Before leaving this conversation we would like to pose a question about the nature of the relationship of your art with your audience. Do you consider the issue of audience reception as being a crucial component of your decision-making process, in terms of what type of language is used in a particular context?
I tend to focus less on how the work will be received because I feel that sort of thinking can lead an artist to lose their identity. Allowing an external force to control the resolution of a work would in most cases cause a lack of authorship and authenticity that can really break a piece. I do think about how the piece is being read: how certain gestures, compositions, and colours operate, as they are crucial tools in determining how the art functions. I also make a lot of decisions that play with the tension between the art itself and the science that serves to help inform it. There is a very fine threshold between which the art becomes too dense with scientific theory and thus the information is lost through becoming too difficult to read. It ruins some of the qualities that make the work more engaging, so I myself need to stay engaged with the work during the making process to ensure that the artistic qualities are equally communicated.
I play with a lot of subtlety and ambiguity, as I find that to be very crucial in demanding the eye of an audience to continue searching within my work; whether that be through mark-making, rendering or an uncanny modulation of the simulacra. I like to leave several glimmers of familiarity when rendering figments of paint that read somewhat like: organic, human-like, or cellular forms. My current goal as an artist is to spark interest and curiosity, whilst contributing to a broader artistic dialogue regarding trans-disciplinary practice. I believe the role of audience and criticism are most effectively introduced after a work is resolved, rather than during the process of resolving; The ensuing discussion and criticism that come from reception and reaction are what make both the artist and the practice evolve.
Thanks a lot for your time and for sharing your thoughts, Jordan. Finally, would you like to tell us readers something about your future projects? How do you see your work evolving?
It is my pleasure, I am truly humbled!
Currently I have been producing a body of watercolours to be exhibited at Nuit Rose; it is a queer-themed festival modelled after Nuit Blanche that takes place during Pride in Toronto, Ontario, annually. The work I have pre is of a much smaller scale with the intent to evoke a sense of preciousness, while still retaining its sublime sense of grandeur. The paintings communicate about Truvada, a pharmaceutical recently approved in both the United States and Canada as a pre-exposure preventative agent to reduce the transmission of HIV in high-risk individuals. So far, the drug is met with a plethora of controversy and opens up several dialogues about the permeation of pharmaceuticals into the bedroom and the politicizing of human sexual behaviour. The work is meant to not only explain the pharmacokinetics and amazing benefits of the drug when used responsibly, but also comment on the consequent cultural shifting. There is a heavy focus on how this specifically affects male-identified MSM, as they are the primary target group of the medication.
As it stands, I do not really know how my work will evolve. It has a tendency to grow and blossom on its own accord; I just trust the growing nature of my artistic language and my knowledge of materiality. I liken it to gardening: I can plant the seeds and care for the plant, but where and how it grows is ultimately up to the organism itself.
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