NetJets has been whisking its globetrotting clients to far-flung destinations for more than five decades. Tasked with the commission for the private aviation company’s VIP lounge at Art Basel this year, however, American painter, sculptor and photographer Matthew Day Jackson embarked on a mission to transport fairgoers even further, with a suite of paintings and new iterations of his furniture collection for Finnish design house Made By Choice, inspired by images of the moon.
Jackson was drawn to photographs by astronauts looking out into space, with one particular cataclysmic event igniting the line of inquiry that would result in his Solipsist series of paintings. ‘It started with the first Gulf War, when the Iraqi Army was retreating and lit the oil fields on fire – you could see the trails of black smoke from space,’ explains the artist. ‘It made me think about how I could locate the event within our history. I knew that human beings had created this smoke, but you couldn't see the human beings.’
His Solipsist paintings of silkscreened Formica landscapes, with satellites cast in poured lead form a constellation of manmade ‘scars’ around the lounge. Each one depicts landscapes that are disappearing or transforming as a result of climate change – a particularly prevalent topic at this year’s fair. Upon closer inspection, the four elements become apparent: land left barren by mining activity (earth), the polluted Ganges (water), forests engulfed in smoke plumes (air), and the volcanic Yellowstone Caldera (fire).
RELATED STORY
The NetJets installation also features Jackson’s ‘Kolho’ furniture collection of chairs, benches and tables (first launched during Salone del Mobile in April), reimagined in bright new colourways and, in some instances, with a groovy tie-dye twist. ‘There’s a connection to the end of the summer of love, this idea that tie-dye is a symbol of freedom and abstract expressionism,’ he explains.
Made with a custom Formica laminate based on aerial views of the far side of the moon, the furniture collection shares a common thread with his paintings. ‘The serpentine form [of the chair legs] represents chaos, and the surface represents reason,’ says Jackson, the tension between opposing forces ever underlying – decay quietly brewing behind a beautiful façade.
NetJets marks its 18th year as associate partner of Art Basel, and has previously collaborated with the likes of Snarkitecture, Oli-B, Timorous Beasties, and Rebecca Louise Law for projects during the fair.
INFORMATION
-
Fendi celebrates 100 years with all-out runway show at its new Milan HQIn the wake of Kim Jones’ departure, Silvia Venturini Fendi took the reins for a special co-ed A/W 2025 collection marking the house’s centenary, unveiling it as the first act of celebrations within Fendi’s expansive new headquarters in Milan
-
‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern: 1980s alt-glamour, club culture and rebellionThe new Leigh Bowery exhibition in London is a dazzling, sequin-drenched look back at the 1980s, through the life of one of its brightest stars
-
Inside the unexpected collaboration between Marni’s Francesco Risso and artists Slawn and SoldierNew exhibition ‘The Pink Sun’ will take place at Francesco Risso’s palazzo in Milan in collaboration with Saatchi Yates, opening after the Marni show today, 26 February
-
Tasneem Sarkez's heady mix of kitsch, Arabic and Americana hits LondonArtist Tasneem Sarkez draws on an eclectic range of references for her debut solo show, 'White-Knuckle' at Rose Easton
-
Alice Neel’s portraits celebrating the queer world are exhibited in London‘At Home: Alice Neel in the Queer World’, curated by Hilton Als, opens at Victoria Miro, London
-
‘You have to face death to feel alive’: Dark fairytales come to life in London exhibitionDaniel Malarkey, the curator of ‘Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley’ at London’s Alison Jacques gallery, celebrates the fantastical
-
Switzerland’s best art exhibitions to see in 2025Art fans, here’s your bucket list of the standout exhibitions to see in Switzerland in 2025, exploring compelling themes and diverse media
-
Inside the distorted world of artist George RouyFrequently drawing comparisons with Francis Bacon, painter George Rouy is gaining peer points for his use of classic techniques to distort the human form
-
Love, melancholy and domesticity: Anna Calleja is a painter to watchAnna Calleja explores everyday themes in her exhibition, ‘One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night’, at Sim Smith, London
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been doing this weekA snowy Swiss Alpine sleepover, a design book fest in Milan, and a night with Steve Coogan in London – our editors' out-of-hours adventures this week
-
What to look out for at Art Basel Miami Beach 2024Art Basel Miami Beach returns for its inaugural edition under new director Bridget Finn, running 6-8 December, with 286 international exhibitors and a packed week of parties, pop-up, and special projects
