Benjamin S. Gordon paints pixelated, Microsoft Paint-like doodles of stick figures and archetypal imagery on colorful monochromatic canvases. He renders the familiar in unfamilia ways, attempting to bring about new ways of seeing and thinking.


In my work over the past year, I have attempted to reflect on the isolation, sadness, and uncertainty of the moment, specifically in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic and January 6th insurrection at the United States Capitol.

Paintings of surgical masks, the US Capitol, a scribble, and bug/shadow-like forms accompany paintings of stick figures in different emotional states responding to recent events. Some of the stick figures and US Capitol are painted with pixelated edges, suggesting how technology mediates and distorts our reality today.

The allusion to the myth of Narcissus in Untitled hints at a possible rise in narcissism through the use of social media with the pixelated edges of the bottom figure implying that the reflecting pool is no longer made of water but is now digital. Donald Trump and his use of Twitter exemplify this with a likely consequence being the January 6th insurrection. The stick figure also adds a sense of humor to the work and helps frame it in an ironic manner, attempting to imitate how conspiracy theories and alternative facts couch serious and consequential things in absurd ways.

If paintings can be thought of as historical objects, my work over the last year has been about documenting this historic moment in my own way, while also trying to convey something about the practice of painting at this time.