Biography

A RISD graduate, Jordan Seiler (b. 1979, US) is a New York-based artist and activist working with issues of advertising and collective agency in public space. Since the early 2000s, Seiler has coopted billboards and advertising spaces to display his own work and has notoriously orchestrated large-scale ‘takeovers’ to draw attention to the overwhelming amount of advertising in public space as well as to bring into question the ownership of that space. His work has been an inspiration for global activist projects like Art in Ad Places, Brandalism, No Ad Day and been included in exhibitions around the world such as the U.S. pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale (IT), the Austin Museum of Digital Art (TX, US) and the International Poster Biennale (Warsaw, PL).

It is his understanding that cities have the power to improve each of our lives by increasing our collective social empathy, and that this power derives simply from the diversity of experiences, voices, and opinions we carry with us into the urban landscape. As an artist, Jordan believes that it is his responsibility to help build this power by creating opportunities for our diversity to manifest within our shared public spaces. With this vision in mind, Jordan creates targeted interventions that enable individuals to take ownership of, and engage in meaningful conversations with one another within our shared urban environments. Whether it’s through the development of Augmented Reality apps that transform existing subway advertising into digital exhibition spaces, the creation of functional sculptures that empower the public to craft their own civic media within global bus shelter advertising spaces, or the establishment of micro telephone networks that put strangers into serendipitous conversations, each project serves as a point of contact between citizens and public space that builds a sense of attachment to and responsibility for the city itself and the residents within. Over the years, Jordan has come to see his work fitting comfortably between honest policy proposal and speculative utopianism.