A well-attended art exhibit reception was held on Jan. 19 at the Ives Memorial Library, the city’s main branch overlooking the New Haven Green. It was but one of many recent events that have aligned to catapult the up-and-coming career of 34-year-old New Haven artist Gordon Skinner.
Skinner’s work is also the subject of a recent short documentary entitled “Stolen I.D.: Fragmented, Colonized and Lost” made by Norwalk videographer Bob Albert of Take Notice Productions. In the eight-minute video shot in New Haven, Bridgeport and parts of New York City, Skinner recounts his journey to becoming an artist along with the personal and social issues that continue to fuel his impassioned, creative work.
Skinner was raised at New Haven’s Church Street South public housing project for the first 10 years of his life, followed by a move to suburban Hamden. It was a move that left him feeling exposed and vulnerable, feeding into his insecurities and crisis of confidence. “I was nearly six feet tall in fifth grade, not athletic and being dark was an issue. I didn’t fit in, needless to say.”
Skinner’s father, Gordon Sr., “wasn’t around” during those important formative years, according to Skinner. His untimely death of drug-related HIV/AIDS when Skinner was in high school forever closed the door on the possibility of a relationship with his father. One of the paintings in the exhibit, “HIV” depicts a blind-folded figure holding a spear — a visage of the father whose legacy was scant, and in part, compels Skinner to build a positive one for himself and the community at large.
Raising awareness of AIDS is one of the issues Skinner grapples with in his image-making. “AIDS has not been sufficiently addressed in the arts. There needs to be a dialogue, not only about this, but about poverty, and the gap between rich and poor. Bringing this to the art world is a challenge, but necessary,” he said.
Skinner’s haunting images arrest and draw the viewer in. They insist on a dialogue inspired by the personal visual vocabulary born of Skinner’s fragmented history and search for answers. The visceral application of paint, bold colors, dense layering and symbolism, betray influences which Skinner is quick to credit. “One of my favorite artists was the French painter Jean Dubuffet” he notes. He also credits the work of the young outsider street artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, with inspiring him to begin painting. Jackson Pollack’s “action painting” as well as the work of Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso have all influenced the way Skinner communicates visually. Skinner describes his own work as “integrity art,” a term he coined to reference the work’s authenticity: “art that is real and honest, and promotes creative consistency.”
While Skinner did not have the benefit of extensive training in art school, he has demonstrated a penchant for seeking out artist mentors who have filled in the gaps and provided insights he might have gotten at the best universities. Skinner said that Erector Square artist Fethi Meghelli took him under his wing and provided direction through regular visits to the artist’s studio. Another important mentor is Suzanne Kachmar, program director of City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport. The gallery will be hosting Skinner’s next show from Feb. 16 to March 22.
Kachmar had high praise for the artist. “He is the most tenacious young artist I’ve met in a long time. His hard work, sincere, honest search to create his art, on his terms, his vocabulary, his marks, etc., is an inspiration to me and an honor and pleasure to be a part of.”
Gabriele Da Silva, a Westville gallery owner, said he was first approached by Skinner with paintings in hand last summer and was so impressed with the work, that he gave Skinner a show in his gallery.
Lacking formal training in the arts, one might argue, has helped, not hindered, the artist in his quest to document his existence and hold a mirror to an imperfect society. Beverly Kaye of Woodbridge, who owns Beverly Kaye Gallery and specializes in the genre of art known as “Outsider Art,” has also befriended Skinner and said that she definitely considers him to be an “Outsider” artist. “He is completely self-taught and his work does have a real intensity of expression. He creates his work in isolation and although he is obviously aware of other painters and their work, Gordon is clearly telling the story of his own private world in his own unique style. Jean Dubuffet [the artist who first coined the term “Art brut” or “raw art”] would approve of all these tenants. Throw in the fact that Gordon would be driven to paint regardless as to whether or not the work was shown in a gallery or museum, and I think that’s as close as one could hope for to fit into this sometimes elusive field.”
For an artist who said he was terrified the first time he picked up a paintbrush, Skinner seems to have tamed his insecurities and tapped into a well of expression. He will be a featured guest on WFSB Channel 3’s daily Better Connecticut program, taping on Feb. 7, and will be represented in a booth at the New York’s 2012 Outsider Art Fair billed as, “The world’s foremost international marketplace for self-taught art, Outsider Art, and Art Brut.” According to The Outsider Art Fair Facebook page, the fair features “35 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. More than 350 artists, ranging from the masters of Art Brut and Outsider Art to recently uncovered treasures and emerging stars.” The fair runs from Jan. 27 to 29 and further heightens Gordon Skinner’s ascendency as an artist and “emerging star.”
