Never Sleep 2019

Curator: Jason Limon created “Never Sleep” in 2019 using a mixed media approach, combining collage elements with acrylic paint. It presents a grid of stylized, geometric forms, each imbued with symbolic weight. What strikes you first about it? Editor: Immediately, it's the sheer density of information, the way these letter-like shapes, almost architectural in their rendering, feel meticulously constructed. There’s a dreamlike, slightly unsettling quality to it all. It’s heavy in process. Curator: I agree, it's dense. Consider the socio-political commentary implicit in the title. "Never Sleep" can evoke ideas about the pressures of contemporary society, capitalism’s demands, the perpetual surveillance state… it feels very current. Editor: Right, and thinking materially, consider the labor involved. Each element – the eyes, the geometric designs, the text – is so carefully rendered. Limon is really emphasizing process as a form of social engagement here. This isn't simply a surface image; there’s so much manual crafting on display. Curator: And how the incorporation of skeletons dancing in one letter connects to mortality, which is often tied to exploitative labor systems throughout history. They remind me of Day of the Dead iconography, reframed by surrealism. Editor: Absolutely, those skeletons provide such potent imagery, and again, they are materially significant. It could signal the consumption of human life force to perpetuate current cycles of productivity that run our social order. Curator: The disembodied eyes that watch are prevalent through all elements—each stare could act as stand-ins for individuals or groups being scrutinized. Do you see that echoed within the labor of assembling these pieces? Editor: Yes, it intensifies it. These mixed materials act like fragments of a surveillance machine that is both beautiful and terrifying. They remind you this artwork took countless hours, but to what end? Curator: I read that intensity as an assertion, and questioning the status quo. He encourages us to see these imposed systems, to refuse to accept them blindly. It’s about awakening. Editor: Perhaps... it is still quite effective aesthetically, I was struck by how carefully considered everything is – as in labor over beauty, or beauty over labor. Curator: So, perhaps “Never Sleep” operates on many levels, engaging us politically, while inviting a deeper contemplation of its construction and place within modern visual culture. Editor: Definitely something that bears extended looking. The layering of materials demands that careful viewing.