On view
Jason Mason
Two Nails, Two Globes, a Lipstick, and a Wave
Sep 10 – Oct 24, 2026
A Hug From The Art World is pleased to present Jason Mason's Two Nails, Two Globes, a Lipstick, and a Wave.
Two Nails, Two Globes, a Lipstick, and a Wave presents six new paintings by Mason, continuing his exploration into hyper realistic surreal landscapes. He manipulates scale and perspective so that the Earth may be considered faraway from another planet’s sea of tranquility or as a melting globe dripping into outer space. A tidal wave from the viewpoint of a Pepsi bottle crests, about to crash. Lipstick looms large, hovering over the ocean to beautify and conceal. Mason’s paintings are apocalyptic, yes, however, optimistically so. The opportunity for rebirth, new growth, and the promise of a better future follows.
Mason dignifies symbols of decay in the same vein as his mentor, Ed Ruscha. His instinct for the oxymoronic, for hopeful futility, echoes Magritte just as his lipstick in the sky reference’s Man Ray’s The Lovers. They encapsulate the global human landscape for all of its accomplishments and shortcomings. Only through embracing these symbols and their underlying truths can we bend the arc of history towards progress.
Jason Mason is an autodidactic artist who, in the 90’s, began studying under American artist, Ed Ruscha. Mason flourished artistically while working as Ruscha’s studio assistant, merging Hyper Realistic imagery with Surrealist components and themes in his work.
Born in 1971 in San Antonio, Texas, Mason later moved to Huntington Beach, California as a child and then to Los Angeles, where he currently resides.
Mason predominantly paints in acrylic but incorporates various media on paper and canvas. His distinctive style renders surreal, dreamlike imagery hyper realistically while experimenting with scale and color.
Mason’s recent solo exhibitions include Giovanni’s Room, Los Angeles, California (2026); Saint Laurent Rive Droite, Los Angeles, California (2025); Tennis Elbow 133, The Journal Gallery, New York, New York (2024); Undercurrents, by ATM Gallery, New York, New York (2021); and California Rhythm, at the Bill Brady Gallery, Los Angeles, California (2021).
