A look inside J.30000’s “It’s a Dog’s World” exhibition, now on view at BELOWGROUND

Sometimes it’s easy for us to lose track of ourselves in the hustle and bustle of life. The works of Montreal-based artist J.30000 serve as a reminder to take a step back and prioritise self-care in a world that often forces us to work and live at a breakneck pace.

Inspired by human connection, J.30000’s most recent exhibition, titled It’s a Dog’s World, depicts scenes of detachment from technology, with its subjects — either smiling humans or dogs — engaged in peaceful activities of reflection. The human figures have a simple smiley-face drawn on in place of detailed features. In contrast, the dogs, depicted in human clothes doing human activities, have fully-developed faces — perhaps a commentary on the childlike ability of dogs to find joy in the present moment, compared to humans for whom smiles (in this case, quite literally) require a conscious effort. 

Drawing his inspiration from our day-to-day lives, J.30000’s debut exhibition is a reflection upon physically tangible and fulfilling ways of spending our time, in lieu of a day-to-day life that is often tied to various algorithms. The four pieces within It’s a Dog’s World features whimsical scenes rendered in soft pastels, bringing its viewers a quiet sense of joy, perhaps similar to what the characters in the painting would feel. J.30000’s favourite work in the exhibition features a man riding a bike with his two dogs, in a park in Brooklyn.

A wall of air-brushed t-shirts accompanies the paintings. Airbrushing is essential to J.30000’s process: he often sketches a new idea, and then moves on to airbrushing, only progressing to painting once an idea takes full form. As J.30000 takes out his sketchbook and begins showing us sketch after sketch, a common theme begins to emerge: people having fun, dogs, quiet moments and quirky hats — the simple things in life that bring the most joy. 

Check out It’s a Dog’s World from March 4-18 at Belowground in the basement of the Landmark, Central. 

(Author and image credit: Ryan Putranto)