Jordan Barnes: The Artist and the Ego

Jordan Barnes: The Artist and the Ego | Holt Gallery

5 February - 2 May 2021

Born and raised in New Plymouth, Jordan Barnes is an award winning painter and known to many as an artistic all-rounder.

Jordan derives inspiration for his works through social observations and personal relationships. A common thread in his work is the study of the human condition, evident in his large-scale oil paintings and hyper-realistic portraits.

He is equally passionate about song writing, releasing his debut album on US indie label ‘Lazy Bones Recordings’ in 2015, followed up by his sophomore album ‘Theories’ in 2017. He says that for him the process of creating a song or a painting is much the same.

For his exhibition, The Artist and the Ego, Jordan has spent the last half of 2020 creating a body of work for the Holt Gallery.

The Artist and the Ego explores Jordan’s interest in Jungian psychology, and the idea of archetypes within the ‘Collective Unconscious’ - a concept originally defined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung.

Through painting, music and film, Jordan attempts to understand his knowledge of the self, and the beliefs and behaviours of others.

As a self-taught artist, he has never been limited to one style. His creative endeavours have crossed multiple artistic disciplines, however, his driving force remains the same - to find his own identity within the art world. This quest has naturally led Jordan to explore the ‘self’. Whether he is writing a song, creating a self-portrait, or testing the limits of his skill within the tradition of painting, these acts subsequently expose the ego, and make one self-aware.