Absence of Touch
Jordan Barker

The sensation of touch is paramount to the human experience. Baker became acutely aware of this when the absence and variety of touch that he was used to experiencing had been abruptly stripped from his life during the pandemic. He got inspired to create his art to reintroduce these textures and sensations back into his life and provide him with a sense of presence and calm amidst what felt like quiet chaos. The pieces Jordan created were a practice in mindfulness that he couldn’t achieve in any other way during this long period of isolation.

By layering different materials and mediums on canvases, he began what is now an extensive body of large scale abstract expressionist style pieces. Looking back, Jordan realizes that each of these pieces is a visual record of the silent chaos he was feeling around him and his own personal need for touch, presence, and an escape into a meditative state.

Rarely enlisting brushes or other traditional tools into my process, many of my canvases have been created using his bare hands. The experience of textures and sensations of the different mediums pressed against his fingertips during the creation process, is akin to what Jordan hopes his audience can now experience as they encounter his work in its completed state.

Barker’s pieces are intended to be a sensory experience and unlike most works on canvas, he encourages his audiences to interact with them. He wants them to touch them. Feel them. Run their fingers along the surfaces and experience all the different textures and sensations which allow them to satisfy their own needs along the way.