Jordan Casteel Stays in the Moment

How does an artist connect with her subjects in the solitude of her studio? Artist Jordan Casteel reflects on the complex dynamic between herself and her subjects while adjusting to the recent commercial success of her paintings. Celebrating the opening of her first solo gallery exhibition at Casey Kaplan in Chelsea, Casteel is joined by the men featured in her portraits who revel in their oil likenesses. “I feel like a superstar,” says one subject, Quentin, “I can’t stop blushing.”

In her studio at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in midtown Manhattan, Casteel reflects on how she uses photography to capture a subject in an instant, before spending hours investigating every detail of the scene. “It’s my way of trying to reconnect with the immediacy that happens if you’re sitting in front of somebody,” says the artist. “The camera has really become a liaison between me and the sitter. It gives me time to slow down before I go fast.”

One subject, Louie, met Casteel on 125th Street in Harlem where he sells his own artwork as the clothing brand Young Style Designs. “Jordan, her work is on showcase, you’ve got to go inside an establishment,” he says. “I’m more of a street hustler, I get it out right on the cement concrete block.” A Harlem resident herself, Casteel intends to continue focusing on Black men in her work—not as characters but as people. “I have somehow found a way to weasel myself into a one-percent opportunity within the art market,” says the artist. “With access comes responsibility.”

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