I see painting as an evocative magic, and there must always be a random factor in magic, one which must be constantly changed and renewed

images courtesy of Chris Jordan

Environmental Graffiti

Interview - Chris Jordan

Like a magician, Seattle-based artist Chris Jordan first conceals everyday objects like cans, tooth picks and paper cups, just to throw them in our face when an image is viewed in detail. In an interview with Environmental Graffiti, the photographic artist talks about the inspiration for his mind-boggling artworks, viewers’ reactions to them and works in the pipeline.

Viewers who are familiar with Chris Jordan’s work will remember their reaction to his images as much as the photographic images themselves. For those new to his work, let’s simulate what visitors to one of his exhibitions experience by looking at a full view of one of his images and then slowly zooming in.

Unlike the Magic Eye images that were a craze in the ‘90s, viewers of Jordan’s images don’t set out looking for the hidden image in the picture; they’re hit by it quite unpreparedly. Let’s hear what the artist has to say about his images and the effect they have on viewers.

EG: You are taking ordinary objects and recycling them into art

, creating something beautiful at first glance, whose message kicks in later. Have visitors to your exhibitions commented on this “oh” effect?

Chris Jordan: It’s fun for me to go to exhibitions because there’s a double layer to my work. Seen from a distance, the images are like something else, maybe totally boring pieces of modern art. On closer view, the visitor has an almost unpleasant experience with the artwork. It’s almost a magic trick; inviting people to a conversation that they didn’t want to have in the first place. One visitor recently compared me to a “sleight-of-hands-magician” that makes people face up to a difficult truth, I quite liked that.

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