ARTIST STATEMENT

Drawing with the urgency of knowing that their subject may transform at any moment, Jordan Black records the physicality and biology of creatures called The Ubiquitous. Black explores the perspective of their world and travels through drawings that resemble the findings of a researcher – exploratory and sometimes clinical, reporting moments of action and time in a way that can be erratic and informative all at once. What began as a genesis of creatures birthing and forming into mountains of soft humanoid material, is slowly transitioning into stories of great floods and seedlings that will bring new evolutions to their form. 

Their stories are synonymous with Black’s questioning of queer existence and living in a human body. Inspired by these trials, as well as natural formations and dance, the Ubiquitous never quite hold the same form, and are constantly transforming. A consistent character may exist in multiple drawings but may never hold the same appearance twice. 

Jordan’s drawings breathe in multiple ways – their paper surfaces are alive like the creatures that live on them, and in turn, become an essential part of the Ubiquitous’ stories. Natural repairs may be made with linen tape, but the rip remains part of the surface, as a new mark. There may also be notes, timestamps, and tea stains alike. All incidental marks, scuffs, dog footprints, and folds that happen to the page as they are carried through Jordan’s day-to-day life speak to the Ubiquitous’ brevity and constant sense of change.