VERNISSAGE | Thursday, July 16 2015
Runs July 16 - August 2, 2015
Jordan Clayton’s abstract paintings of microscopic organisms transform the grotesque into the ethereal. Viruses, fungi and other single-celled organisms are depicted with fantastical colour, taking on the mystery of science fiction renderings and, at times, evoking surreal landscapes. Clayton plays with deliberate composition and improvisation, informing his painting with the chaotic nature of the organisms he studies.
A Dialogue with Taxonomy is a hybrid of scientific method and a deeply personal experience for Jordan Clayton, as the microorganisms are harvested from the artist’s own body.
Extending from Jordan’s initial exploration of representing HIV, A Dialogue with Taxonomy is a sensitive response to the spectrum of invisible organisms that are present in our bodies. We can find a parallel in this interdisciplinary approach to artistic responses to microbiology in the installations of Elaine Whittaker and the participatory performance art of Caitlyn Berrigan. A broader discussion that emerges out of the desire to close the distance between ourselves, microorganisms, and scientific processes that we often know little about, and which we often fear or are revolted by.
