artists'
talk
by Jordan Dunlop
Chaos, sketched out, but more likely just a messy ball of
confusion, describes most of my inner life. I found art to
be the only escape from the treachery of the real world and
the only thing that seemed to make sense.
I slowly discovered expressionistic/fantasy artwork; the
means to express what was going on inside my head. I decided
to go to art school.
At the University of Manitoba, I had the privilege
of meeting some amazing artists and professors, like Dianna
Thorneycroft. Her monstrous photos of debauched bunny
rabbits instilled in me a certain level of toughness, which
no critic could throw back in my face.
For second year, I transferred to OCAD. It seemed
like everybody there was about to commit suicide, even in
their artwork. The teachers seemed to be on a crusade to destroy
the creative self in art at every opportunity. So, after a
distressing year, I decided to recover what was taken from
me at OCAD, and came home to Peterborough.
I gradually learned from successes and failures and developed
key symbolism, creating a direction towards Healing as Image.
My mother was a large influence shaping this new view. Part
of Peterborough's healing arts community, she is pioneering
new ground in Biodynamic Cranial Sacral therapy and Polarity
therapy. I had the good fortune of sharing studio space Cossar's,
Neffer's art store and studio, and began on what I
think is my best work.
Jordan Dunlop recently exhibited a two- year body of work
entitled Between Fantasy and Reality, at the Akin
Gallery. The content and imagery focused on tragic landscapes,
juxtaposing Adam and Eve like characters and realistic fantasy
made up of real people in emotional states.
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