Daniel Gordon

Daniel Gordon (born 1980) is an American artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Early life and education Gordon was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1980, and grew up in San Francisco, California. In 2003 he received a BA from Bard College and in 2006 he received an MFA in Photography from the Yale School of Art. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

Work

Style and Process Gordon is best known for producing colorful photographic portraits and still lifes made from constructed tableaus. Using a layered and almost circular process, Gordon creates temporary sculptures made from images mined from the internet that are printed, cutout, and remade into three dimensional objects. Then, these objects, are staged before colorful or patterned backgrounds with layered and altered shadows, and photographed. For many years, Gordon created these images using large-format cameras and film, Gordon's process when applied to the human form renders fleshy and fragmented results that “stimulate both attraction and repulsion.” and at times more confrontational figures. These almost anonymous amalgamations have been compared to Frankenstein's monster. Gordon's images reveal their own making, he leaves hot glue streaks and the rough textures of torn paper in the images. “I’m more interested in…showing my hand and letting people see the imperfection,” the artist says.

Notable Series Gordon's still lifes feature potted house plants, fruits, vegetables, These compositions, which are often printed at larger-than-life scale, straddle the line between real and unreal, representing space as both two and three-dimensional at the same time. His engagement with the still-life genre and use of color has inspired comparisons to the works of Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse,

Beginning in 2014, Gordon began exhibiting works from his screen selections series. These works are made from digital selections of Gordon's still lifes that are then blown-up and distorted, then used to create a repeated pattern. The resulting photographs, printed on canvas, resemble abstract paintings. The exhibition featured a large-scale mural, several photographs, a twelve-foot sculpture of a vase of blue poppies, and flag-like banners. The handpainted mural is a recreation from Gordon's still-life series and stands at 70x76 feet. The exhibition remained on view until May 2022.

Exhibitions Selected Solo Exhibitions Orange Sunrise with Flowers, Fruit, and Vessels, Nazarian / Curcio, Los Angeles, CA (2024) Free Transform, Kasmin, New York (2023) Daniel Gordon on the Greenway, Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston, MA (2021–22) Green Apples and Boots, Huxley-Parlour, London, UK (2021) Daniel Gordon: Hue and Saturate, Houston Center for Photography, Houston, TX (2019) Blue Room, James Fuentes, New York (2018) Lemons, Onestar Press, Paris, France (2018) Selective Color, M+B Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (2017) New Canvas, James Fuentes, New York (2017) Hand, Select & Invert Layer, Bolte Lang, Zürich, Switzerland (2016) Shadows, Patterns, Pears, Foam Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands(2014) Screen Selections and Still Lifes, Wallspace, New York, NY (2014)

Selected Group Exhibitions

Cut! Paper Play in Contemporary Photography, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (2018) Secondhand, Pier 24, San Francisco, CA (2014) Greater New York 2010, MoMA PS1, Long Island City, NY (2010) New Photography 2009, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY (2009)

Publications

New Canvas, Chose Commune, Marseille, France (2022) Houseplants, Aperture, New York, NY (2019) Spaces, Faces, Tables and Legs, Onestar Press, Paris, France (2018) Intermissions, Onestar Press, Paris, France (2017) Still Life with Onions and Mackerel, Onestar Press, Paris, France (2014) Still Lifes, Portraits, and Parts, Mörel Books, London, UK (2013) Flowers and Shadows, Onestar Press, Paris, France (2011) Flying Pictures, powerHouse Books, Brooklyn, NY (2009)

Public collections

The Museum of Modern Art Foam Photography Museum Pier 24 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum VandenBroek Foundation Cleveland Clinic Hiscox Collection JP Morgan Chase Art Collection