EMMA JUNE JONES

B. 2000, Chicago, IL 

Lives and works in New York, NY 

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My process begins with drawings, either of memories, relationships, or thoughts of consumption, politics or fears. These sketches filter through into bigger ideas with oil paint, and these paintings remain central to my way of expressing these ideas. Most of which are commentaries on my nightmares, all of which the environments symbolize consumption, class structure, the impact of human nature. My work gives portraiture a place to be beautiful, yet convoluted by our own destruction.   ​

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Centered around figures are ideas about the absorbing landscape of social norms and trends, political boundaries, and the anxieties of living in a warming environment. Animals in the work act as emotional surrogates, mirroring the figures' desires or threats. Objects function as indicators of environments and suggest what has happened or what is about to. Clothing and fashion become psychological armor, all to signal performance and unraveling identity. 

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More recently, I have begun to see male figures in a way that I hadn't before, creating stories around one male as if he is the source of the disaster he is placed in. As the work continues to evolve, it moves in cycles as with seasons. Humor, tension, and vulnerability come forth in these works, as I want to find connection to those who can relate or see. 

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My work has been presented in a range of group exhibitions across New York and beyond, including Intimate Structures at FLOHAUS Gallery (2026), What Rain Tells You at Flowing Space Gallery (2025), and My Need for Tender Loving Care at All Street Gallery (2024), among others. Earlier presentations include Just Like Heaven at Random Access Gallery and Sanctuary at Galerie Shibumi. These exhibitions reflect an ongoing engagement with narrative figuration and evolving psychological space within contemporary painting.