WORDS: GRASHINA GABELMANN
IMAGES: JASON KERLEY
I know Jason Kerley back from my bartending days at east London bar, Queen of Hoxton. I couldn’t help but notice him always boppin’ about the place, either putting on his art night Ishihara, painting the walls or designing its merch. After a long but worthwhile wait, I’ve finally managed to get some answers out of the ever-busy Jason.
What are you obsessed with?
There are many things that captivate me and hold my attention. I have a particularity unhealthy relationship with internet memes.
What sort of stuff do you illustrate?
Whatever feels right at the time. Currently, I’m spending a lot of time drawing empty zoo enclosures. I also have a to do list which has bones, jungles and mazes included in the illustration section, so those are up next.
What’s the most challenging project you’ve ever been a part of?
I once put on an exhibition entitled So, with my girlfriend at the time. Orchestrating 20 or more visual artists is one thing, but working alongside the missus … far more testing territory.
You’ve got your own arts exhibition event thing called Ishihara. What’s that all about?
Ishihara is a series of exhibitions with no commitment to any one discipline, aesthetic or context.
Word on the street is that you recently had an exhibition in a toilet gallery? Can you tell me about this unusual exhibition space?
The space is a converted public toilet in Kingston run by Tristan Rodgers and my Ishihara other-half, Adam Lewis Jacob. The show was entitled Bower after the bird of the same name. Its was an anonymous collection of both artworks and ephemera with the intention to humble the profound and elevate the everyday.
Name five illustrators you think our readers should absolutely know about?
The collective Crabwolf, which, seeing as I’m a member, is quite obviously a shamless plug. But, there are five of us, and I take great pride in knowing the other wolves. It’s definitely worth getting to grips with each of their portfolios.
Future projects?
I’m working on a couple of exhibitions, one consisting of collaborative drawings of scary monsters by illustrators and school children, and the other of works based on point-and-clicks and choose-your-own adventures. I’m also working on a few cassette releases for Reckno, an online gallery exclusively for mobile phone photography (shutter.wav), a music project under the pydonym Joane Skyler, using circuit bent cassette tape players and I have Disabled Algebra 2/3 coming out on Dirty Demos soonish.
Check out Jason’s work here.
