Gordon Shadrach

Gordon Shadrach has had a lifelong fascination with the semiotics of clothing and its impact on culture. In particular, his interest lies in the intersection and codification of race and fashion. These codes impact the way we navigate through spaces and influence how people associate with one another. Shadrach’s portraits of Black men utilize fashion—contemporary or historical dress—in order to create narratives which pull viewers in to explore the biases embedded in North American culture. Shadrach’s paintings are often finished in found antique and vintage frames. The frames’ patina and wear lend historic weight and insert the portraits into a period when Black people were rarely depicted in Western portraiture. Shadrach seeks to disrupt the colonial constrictions of portraiture by inviting viewers to reflect upon the depiction of Black people in art and culture. Shadrach’s work has been exhibited in Canada and the US, and appears in notable collections such as the Art Gallery or Hamilton, The Wedge Collection, Agnes Etherington Gallery, and The Wright Collection. His work is currently installed at the Spadina House Museum for Dis/Mantle, as part of the City of Toronto’s Awakenings program.