Sam Gordon: trompe l'oeil 26 April – 26 May 2012 > past  > artist page
Sam Gordon has long mined his life experience for his work. The earliest works on paper, which feel half in the world and half in the head, remind me of tattoos. His photographs–which he calls thoughtographs–and his dedcades of sketchbooks push in and pull out of everything he does. Even in The Lost Kinetic World, his consuming, five-year-and-ongoin, hand-held cam documentation of magical moments in performance and events from wherever in the world he b, it is Sam Gordon who is there waving to you after all is said and done.

As the artist puts it: "This group of new paintings follows my interest in exploring new processes and ways to make paintings. Instead of taking the canvas for granted, I wanted to construct the canvas-old clothes of mine,canvas remnants, and paint rags are sewn together to form the actual ground on which to work. Using bleach as paint, the mark making is one of erasure and suggests a photographic quality. What is painted and what is removed becomeas as confused as what is printed or sewn. The paintings often include thumbnail versions of themselves as well as pages from my sketchbooks as inkjet transfers- these serve as footnotes. How the paintings are made is left to the viewer to decipher."
space
  Sam Gordon, Blue Space Sam Gordon, Eleven of Spades, 2010 Sam Gordon Sam Gordon, Impossible Object, 2010 Sam Gordon, Index Archive, 2010 Sam Gordon, Mirage, 2010 Sam Gordon, Play / Pause, 2010 Sam Gordon, Pop Ups, 2010 Sam Gordon, Street Vendor, 2010 Sam Gordon, Air Mail, 2011 Sam Gordon, Cookies, 2011 Sam Gordon, Dream Screen, 2011; Sam Gordon, Play, Power, Pyramid, Reverse, 2012; Sam Gordon, Play, Power, Pyramid, Reverse, 2012; Sam Gordon Sam Gordon Sam Gordon, Rags & Weavings, 2012 Sam Gordon, Screen, 2012 Sam Gordon, 1000 Sketchbook pages, 1995-2012 Sam Gordon, Blue Thumbnail, 2012
space Blue Space, 2010; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink-jet iron-on transfer, PVA sizing on sewn jeans and canvas remnants; 49 x 49”; $ 17,000 Eleven of Spades, 2010; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink-jet iron-on transfer, PVA sizing on sewn clothes and canvas remnants;
54 x 46”; $ 17,000
Flash (Let the flash flash when the flash wants to flash), 2010; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink-jet iron-on transfer, PVA sizing on sewn clothes and canvas remnants, artist pins;
PDF / zine included; 53 x 56”; $ 18,500
Impossible Object, 2010; acrylic paint, spray paint, ink-jet iron-on transfer on sewn clothes and fabric remnants; 58 x 58”; $ 20,000 Index Archive, 2010; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink-jet iron-on transfer, PVA sizing,sewn clothesand canvas remnants; with PDF / zine; 69 x 47”; $ 20,000 Mirage, 2010; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, oxidized gold leaf, ink-jet iron-on transfer, PVA sizing on sewn clothes and canvas remnants; 52 x 52”; $ 18,000 Play / Pause, 2010; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink-jet iron-on transfer, PVA sizing on sewn jeans and fabric remnants; 36 x 48”; $ 12,000 Pop Ups, 2010; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink-jet iron-on transfer, PVA sizing on sewn clothes and canvas remnants; 42 x 52”; $ 15,000 Street Vendor, 2010; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink-jet iron-on transfer, PVA sizing on sewn clothes and canvas remnants; 52 x 56”; $ 18,500 Air Mail, 2011; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink jet iron-on transfers, PVA sizing on sewn clothes and canvas remnants; PDF / zine included; 36 x 48”; $ 12,000 Cookies, 2011; acrylic paint, spray paint, ink jet iron-on transfers, gold leaf, PVA sizing, sweepings on sewn clothes and canvas remnants; PDF / zine included; 50 x 38”; $ 13,500 Dream Screen, 2011; bleach, acrylic paint, spray paint, ink jet iron-on transfers, PVA sizing, sweepings on sewn clothes and canvas remnants; 48 x 52”; $ 17,000 Play, Power, Pyramid, Reverse, 2012; ink, acrylic paint, spray paint, bleach, iron-on inkjet transfers, silver leaf, floor sweepings on sewn clothes, fabric remnants; 54 x 47.25”; PDF / zine included; in ‘play’ orientation; $ 15,000 Play, Power, Pyramid, Reverse, 2012; in ‘power’ orientation Play, Power, Pyramid, Reverse, 2012; in ‘pyramid orientationoverall; $35,000 Play, Power, Pyramid, Reverse, 2012; in ‘peverse' orientation Rags & Weavings, 2012; ink, acrylic paint, spray paint, bleach, iron-on inkjet transfers, on sewn paint rags, bandanas, canvas remnants; PDF / zine included; 62 x 52”; $ 20,000. Screen, 2012; nine paintings from 2005-7 reconfigured into a folding screen; 72.5” high, width and depth variable; $ 30,000. 1000 Sketchbook pages, 1995-2012, 16 minutes DVD. (Edition of 3) monitor with internal dvd player, dvd. Blue Thumbnail, 2012; gesso, acrylic paint, oil paint, spray paint, iron-on inkjet transfers on canvas; 48 x 36”; $ 12,000
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