File Exchange Episode 07 with Jonathan Monaghan

File Exchange is a casual long-form interview and virtual studio visit. Each episode features a different artist, curator, or writer who has a focus on 3D art. This channel was created so that you get to be a fly on the wall as we share philosophies, tools, and tips revolving around these 21st-century tools in art.

Our Guest for Episode 07 is Jonathan Monaghan

Jonathan Monaghan is a Washington, DC-based artist working across a range of media, including prints, sculpture, and computer-animated video, to produce otherworldly objects and narratives. Drawing on wide-ranging sources, such as historical artworks and science fiction, his fantastical pieces uncover subconscious anxieties associated with technology and consumerism. Past exhibitions include The Sundance Film Festival, The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, and The Palais de Tokyo in Paris. His work has been featured in several media outlets including The New York Times, Vogue, and The Washington Post. His work sits in numerous public and private collections including The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Washington D.C. Art Bank Collection.

You can find out more about his work here:

His solo exhibition Power Trip is currently installed at Galerie 22,48m², Paris, and runs from November 6 - December 18

Jonathan chatted about his history with using 3D studio max and his deep appreciation for historical works of art. He talked in-depth about how he looks for the contemporary equivalents of art historical images of decadence and power. Jonathan has an intense commitment to his craft and the almost fanatical level of detail in his models, coupled with a keen eye for contemporary aesthetics and a subtly sardonic take on contemporary spaces and branding. He was an early adopter of the idea of an NFT (non-fungible token) back in 2013 when he created a certificate of authentication for his piece Mothership from 2013. It was a proto-nft.

File Exchange Host Bios:

Sophie Kahn:

Sophie Kahn is a Brooklyn-based Australian artist. She earned a BA from Goldsmiths College, London, and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhibited internationally and participated in festivals including Transmediale, the Japan Media Arts Festival, and Zero 1. Sophie has taught at Pratt Institute and Columbia College and completed residencies at the Museum of Arts and Design, and Pioneer Works, in New York City. She is a 2011 NYFA Digital and Electronic Arts Fellow.

Colette Robbins:

Colette Robbins received her BFA from The Maryland Institute College of the Arts (MICA) and her MFA from Parsons the New School for Design. She has held residencies at Austevollportalen (Marstein Island, Norway), Cill Rialaig Project (Ireland), and The Vermont Studio Center. Her work has been shown at 101/Exhibit (Los Angeles), P.P.O.W. Gallery (New York City), Deitch Projects (New York City), The Hole Gallery (New York City), Koki Fine Arts (Tokyo), and Workshop Gallery (Venice, Italy), among others. Robbins’ work has been reviewed in The New Yorker Magazine, Artillery Magazine, LA Weekly, and Beautiful Decay, amongst others. She lives and works in New York City where she teaches 3D modeling to artists at Pratt and New York Academy of art.