Jordan Eagles: ONE BLOOD

Image credit (detail): Jordan Eagles, Blood Mirror, 2015 - present, 59 human blood donations, blood of Oliver Anene, Blue Bayer, Howard Grossman, M.D., Kelsey Louie, Lawrence D. Mass, M.D., Reverend John Moody, Loren Rice, Ty Spicha, CPT Anthony Woods, 50 PrEP advocates, preserved in UV resin. Courtesy of artist.

Exhibit Details:

September 23, 2023 - February 18, 2024
Weisel and Kelly Galleries

Blood is frequently associated with violence and death, yet it is a critical life-force universal to all humanity. In an era of mass shootings, war, disease, and the urgent struggle over body autonomy and LGBTQI+ rights, blood is a symbolic connective tissue – often sensationalized – its visceral power is undeniable. 

New York based artist Jordan Eagles has been working with blood as an artistic medium for over 25 years, addressing themes of life-cycle, corporeality, and regeneration, and has developed techniques for preserving the organic material. Over the past decade, Eagles has built an expansive body of work focused on challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) blood donation policy, which advocates suggest is biased, perpetuates stigma and homophobia, and is not in line with modern science. Eagles’ sculptures, panels, screen-prints, photographic and video works are collaborations created with blood donated by members of the LGBTQI+ community, specifically for the purpose of making artworks and advocating for science and equality. 

Eagles utilizes a broad range of techniques in his work and his preservation process retains the natural patterns, colors, and textures of the organic material. Most of the blood in this exhibition is preserved, including sculptures and panels made with medical waste and archival material. 

The title of this solo exhibition, ONE BLOOD, references that despite the different backgrounds and serotypes of the blood donors, they are all united for blood equality. This exhibition features the work Blood Mirror, a large resin sculpture made with 59 individual human blood donations, that could have been used for life saving purposes if the FDA’s policy was more fair. For the first time, key works from several of the artist’s series that connect queer blood with American pop culture, comic books, military propaganda, and religious iconography are on view together. The exhibition also includes new works from Eagles’ latest series utilizing Artificial Intelligence.

Jordan Eagles: ONE BLOOD is organized by Curator of Art Sarah Buhr.

Exhibit Resources

TBA

Related Programs

Slow Viewing with Shauna LeAnn Smith: Blood Mirror
Wednesday, September 27, 6:00 PM

Slow Viewing is a supportive practice for anyone who wants to develop their skills of interpretation, observation, and discussing art. Guests spend an hour carefully observing and speaking about the works on view, resulting in a deeper understanding of how they and others relate to the artwork and to each other. This program is facilitated by artist Shauna LeAnn Smith. This program is free, but space in-gallery is limited so registration is required.