JORDAN WEST
TENSION

The scenes depicted by West are distinctly contemporary and thus rooted in a specific time. Reduced and clarified to collective, nonspecific descriptions of place and experience, they are stylized representations of reality, memory, and narrative.

“I have never considered my work to be of the place where I presently live, nor of anyone place in particular. However, I will admit that my work most likely represents an American experience. I like to think of myself as somewhat of a Social Scientist; a Sociologist observing people, an Anthropologist traveling with notebook, an Archaeologist making field sketches. I have never wanted to be specifically associated with any one particular school or movement of art or thought. I feel more compelled to create work that represents a more generalized experience of the potential viewer and as an individual artist.”

West is a chronicler of human-made reality: We see industrial structures lying under a clear blue sky, titled "Summer," emitting an almost lively and cheerful atmosphere. Additionally, there are depictions of the interiors of cars, parking lots, intersections, and roadsides – civilizational evidence of a Western industrial nation and elements made by and for humans.

© Images by Roman März

The objectively and brightly colored paintings have a theatrical quality due to the contrast between remnants of civilization and the simultaneous absence of human life. The works become invitations and offer viewers the possibility to immerse themselves in the scenes and interpret the images based on their own associative memories, dreams, and experiences; personal notions of time and place, to create their own narrative of the painting. West endeavors to create a balance between formal reduction and empirical representation, enabling a broader and more extended, individual experience of the work by the viewer.

The paintings and gouaches on display were created between 2016 and 2023, giving viewers the opportunity to trace the development of West's artistic work over several years. A noticeable shift can be observed in the works created after early 2023, the year in which West experienced a personal tragedy. The subsequent works are more personal, conveying a sense of isolation, loneliness, urgency, and angst. They depict emotional tension. We see depictions of a single car at night, situated in desolate, dark forests or at intersections; although human presence is indirectly suggested in these images, the focus is on the individual, isolated from their surroundings and society.