PRESENTATION: Jordan Watson-Easier to Breath

Jordan Watson is a self-taught multi-media visual artist and curator, part of the Ultra Contemporary Afrofuturism art movement. His works explore storytelling and visual metaphor. His large-scale paintings, rendered in oil paint and pastel on raw canvas, explore universal subjects such as identity, community, truth, memory, and imagination. His works are replete with art historical references to modernism, surrealism, ‘80s/’90s graffiti, Kerry James Marshall, Peter  Doig, Francis Bacon and others as well as Afrofuturism incorporating science-fiction, technology, and futuristic elements into his work.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Robilant+Voena Gallery Archive

Starting from a solid color ground, Jordan Watson develops the scene around his figures with painterly, foggy brushwork, playing with how perception is affected when the descriptive focus is placed not on human agents but on their surroundings. Figures materialize in recessive space, stripped of physical identifiers. Bodies are described by their painted context, highlighting Watson’s embrace of tenuous ambiguities and his close observation of the relationship between humans and their surroundings. Their quiet haziness, developed with the soft touch of Watson’s hand, probes the imprecision of memory and examines the possibility that we are all products of our environment. Jordan Watson’s solo exhibition “Easier to Breath” features never-before-seen paintings by the artist that encapsulate his vibrant style and alluring subject matter. Largely self-taught, Watson has honed his craft through years of immersion in the art world, and through his platform @love.watts. His paintings draw on Afrofuturism, a movement blending science fiction and Black culture to imagine  a  future of  Black  excellence  and  prosperity. Watson’s  work portrays  Black  men  and  especially  women  participating  in  activities  such  as  cycling,  skiing,  and motorsports  – fields  that  have  historically seen limited Black participation. The works on  display  in  the  Protestant  Church  find clear resonance with invigorating outdoor pursuits and the luxury that are associated with St. Moritz and the Engadin. In this progression, the exhibition suggests a shift from imagining the future to inhabiting it, from striving to thriving. It reflects a state of being where excellence feels effortless, where space is made for joy, reflection, and a more profound connection with oneself and the world. The title encapsulates a moment of liberation, aligning seamlessly with the broader journey my work seeks to convey.’ The exhibition brings new  and  recent  paintings by  the  artist,  demonstrating  Watson’s  signature  bold figurative style that oozes with poise, elegance and athleticism. Watson’s application of color evokes the Fauves or colorists, his dreamlike landscapes rendered in bold swathes of paint reminiscent of Edvard Munch or Peter Doig, creating alluring settings for his lithe, powerful figures. These paintings also echo the essence of contemporary artists such as Kerry  James  Marshall and Henry Taylor, foregrounding Black men and women and celebrating the Black experience, with scenes rendered in strong colors and bold forms. Watson’s protagonists, exuding an understated confidence, are not portraits of real individuals but rather anonymous figures who conjure a sentiment, picturing a world that the artist wishes to see. Whether winter sports, horse-riding or tennis, Watson creates beguiling images of luxury and joy, his figures exuding the delight that accompanies active participation and success.

Photo: Jordan Watson, No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service, oil on canvas, 2022, 80 x 80 in. Courtesy the Artist

Info: Protestant Church, Via Maistra 18, St. Moritz, Switzerland, Duration: 30/1-6/3/2025