Texting with Artist Jordan Wolfson

October 2015

Paddle8

Rebecca Bates

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Jordan Wolfson's oeuvre is one of intentional, tense contradictions. His 12-minute film Animation, masks from
2011 shows a caricature of a middle-aged Jewish man casually leafing through pages of Vogue. From his mouth
comes the sounds of a couple talking about their sex life in awkward whispers, and, later, various recorded
recitations of Richard Brautigan's "Love Poem." Through the incongruity of these images and sounds, Wolfson
creates an insidiously uncomfortable viewing experience. Likewise, his Female Figure (2014) is a comely robotic
woman in a short dress, with blonde hair, a monster's face, serrated teeth, and Wolfson's voice. In this way, the
artist is the master of subtle, sneaking tension.

The same anxiety creeps into his new limited-edition lithograph print Untitled, created for The Lunchbox Fund
auction (benefiting the nonprofit's initiatives to fight childhood hunger in South Africa), which looks like a cross
between a surreal classroom inspirational poster and a pasted-over subway ad. A round cartoon cherub lies on
a cloud, smiling, but crying, his arrow piercing a sandwich, while the sun above him also smiles and cries. In
a bubble, the cherub thinks, "Life is extremely painful." Over the print Wolfson has placed three nonsensical
bumper stickers. What appears witty on first glance slowly reveals itself to be an onslaught of confusing slogans,
imagery, and symbols.

We chatted with Wolfson over text about the impulses behind his bizarre works, what he loves about cartoon
characters, and what works hang in his own collection.

Jordan Wolfson's limited-edition print joins works by Jonas Wood, Tara Donovan, Dustin Yellin, and
others in an auction to benefit The Lunchbox Fund, a nonprofit that works to end childhood hunger
in South Africa. Image above: Detail from Jordan Wolfson's Untitled(2015), created to benefit The
Lunchbox Fund.