Who tf is Jordan?

When I was growing up, there were icons and figures in pop culture that I was encouraged to idolize. This included John Glenn, LeBron James, Jay-Z, and Barack Obama to name a few. However, there were numerous icons that I didn’t learn about until I was an adult, which is a shame. I often draw the divide between my adolescence and my adult years by the names I answer to. With my first name being Jordan, I weep for “Jordan”, as if he could have seen or heard about some of these figures, “Alex” could have been a more confident, knowledgeable, and well-adjusted adult. (I apologize for the use of third person; I promise I’m not that crazy.)

As a nod to the pop culture elements of my childhood, Notes on Jordan is a mixed media series devoted to the colorful luridity associated with childhood and the unsung Black icons that blaze trails for those children’s future success. With each piece being devoted to a different icon, the panel tells their story whether it be happy or painful, with the use of different iconic elements from “Jordan’s” past. This process allows me to create parallels between these heroes and my own history, deepening this connection. Each panel is composed of cardstock and/ or bond paper photo collage with random toys and stickers, all on spray-painted plywood.

Street art, graffiti, and the mundanity of print advertisements in urban settings are chief inspirations for these works; along with cartoons and colorful toys and products. My work is constantly didactic, being both fun and satirical while also enlightening the viewer on the layers within the Black experience from my shoes.

A common trait within my mixed media work, the manic and scattered holes are depressions meant to both add context to the composition and allude to the voids in our environment. From bullet wounds to craters, these depressions are conceptually adaptable.