Through a variety of media, my work investigates the structure and power of belief. From alien abductions, to the paranormal, to simple acts of human connection, I create artwork that questions the reductive notion that a person can exist in the world without faith, demonstrating in the process that art itself cannot function without the willing participation of a faithful audience.
In Wear a Green Shirt, for instance, I posted an ad on Craigslist asking people who have been abducted by aliens to arrive at a specific location wearing a green shirt. I then took pictures of people in green shirts at the specified place and time, which were displayed in a gallery context. This project queries the parallel relationship between the belief of the people who chose to wear green shirts, and the people who view the artwork in a gallery. While viewers may approach the idea of alien abduction with a certain kind of cynicism, I suspect that a similar level of cynicism from another set of people accompanies the display of conceptual art projects in galleries. Wear a Green Shirt paradoxically participates in and dispels these belief structures, allowing viewers to simultaneously question the validity of the pictures as examples of people who believe in alien abduction and accept that this very instability of belief is part of the artwork's effect.
In Aura Portraits, a series of works in water-based media in which I attempt to paint the auras of my subjects, my own hand is implicated in the structures of belief that I set up. In attempting to interpret other people's auras, I am relying first on the belief that auras actually exist, and second on implicit assumptions about the role of the artist in expressing truth. I do not consider my portraits ironic in any way; they are a sincere attempt to capture the paranormal. However, I leave it up to viewers to judge how to interpret their veracity, and my role as an interpreting medium.
My exploration of belief also incoporates more mundane acts, such as the simple gesture of giving people hugs. In Let's Talk, I sat on a couch in a gallery for at least an hour each day throughout the duration of an exhibition, and encouraged visitors to engage in conversations about their concerns. Each conversation ended with a hug. I wanted to explore the power of human connection, the belief that interacting with other humans and receiving hugs from them enhances our lives.
While the healing power of the hug may not be as far-fetched as aliens or auras, it nonetheless relies on the belief and willingness of a person to engage in an action that leaves one vulnerable. I am fascinated with this vulnerability, the weakness that we feel when we believe in something, that is however necessary for our psychological and emotional survival. It may be reductive to imply that all forms of belief are equal, but I am drawn to the fact that there is something common in people's convictions about the existence of aliens or auras, the power of a hug or of art.
Lori Gordon is a San Francisco-based artist who creates cross-disciplinary works that combine aspects of the paranormal, belief systems and social sculpture. Much of her work attempts to make the ineffable visible. Through collaborative endeavors, Gordon explores the gap between coincidence and intention, with an emphasis on setting up moments that deviate from the expected conversation. In some cases, she is more interested in providing the organized framework around which potential interactions may occur, both between herself and the viewer or participants.
Born 1975 Johannesburg, South Africa. Lives and works in San Francisco.
Education
Fall 2005 Student | Independent School of Art
2005 MFA| Painting/Drawing | California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
1998 BFA | Painting | University of Massachusetts, Amherst (cum laude)
Awards|Honors
2004 Murphy Cadogan Fellowship in Fine Arts, San Francisco Foundation
2002 Exposed - National Juried Competition, sponsored by the NEA, D.C. Commission on
Arts & Humanities
1997, 1998 Chancellor\'s Talent Award, Art. University of Massachusetts, Amherst
1996 Goldenkey International Arts Competition, finalist.
Solo Exhibitions
Upcoming There is No Failure Here, Ampersand International Arts, San Francisco, CA
2005 Upon This My Dreams Are Depending, Café Royale, San Francisco, CA
Close Encounters (graduate exhibition), California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
2002 Alien, Herbert Marcuse Gallery, San Diego, CA
2001 Circles and Squares, University of California, San Diego, CA
1998 Exobiological, Student Union Gallery, Amherst, MA
Group Exhibitions
2005 ART on BART, Bay Area Transit, San Francisco, CA
Black Market, Hayes Valley Market, San Francisco, CA
DRESS: Clothing as art, Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
You Can Have It All, Playspace Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Pitch, New Langton Arts, San Francisco, CA
Art4Tibet (Benefit: Students for a Free Tibet), Juice Design, San Francisco, CA
White Wonder Woman Noise, Timken Hall-CCA, San Francisco, CA
Graduate Open Studios, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
sideXside, Playspace Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 Carefully Analyzed Crackpotism, CCA Media Arts Department, San Francisco, CA
Winterfest Art Auction (Auction: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition), SOMArts Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
Animan/Aniwoman International Gardner\'s Colloquium, CCA, San Francisco, CA
Drawing Show, Temescal Amity Works, Oakland, CA
Subject to Oneself, Playspace Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Piñata Party, Gavin Brown\'s Enterprise at Passerby [curated by It Can Change],
New York, NY
Murphy Cadogan Fellowship in Fine Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
Humanity is the Ultimate Source, Playspace Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Felix Variations: Artists Respond to Felix Gonzales-Torres, Playspace Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
Graduate Open Studios, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Flim Flam Flux: An Evening of Fluxus Performances, Playspace Gallery,
San Francisco, CA
Big Ballyhoo presents Inside of Inside, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
2003 Winter Formal Spectacular, CCA, San Francisco, CA
99 Bottles, Build Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Post-Postcard 7, The Lab, San Francisco, CA
The Mixer, Playspace Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2002 Strength in Numbers Art Auction (Leukemia Lymphoma Society), Apollo 13 Studio,
San Diego, CA
Carry on Drawing, International traveling show: USA, Canada, India, UK
Exposed, Artoconecto Gallery, Washington, DC
The Breathing Project, (participant), Berlin Contemporary Art Museum, Germany
Talmadge Art Show, San Diego Center for the Moving Arts, San Diego, CA
Viva La Vulva!, University of California, San Diego, CA
2001 Elephantastico, University of California, San Diego, CA
Bah Humbug, Social Club Gallery, San Diego, CA
Anyone Can Fly, University of California, San Diego, CA
SONY Artwalk, San Diego, CA
2000 Untitled, Mandeville Gallery, University of California, San Diego, CA
1998 Junior Senior Show, Herter Art Gallery, Amherst, MA
1997 Bring Your Damn Checkbook, Student Union Gallery, Amherst, MA
1995 Art Foundations, Herter Art Gallery, Amherst, MA
Screenings
Kissed | 1 minute approx. | digital animation
2005 White Wonder Woman Noise, Timken Hall-CCA, San Francisco, CA
Graduate Open Studios, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Romance with a Double Bass | 22 minutes | digital animation
[composed by M. Ramstrum, performed by Bert Turetsky]
2005 Music for a Desert Evening, Casa Jaime [Anza-Borrego Desert], Canebrake, CA
2004 University of California, Berkeley (Center for New Music & Audio Technologies)
[UCIRA Grant]
University of California, Santa Barbara [UCIRA Grant]
2003 Fin-de-Semester, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
Mandeville Recital Hall, University of California, San Diego CA
International Society of Bassists Convention, University of Richmond, VA
2002 Center for Research in Computing & the Arts, University of California, San Diego, CA
Curatorial
2006 TBA, Café Royale, San Francisco, CA
2005 You Can Have It All, Playspace Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2004 Humanity is the Ultimate Source, Playspace Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2001 Elephantastico, University of California, San Diego, CA
Public Collections
2001, 2002 University of California, San Diego
Teaching Experience
2005 Instructor of Art: Extended Education, CCA, San Francisco, CA
(Young Artist Studio Program)
Workshop: How to make slides from digital files. CCA, San Francisco, CA
(Graduate Program)
Teaching Assistant: Graduate Program, CCA, San Francisco, CA
(Sculpture Senior Projects)
2004 Teaching Assistant: Graduate Program, CCA, San Francisco, CA
(Dialogues & Practices)
Student Counselor: Extended Education, CCA, San Francisco, CA
(Young Artist Studio Program)
Teaching Assistant: School of the Arts High School, San Francisco, CA
(ArtSummer Program: Ceramics)
2003, 2004 Tutor: Learning Resources Office, CCA, San Francisco, CA | English, Studio
1999, 2000 Instructor of Art: Art Tours, Inc. La Jolla, CA
1995 Instructor of Art: Nizhoni School for Global Consciousness, Santa Fe, NM
Professional Experience
2003 Gallery Sitter: Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco, CA
2000-2003 Undergraduate Advisor: Visual Arts Department, UC San Diego, CA
2000-2003 Gallery Coordinator, Mandeville Gallery, UC San Diego, CA
Professional Organizations
2003-Present San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
2003-Present Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
2002, 2003 College Arts Association
http://www.lorigordon.com