Artist Profile
Nonconformity comes as second nature to Daniel Giordano. Wearing an imaginative interpretation of a beekeeper’s outfit, complete with gloves, toe socks, and trekking sandals, he exudes unfailing politeness, erudition, and gravitas. Yet, behind a sly, sardonic smile, Giordano’s true prankster nature reveals itself. The Newburgh-based artist is a volcanic force in the contemporary art world; a genuine, generous, borderline-ascetic vegan, who carries his own homemade food and filtered water wherever he goes. Giordano’s first solo museum show, Love from Vicki Island, at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) perfectly captures his heterodox approach to art creation.
In his studio in Newburgh, in the heart of his family’s defunct factory for the once-thriving Vicki Clothing Company, Daniel Giordano immerses himself in a world where echoes of the past coalesce alongside remnants of former industry. Within the workshop’s walls, renamed “Vicki Island” as an homage to his beloved Aunt Vicki, a whirlwind of creativity unfolds. Archetypes of industrialization such as Singer sewing machines, rolls of fabric, and giant spools of thread coexist with piles of bricks, eels, tennis balls, strawberry Nesquik powder, boxes of Murano glass shards, cartons of discontinued lipstick, and other items Giordano accumulates as the building blocks of his “creatures.” It is within this captivating menagerie of objects that Giordano hones his vision, amassing a diverse trove of curiosities, each possessing its own tale to tell.
A surrealist in his works and a showman by temperament, Giordano’s larger-than-life personality shines through his iconoclastic chimera-like assemblages, which are informed by his Italian-American heritage and his upbringing in Newburgh. His psychedelic sculptures—comprised of tennis balls, pizzelles, jet skis, urinal cakes, and an array of found objects salvaged from the banks of the Hudson River—evoke hallucinatory visions of post-industrial mecha-creatures with provocative sexual undertones, all wrapped in biting sarcasm. Often coating his work with resins, epoxies, and shellac—his “ambrosia”—the mercurial artist blurs contours and colors that lend his sculptures a sense of urgency, as if hastily rescued from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. In his caustic, unapologetic work, Giordano is not afraid to introduce controversial materials such as ‘TruckNutz’ (vehicular vanity accessories resembling a dangling scrotum), bison tails, and bald eagle excrement, deriding stereotypes of masculinity in America.
Impeccably curated by Susan Cross, Love from Vicki Island presents an anthology of Giordano’s work, filling one of the museum’s third-floor gallery spaces. The first viewing room features a selection from his series of Pleasure Pipes (2019-present), an homage to his grandfather Frank. The main gallery displays a variety of free-standing sculptures, including one of his magna opera, My Scorpio I (2016-2022), and the Study For Brother series (2016-present) inspired by his greatest muse, his older brother Anthony. My Scorpio I stands as a totemic creation, meticulously crafted from the amalgamation of two fragmented, 1970s Husqvarna motocross bikes. Weathered and transformed through the unconventional process of battering and deep-frying, these relics were then enveloped in an array of resins, preserving their essence. Captivating the viewer’s gaze, a colossal, sinuous metal tail gracefully extends from the artwork’s rear, adorned with dried and polymerized stockfish that protrude provocatively. Remarkably, the work’s label reveals an astounding compilation of fifteen additional materials, ranging from Canadian maple syrup to urinal cakes. Beyond its material composition, My Scorpio I carries profound personal connections, referencing both his brother’s astrological sign as well as his maternal grandfather, an audacious motorcycle daredevil who fearlessly performed alongside the legendary Buffalo Bill.
The last room presents a selection of his series of masks. Through these lascivious, wildly imaginative, and playful “portraits” of family members, Giordano exorcizes his ties with his Italian-American heritage and the post-industrial realities of his hometown, Newburgh.
Daniel Giordano’s epic sculptures at MASS MoCA draw from the Italian American vernacular, its visual slang, and his upbringing in Newburgh, NY. Relying simultaneously on kooky, clever, and often absurd imagery to invoke social commentary, Giordano’s work confronts and confounds, serving as an ode to decay and its counterpoint: transformation. Giordano’s sanguine and nonpareil practice can be easily summarized in his artist’s statement: “There Cannoli Be One.”
All photos courtesy of Ernest Eisner
Daniel Giordano Love From Vicki Island at Mass MoCA On view through December 2023
About the writer: Eva Zanardi is a freelance writer, independent curator, and owner of Visitor Center, a contemporary art gallery located in Newburgh, NY. Her writing has been featured in various publications including White-Hot Magazine, Widewalls, and Art & Object Magazine, among other international print and online media. Prior to relocating to Upstate NY, Eva founded and directed GR Gallery, which was known for its cutting-edge contemporary art exhibitions in New York City. Additionally, she serves as the President and Senior Advisor of EZartconsultingnyc, a private art consultancy that specializes in modern and contemporary art, with a particular focus on Op Art, Kinetic Art, Concrete Art, Spatialism, and Programmed Art.