Gary Logan

Logan draws inspiration from a myriad of scientific references—from the spherical forms of atoms, cells, and even microbes to the linear structures of veins, roots, and fissures. These organic details often exist within spaces that display his fascination with physical science, evolution, and ancestry, as well as his recent musings on epigenetics and genetic modification. Materiality is elemental to his work as he experiments with a variety of both organic and artificial materials, as well as traditional and non-traditional media that add three-dimensional form and physicality to the works’ two-dimensional surfaces. The protean structures in his work are heavily laden with symbolism related to his choice of materials; some images reflect the plasticity of life and human adaptability, while others appear metallic, protective, or potentially dangerous. His frequent use of plastic comments on the material’s malleable properties just as his pervasive use of the material remarks on our addiction to it.

Beyond his undulating, fractured landscapes or mounds of evolving organisms, Logan produces work that is deeply personal yet universally resonant. As a man of Afro-Caribbean descent, Logan deeply embraces his African heritage, replete with its cultural richness, periods of struggle, and moments of progress, to create images that honor his ancestors while ultimately delving below the skin to reclaim, magnify, and celebrate their humanity that had been historically shamed, subjugated, and erased. Concurrently, his visceral images also expose the damaging consequences of unbridled patriarchy and the multigenerational impact of human oppression, and function as abject forebodings of environmental collapse. Just as lifeforms are crafted both by genetics and their environments, Logan’s work examines how society either enriches and nurtures or subjugates and erodes one’s personage and cultural identity.