitous world of data. By shredding and fossilizing the paper trails of our lives—credit card bills, junk mail, receipts—he transforms ephemeral information into a permanent, monumental object. The embedded, frozen clock displays poignantly reference this arresting of time and data, creating a 'digital sediment' that speaks to themes of memory, obsolescence, and the overwhelming nature of modern information flows.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

The artist refers to these works as 'Data-paintings', using shredded personal and financial documents to create a tangible portrait of our digital lives.

The embedded electronic components, like the clocks, are often salvaged from obsolete technology, creating a 'fossil record' of a specific technological moment.

CANVAS & PIGMENT

Surface

A high-gloss, heavily impasto-like surface created by a thick pour of epoxy resin, beneath which lie thousands of vertically oriented paper strata. The effect is both slickly industrial and organically sedimentary, with trapped air bubbles and varied reflectivity from holographic and matte papers.

Weight & Feel

Extremely substantial and unwieldy. A work of this large scale on a wood or composite panel with a thick layer of resin would require professional handling and significant wall support, likely weighing well over 100-150 lbs (45-68 kg).

Condition

The artwork appears to be in excellent gallery condition from the images provided. The resin surface seems glossy and intact, with no major yellowing, scratches, or delamination visible. The embedded objects appear secure within the matrix.

HOW SCARCE IS IT?

Scarce80-90%

CommonLegendary

Genuinely harder to find. Perhaps only dozens come to market annually. Collectors actively watch for these pieces.

Typical Characteristics

Dozens per year at market
Documented provenance valued
Active collector pursuit

Confidence Factors

The artist's style is highly specific and labor-intensive, making convincing forgeries difficult and unlikely.
The primary risk would be a work by a follower or copyist rather than a direct forgery attempting to deceive.
The work appears to be of a quality consistent with the artist's known output.

How does authenticity detection work?

THE ART SPECIALIST'S TAKE

Museum-Trained Art Historian

Connoisseur

Confidence is high because the combination of materials, technique, and conceptual basis is exceptionally unique to the artist Chris R. C. Jones. It is not a generic style, making attribution based on visual evidence highly reliable.

KEY EVIDENCE

1The distinctive technique of using vertically oriented shredded paper as the primary compositional element.
2The inclusion of embedded electronic objects, specifically digital clock displays, a known signature of the artist.
3The encasement of the entire assemblage in a thick, high-gloss epoxy resin.
4The overall aesthetic and material choice are a direct and convincing match for the 'Data-paintings' series by Chris R. C. Jones.
5The large scale is typical of the artist's major works shown in galleries.

UNCERTAINTIES

•The artist's signature, likely in the bottom right corner, is not legible in the provided photographs, preventing definitive confirmation.

WHAT WOULD IMPROVE CERTAINTY

→Provide a high-resolution, close-up photograph of the signature in the lower right corner.
→Photograph the reverse (verso) of the panel to check for artist's inscriptions, titles, dates, or gallery labels.
→Consult the artwork's provenance documentation, such as the original bill of sale or gallery acquisition paperwork.