Myth Jorden (b. 1996, Muskogee, Oklahoma) is a contemporary painter based in Chicago, Illinois. Working primarily in painting, their practice engages large-scale figurative works that serve as meditative encounters with the sublime. Jorden is best known for expansive, immersive self-portraits that do not depict likeness in the traditional sense but instead act as refracted expressions of the artist’s essential form, exploring the multiplicity and instability of identity through a spiritual and conceptual lens.
Jorden’s work is characterized by an ongoing investigation into perception, embodiment, and metaphysical presence. Their subject matter often blurs the boundaries between the material and the ineffable, drawing on visual language that is intuitive, layered, and charged with symbolic resonance. Notable among their bodies of work is the Distortions series, a pivotal project that reimagined the figurative mode by breaking and reassembling form to reflect internal states of being. This series marked a shift in their treatment of the body as a site of both fragmentation and revelation. Equally significant is the Thought Forms series, an abstract endeavor that emphasized process over outcome, incorporating site-specific materials and gestural mark making to explore the spatial dynamics of consciousness and intuitive creation.
Jorden presented their first solo exhibition, Green Era, in 2024, marking an important milestone in the development of their practice. Jorden continues to expand their presence through ongoing studio practice and multidisciplinary experimentation.
Pronouns
they/them/theirs
Contact
IG: @mythjorden
Myth Jorden in their Chicago studio.