Jordan Eagles
Detail The Moment When it Knew it had Never Been Born, 2002
Blood and Mixed Media Preserved on Canvas

 

Jordan Eagles:

Selected Works from A Trans-Natal Experience

on display from September 4 - October 2

 

[ opening ]

Thursday, September 4, 2003 from 7-10PM.

[ location ]

The Bronfman Center at NYU
7 E. 10th Street NY, NY
gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10-5, Sun 10-8

The Bronfman Center Gallery for Jewish Life is proud to announce the upcoming opening of their inaugural show for the 2003 season, featuring the solo exhibition of selected works from contemporary artist Jordan Eagles’ series, “A Trans-Natal Experience,” opening September 4th from 7 pm- 10 pm. Created from blood and other organic materials, Eagles’ mixed media constructions examine the extremes of the body-spirit connection by offering a philosophical discourse on life and evolution.

Eagles’ work from “A Trans-Natal Experience” is designed to strike an aesthetic and emotional balance between the physical and the intangible, while exploring how the body-spirit transcends time. Constructing his slabs of Plexiglas with blood, eggshells, metallic powder, glass pigment and an assortment of other associative materials, Eagles believes that “life is not bound to a single birth.”

“Mammalian blood is a key ingredient in my work,” explains Eagles. “I use it to identify the critical paradox within the recurring theme of a physical and spiritual rebirth. By using (and preserving) blood in my work, I am taking something that has died and giving it a new life in a new context.”

Eagles’ upcoming show at the Bronfman Center Gallery is a clear sign that the New York University Jewish think-tank is taking a new direction. “We are creating a space that explores the cultural, intellectual, and spiritual implications of Judaism in a contemporary context,” explains Robert Saferstein, the new Bronfman Center Gallery Coordinator and President of the Jewish Conservative Movement at NYU.

Eagles, who was recently featured in The New York Times article, “Blood Feud” (August 17, 2003), was banned from showing his blood creations for fear of offending audiences at a NJ Hospital. Ironically, it would seem that Eagles’ exhibition at the Bronfman Center Gallery might put him into a similar situation.

“We understand that some of our colleagues might be challenged by Mr. Eagles’ work. But to affirm one’s ideology is to constantly question it,” declares Saferstein. “Luckily, Judaism allows for such questioning, making it possible to view traditional ideas in a modern light. We selected Eagles’ work for more than its brilliant color, captivating energy, and seductive aesthetic. His work delves into the depths of the human experience by directly dealing with questions about one’s own physical and spiritual foundations.”

For a more in-depth view of Eagles’ work, please see: www.jordaneagles.com

If you have any questions about the gallery, would like your work considered for an exhibition, and/or would like to make a special appointment to view the gallery, please contact Robert J. Saferstein, Gallery Manager.