An interview
with
Jordan Clayton
Hello Jordan and welcome to NotRandomArt. The current issue is revolving around the problem of communication and identity. Is there any particular way you would describe your identity as an artist but also as a human being in dynamically changing, unstable times? In particular, does your cultural substratum/identity form your aesthetics?
Thank you very kindly for the introduction, I am extremely excited to contribute to the discussion, especially considering the momentum at which culture is currently shifting!
I would say that for me, art compromises a lot of my own identity to begin with. Hence when forces and external circumstances affect myself as a human, they affect my work as well (and vice versa). I use my work as a means of exploring both my relationship with phenomena that occur in my immediate surroundings, as well as to why those things happen in the manner that they do. My interests generally lie in the microscopic, however my work has evolved to operating in a more introspective manner. Currently my own health issues have been a driving motivation to research bodily functions and disorders, which has thusly begun to permeate into the work I produce. I also look at a lot of issues that face the queer community from a biological as well as a sociological point of criticism, as I myself identify as queer. Though it is not the sole focus of my practice, it is a resource from which to articulate work that speaks about my identity within a broader cultural context.
We definitely love the way you question the nature of reality and representation, unveiling the visual feature of information you developed through an effective non linear narrative that establish direct relations with the viewers: German multidisciplinary artist Thomas Demand once stated that "nowadays art can no longer rely so much on symbolic strategies and has to probe psychological, narrative elements within the medium instead". What is your opinion about it? And in particular how do you conceive the narrative for your works?
I think that is a very clever quote, and one that I shall definitely hold on to for when I need a jolt of inspiration. I don’t wholly agree with the claim that art can no longer rely on metaphor and allegory; especially when it comes to painting. I have seen some really brilliant re-invention of narrative and figurative painting as of late and am very glad to see it making a comeback. I do however think that he makes a very good point about being able to find narrative in the very materiality of the media. A lot of my technique comes from an understanding of the working properties of paint; I find it to be a resource from which to resolve and evolve the work from the initial point of intent. My imagery usually begins from a simple desire to communicate something that I find poignant or interesting in response to what I am currently researching. It is from there that I begin conceptualizing how to best represent this, without relying on representation. It is at that point that I feel that a narrative begins to grow, as narrative is not a tool on which I actively rely to make paintings and drawings. It tends to precipitate as I work on the composition.
Could you identify a specific artwork that has influenced your artistic practice or has impacted the way you think about your identity as a participant of the visual culture?
One of my favourite paintings, “The Ritual,” by Elizabeth Neel, definitely had a profound impact on my artistic identity in terms of how I approach paint as a tool. I stumbled upon her work when my own practice was still in its infancy and my work was having a bit of an identity crisis. My painting was sort of teetering about in this semi-surrealist, semi figurative limbo that wasn’t really growing. Her work, as well as some more of my painting influences (Melanie Authier, Cecily Brown), brought about an epiphany in regards to how I currently, heavily, rely on formalist strategies in my artistic language. It really pushed my work forward intellectually, as well as artistically.
What is the role of technique in your practice? In particular are there any constraints or rules that you follow when creating?
Could you identify a specific artwork that has influenced your artistic practice or has impacted the way you think about your identity as a participant of the visual culture?
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