Jonathan LeVine Projects is pleased to present The Spirit Animals, a series of new work by San Francisco-based artist Jeremy Fish in what will be his debut solo exhibition at the gallery.

The mixed media works by Jeremy Fish tell wondrous stories through his refined illustrative sensibility and vast library of unique characters. Influenced by children’s books and cartoons from the 70s and skateboard graphics from the 80s and 90s, he creates surreal environments that blur the line between whimsical and sinister.

In what will his largest body of work to date, The Spirit Animals was inspired by a theme Fish has been drawing since he was a child – mankind’s relationship to motor vehicles. To examine this kinship the artist merges anatomical features of animals with cars, resulting in comical mashups, such as the Pug Gremlin, Subaru Rat, Pinto Pegasus Wagon and the Rooster Roadster.

The artist describes: I think as humans our relationships with motor vehicles are more intense than most objects because we risk our lives each time we ride in them. Because of this intensified relationship, I feel like the vehicles develop individual traits and quirks much like the animal kingdom. This body of work celebrates our relationship with motor vehicles and attempts to give these vehicles new animal kingdom identities.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jeremy Fish was born in 1975 in Albany, New York and is currently based in San Francisco, California. In 1997, he received a BFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the San Francisco Art Institute. He went on to work commercially as an illustrator, designer, and art director, contributing to apparel companies and magazines like DLX, Think, Thrasher, Juxtapoz, and Slap. His artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world while also maintaining a commercial presence by designing skateboards, t-shirts, vinyl toys, periodical illustrations and sneakers. In 2006, he collaborated with hip-hop recording artist Aesop Rock on a book entitled The Next Best Thing. Fish later created the artwork for Aesop Rock’s fifth studio album, None Shall Pass. In 2015, he was named San Francisco City Hall’s first Artist-in Residence and created a series of work inspired by the city’s history.