Cliff Notes
Each week, our regional Cliff Notes columnists Fox Whitney, Alitzah Oros, Melika Sebihi, and Kaya Noteboom pick the most exciting events and exhibitions on the West Coast.
Christopher Paul Jordan: THE END
Veronica project space, 2915 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA
July 21 to September 7, 2024
THE END is the beginning of me discovering the work of Christopher Paul Jordan, an artist from Tacoma, Washington. Jordan is a painter whose work intersects with installation and performance. The exhibition description on Veronica project space’s website drew me in:
“Grazing the veil of an alternate-dimensional life as a closeted (slash) ex-gay evangelist, Christopher Paul Jordan transforms Veronica into THE END, a queer comic-tract in the tradition of Fred Carter….”
Some of the works are a combination of acrylic and tulle on window screen material. Bold swatches of scratchy glyph like shapes in a large field of lavender pop against an orange background in somebody prayed 4 me (2024). Looking at this work I consider the way prayers might support or hinder personal growth. I wonder about the futility of thinking a person might be “saved” from being queer just by asking an unseen higher power.
THE END contains spectral like color pops, realistic architectural details and empty signage. The layered materials create peeled and exposed edges. Like a scab waiting to be picked, I want to pull at the art to try to reveal what is hidden beneath. Trans, queer and Black lives are under constant threat of repression, violence, and erasure.
I consider the seen and unseen, the ever shifting internal landscape of “spirit” and the complexity of physical embodiment and identity markers. I think about how terrains of identity shift and sometimes crumble because of a lack of compassion and community support.
Reflection: Who would I be in an alternate dimension where people only prayed that I become the person I most want to be?
Actualize Artist in Residence Open Studio
500 Pike St, Seattle, WA
July 27, 2024: Ongoing
Walking into the Actualize AiR Open Studio during the Seattle Art Fair felt like a breath of fresh air. This long term, woman run, no cost residency project made me think Seattle may still be in the running to be America’s next top beacon for emerging contemporary artists that want to develop their practice, build community, and share space.
While meandering through the space, I spoke with many different artists about their work and their experience in the space. Conversations ranged greatly. Some spoke about their desire to have more public and private events that might bring in artists from different mediums. Others wondered how to include artists not in residence in the space and how to build connections across disciplines.
I’m a big fan of cross pollination between the visual art and performance art worlds and this space seems well suited to hold that kind of interaction and complexity.
I find it is often the lack of social hubs that keep artists feeling disconnected from each other. This limits the potential for support and experimentation that I believe many artists in Seattle crave. The potential for more artist-led opportunities, for events, conversations and collaborations is very enticing. I look forward to seeing what other events beyond the more traditional open studio format pop up at Actualize.
Reflection: How can shared artist studios and other resourced art spaces encourage artists to connect, collaborate, and grow our various artistic practices and offerings?