FOREWORD

Free and Foreign Subjectivity is the debut major solo exhibition of Jordan Grant, and it is with great pleasure that Perc Tucker Regional Gallery is able to present this body of work to the Townsville community.

The artist, while currently residing in Melbourne, is wellknown to Townsville audiences. Having attended secondary school in the region, Grant took his interest in drawing to another level through his participation in numerous group and solo exhibitions. His raw talent was evident to many in the community, and his often figurative works struck a balance between the brashness of his youth, and a certain romantic quality, particularly evident in the lyrical mark making that gave structure to his figures.

As well as producing a high volume of paintings, Grant gained further insight into the arts industry by completing a Traineeship with Perc Tucker Regional Gallery in 2010.

Having resolved that art – and specifically making art –provided him with the most career (and life) satisfaction, Grant sought an avenue to build on his raw talent, and moved to Melbourne to study Painting at RMIT. While the talent is still abundantly clear, many may not recognise Grant’s work as being by the same artist who once practiced in Townsville.

The figurative focus no longer remains, though figurative elements do feature in some works. Indeed, the artist has stripped back not only form, but also meaning, and is currently embarking on a journey of abstraction that challenges the audience to provide the works with their own meaning.

Free and Foreign Subjectivity is an important landmark in Jordan Grant’s artistic journey. As with any artist, Grant’s practice has evolved, and will doubtless continue to evolve, hopefully over many productive years.

In considering this latest body of work, Grant stated, “I don’t see myself aiming for an aesthetically unified practice at all. As I see it right now paintings are – to some degree – a culmination of thoughts, and a constant progression of thought exemplifies an intact sense of curiosity… [which] to me seems to be one of the most vital aspects of humanity, and to lose it would be pretty awful.”

I whole-heartedly encourage viewers to not only enjoy the artist’s seductive mark making and command of tone, but also to retain their own curiosity in considering how each work resonates with them.