Jason File

Acrylic on canvas

152.4 x152.4 cm / 60 x 60 in

Photo credits: Jeanette May

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“Jason File's paintings look like colourful, pop-inspired motifs but, at a closer glance, a recognisable floral pattern usually found on toilet paper emerges. These patterns have been trademarked by toilet paper companies to ensure they are not copied. A practicing lawyer, File knows the boundaries of the law well, including that a trademark covers the core function of a design rather than its visual appearance. In order to make a trademark protection claim on these paintings, a manufacturer would have to claim the paintings were only good for wiping one's bum.” — Whitechapel Gallery