Working at the theoretical intersection of abstract painting, object-oriented ontology, and psychogeography, Jonas Schoeneberg uses historical art references that adhere to the notion of informational painting, such as cave, sigil, and altar paintings; he then interweaves his own personal symbology and immediate environmental surroundings. The study of these diverse data sets enables him to create unique two-dimensional works that he calls “informational paintings”. Not only do these paintings affect the visual narrative arc of the viewer’s gaze, but they typically facilitate atmospheric energy through the materials he uses, such as pigments imbued with a specific moonlight, for instance the Scorpio Supermoon of May 2020, or minerals, such as Lapis or Opal.

Schoeneberg has also created a unique set of intuitive gaming cards based on the traditional Marseille tarot deck and his informational painting concept. Similarly to object-oriented ontology, the Marseille tarot deck maintains the idea that each card exists independently outside of human perception. This aids Schoeneberg to play further with the idea of guiding the viewer as they splice through his images, which are not his but entanglements of himself and the theory he has read, choosing their own paths and readings. He awakens another modus of looking, one that incorporates the viewer’s own history and experiences into Schoeneberg’s personal perception.

In AB7, his work is entangled with his collaborators, Happy New Tears and Omsk Social Club, through the installation The Living Necrologue.

Happy New Tears, Omsk Social Club, Jonas Schoeneberg
The Living Necrologue, 2021
Interactive immersive installation
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

TRANCE2TTRANCE2TRANCE2; (rooted); I, 2021
Painting
MDF, pigment, acrylic, resin, plaster and styrofoam, 200 x 90 x 15 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

TRANCE2TTRANCE2TRANCE2; (rooted); II, 2021
Painting
MDF, pigment, acrylic, resin, plaster and styrofoam, 200 x 90 x 15 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

TRANCE2TTRANCE2TRANCE2; (rooted); III, 2021
Painting
MDF, pigment, acrylic, resin, plaster and styrofoam, 200 x 90 x 15 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

TRANCE2TTRANCE2TRANCE2; (rooted); IV, 2021
Painting
MDF, pigment, acrylic, resin, plaster and styrofoam, 200 x 90 x 15 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

UNIVERSES CRASHING INTO WAR; (wherever you go, there you are); I, 2021
Painting
MDF, pigment, acrylic, resin, plaster and styrofoam, 60 x 90 x 12 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

UNIVERSES CRASHING INTO WAR; (wherever you go, there you are); II, 2021
Painting
MDF, pigment, acrylic, resin, plaster and styrofoam, 60 x 90 x 12 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

UNIVERSES CRASHING INTO WAR; (wherever you go, there you are); III, 2021
Painting
MDF, pigment, acrylic, resin, plaster and styrofoam, 60 x 90 x 12 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale

UNIVERSES CRASHING INTO WAR; (wherever you go, there you are); IV, 2021
Painting
MDF, pigment, acrylic, resin, plaster and styrofoam, 60 x 90 x 12 cm
Courtesy of the artist
Commissioned and produced by the Athens Biennale