Jordan Casteel

‘[Casteel] captures everyday encounters with people and places in works that invite recognition of our shared humanity.’ – MacArthur Foundation

Jordan Casteel is a New York-based artist known for her larger-than-life paintings, which highlight the humanity of her subjects while affirming ideas of social justice.

At once tender and powerful, Casteel’ intimate portraits include friends, family members, and classmates as well as diverse subjects whom she meets and photographs on the streets of her neighborhood, thus effectively transforming strangers into close friends and collaborators. This near-anthropological pursuit puts viewers into a position where they are asked to contend with their preconceived notions of masculinity and race. Casteel’ debut monograph features nearly 150 beautifully reproduced images, with sections specially conceived and designed by the artist herself.

Author Biography

Legacy Russell is a curator and writer based in New York, where she is Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Kitchen.

Asma Naeem is Director of The Baltimore Museum of Art. Katherine Brinson is Daskalopoulos Curator for Contemporary Art at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.