Victor Gordon

South African-born artist Victor Gordon (b. 1953, Johannesburg) has exhibited since 1979. Primarily a painter and sculptor, his practice also extends to installations, assemblages, collages, drawings, and photography. His wide-ranging concerns and techniques yield uncompromising, refreshingly unique, and often challenging artistic statements. Gordon considers himself an engaged, socially aware artist whose work critiques authority, power, and memory, frequently blending humour with acute political insight.

When not [subversively] exploiting the permutations of realism, Gordon’s art embodies an awareness of the tension between nineteenth-century painterly realism and twentieth-century modernist devices. Through recognizable symbols and quotations, he constructs layered narratives that simultaneously acknowledge history while addressing urgent contemporary issues.

Gordon’s works are represented in several major South African collections, including the Constitutional Court Art Collection (CCAC) in Johannesburg, the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, the University of South Africa (UNISA) in Tshwane/Pretoria, and the Ifa Lethu Collection, also in Tshwane/Pretoria. His contributions to the CCAC reflect the institution’s vision of honouring memory, democracy, and social justice through art.

Raised in Alberton, Gordon attended Germiston and Parktown Boys’ High before completing military conscription in the South African Air Force (1971–1972). He obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of the Witwatersrand (1977–1980). In 1982, he unsuccessfully stood as a Progressive Party candidate in the Vrededorp/Mayfair municipal elections. He then served as administrator for the University of the Witwatersrand SRC (1982–1987), mediating the effects of state security harassment on students in a period of political turmoil.

In 1987, Gordon immigrated to Australia as a self-imposed exile. He completed his Master of Visual Arts (by research) at Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney (1991), while also teaching at the institution (1989–1993), as well as at the University of Western Sydney and various TAFE colleges. In 1999, he relocated to Broken Hill, NSW, before heading the Art, Design and Music School at TAFE Orange, NSW, until his retirement in 2013.

References

• Gordon, V. (1991). Master of Visual Arts Thesis. Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney
  

• Iziko South African National Gallery. Permanent Collection Catalogue. Cape Town: Iziko Museums.

• Gordon, V. Official website: About the Artist, Exhibition History & Collections. https://victorgordon.com/

• Ifa Lethu Foundation. Ifa Lethu Collection Catalogue. Pretoria: Ifa Lethu Archives.

• University of South Africa (UNISA). Art Collection and Archives. Pretoria: UNISA Press.