Jordan MacDonald: The Okanagan

"The Okanagan" combines sculptural objects and drawing that reflect the emotional impact of separation, distance, and the desire for connection. Using the Early Sunrise peach as both metaphor and material, the works examine the complexities of longing and absence through a physical presence that is at once tactile and fragile. The unruly nature of the peach—its soft skin, messy juices, and inevitable decay—mirrors the fleeting and imperfect nature of intimacy. Felted peaches, porcelain pits, and charcoal stains come together to form a landscape of emotional weight, capturing the tension between wanting closeness and enduring temporal distance. The pieces convey a quiet disintegration of intimacy, the slow fading of connection, and the rawness of yearning. Through the scale and materiality of the work, viewers are invited to navigate the space like one navigates a life—filled with moments of presence and absence, connection and disconnection. With its visceral materials and emotional charge, the exhibition invites the viewer to reflect on their own experiences of distance and closeness. It is an invitation to engage with the embodied nature of longing and the profound impact of separation.

Jordan MacDonald (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist from the unceded territories of the Syilx peoples (Okanagan Valley, British Columbia). She received her BFA in Studio Art from the University of British Columbia in 2023 and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Waterloo, where she is a recipient of the prestigious Shantz International Research Scholarship. MacDonald recently had a solo show at the Kelowna Art Gallery, BC, and she has participated in numerous group exhibitions in regional and national venues. Primarily working in sculpture, her practice investigates absence, longing, and the complex relationships between place and memory.