Jonathan LeVine Projects proudly presents the work of Doras

*Pollinator – A Solo Exhibition at Mana Contemporary*

Jersey City, New Jersey, September, 2025 – Jonathan LeVine Projects proudly presents Pollinator, a solo exhibition by Canadian artist and illustrator, Doras. The exhibition will be on view from September 6 to September 27, at Mana Contemporary, 888 Newark Ave, Suite 250, Jersey City, New Jersey. Pollinator is a series of paintings about the propagation of stories and our fractured relationship with the future. Drawing on Irish storytelling traditions, where myths were carried from voice to voice and reshaped over time, the work imagines how that process might endure under the weight of new technologies.

For millennia, myths and stories have emerged in response to the unknown. They’ve helped us navigate change, create meaning, and pass knowledge through generations. In 2023, Doras began exploring how one might carry that process into the future. He is also deeply interested in how the dazzling veils around technologies such as Large Language Models have begun to fray, and what at first seemed urgent and exciting, began to encroach on the futures we might actually want. 

In response to this growing unease, the artist returned to ancient stories – persistent and patient – searching for fragments that could cultivate meaning in a cycle of optimism and uncertainty. The paintings in this series are images, symbols, and voices caught mid-flight between hope and fear. Like the erratic paths of a pollinator, the ideas dart and loop between participation and introspection, prophecy and play, grief and determination. 

In person visitors will have the opportunity to examine these ideas further through The Terminal, an interactive component of the exhibit that involves participants in Doras’ work, enabling them to engage with a mysterious Role Playing Game that challenges them to consider the weight of technology and the impact it has on human history.  

Finally, Doras’ work will reach beyond the gallery walls with a large-scale mural, set to be completed before the show opens. This mural, titled Ça va bien aller, has a direct link with Generator, one of the first paintings created in this series, that depicts a portrait of a lone giant standing in the ocean to harness the wind. 

Doras (b. 1990) is a visual artist based in Montréal, Canada. His work often blends historical ornamentation and iconography with the visual language of contemporary fantasy. As a street artist, Doras creates murals and installations that draw on his illustration background, with a strong emphasis on narrative and color relationships. Doras’ work can be found across Canada and internationally, both in the urban landscape and in traditional galleries. He has been published in several anthologies alongside the most renowned contemporary illustrators and street artists. 

Jonathan LeVine Projects has played a pivotal role in shaping a new generation of collectors and introducing a visionary group of artists to the contemporary art world. Its roots date back to 1995 when LeVine’s life-long participation in punk and underground music grew into a curatorial experiment with the visual culture that surrounded him. In 2005, he opened Jonathan LeVine Gallery in the Chelsea district of New York City and had great success nurturing the careers of many celebrated artists. In 2017, the gallery relocated to Jersey City with a newfound focus on community and collaboration. Jonathan LeVine Projects aims to create engaging programs and interesting partnerships beyond the traditional gallery space. With an eye towards honoring and connecting with the history and context of Post War art, Jonathan LeVine Projects explores the terrain of the high, the low and everything in between. In 2019, Jonathan LeVine Projects transitioned from a brick-and-mortar gallery to a virtual exhibition platform, spearheading a digital marketplace for fine art.

Mana Contemporary is located at 888 Newark Ave, Jersey City, New Jersey. Exhibition hours are every Friday and Saturday, between 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM, or by appointment.