Joan Giordano Sculptures
American
Over 100 international museums have exhibited Joan Giordano’s work for half a century, who has pushed the boundaries of the many materials she works with: handmade paper, recycled copper, encaustic wax, rolled newspapers, and steel, to name a few. She is enchanted by the cycles of change the materials reveal and the poetic sentiments they evoke. Joan masterfully molds beautiful forms that are as tough as they are delicate, as spiritual as they are material, and as abstract as they are laden with layers of history that can be “read” by viewers. Sometimes the readings are literal, as with her most recent body of work that features layers of text from newspapers from around the world. Other times, the reading is more metaphorical and spiritual, like fragments of memories we feel most when our senses are awakened. This artistic “alchemy” is often achieved through Giordano’s intricate juxtaposition of materials - and the unconventional way she works them.
Shifting from two to three dimensional representation of forms was a pivotal shift in Giordano’s practice and is a defining element of her career. When she began making paper by hand in the 1970s, she fell in love with the tactile quality of moving plant fibers in water. She developed her lauded “Steel Angels” during this period - large steel armatures with layers of mesh and paper pulp, hand-applied paint, and encaustic wax. Her “Steel Angels” were exhibited around the world and became a coveted part of the United States’ Art in Embassies program. Soon after, Giordano was invited to study kozo papermaking at the Fujimori Factory in Japan with master paper maker Yoshi Fujimori, a national treasure who taught her Japan’s famed ancient techniques. Through these collaborative workshops, Giordano created “Washi Warrior,” which translates to “Paper Warrior” - a massive paper sculpture that resembles the steel armor of ancient Japanese warriors while retaining the fineness of paper.
This counterintuitive balancing of delicacy with toughness is an ongoing, defining feature of Giordano’s work. Many movements and artists have inspired individual aspects of her practice. Through repeated gouging, burning, rubbing, and welding metals like steel, Giordano’s work calls forth the industrial force of sculptures by Frank Stella. Her use of humble, found materials - such as recycled copper - places her work in conversation with arte povera artists like Guiseppe Penone, as well as contemporary assemblage masters like El Anatsui and Judy Pfaff.
Her most recent series of work takes the tactility of paper, and the physical processes of burning and shaping it, into the realm of political commentary in the spirit of Jenny Holzer’s recent “Dust Paintings.” Whereas Holzer paints over sensitive government documents, Giordano collects and assembles newspaper articles from around the world into her archetypal sculptural shapes. The pieces invite viewers to see how the same news stories are presented in different ways. It asks us to ponder, “Who Owns the News?” to
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Artist: Joan Giordano
"White Washed Too" Abstract Paper Wall Relief Sculpture, Mixed Media Collage
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"White Washed Too" by Joan Giordano
Mixed media, archival newspapers, photographs, corrugated cardboard
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her unique hand ...
Category
2010s Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Cardboard, Newsprint
"It's Never Really Black and White" Abstract Paper Wall Sculpture, Mixed Media
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"It's Never Really Black and White" by Joan Giordano
Mixed media, archival newspapers, corrugated cardboard
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her unique h...
Category
2010s Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Magazine Paper, Newsprint, Cardboard
"Money Tree" Handmade Paper, Mixed Media, Wall Relief Sculpture, Vertical
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"Money Tree" by Joan Giordano from her "Presences" series of vertical wall scrolls
Handmade Kozo Paper, Yellow Pigment, Bamboo, Encaustic
Museum-shown and...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Handmade Paper, Pigment
"White Washed" Abstract Paper Wall Relief Sculpture, Mixed Media Collage
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"White Washed" by Joan Giordano
Mixed media, archival newspapers, photographs, corrugated cardboard
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her unique hand made paper sculpture and wall relief sculpture and Japanese influenced wall scrolls...
Category
2010s Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Newsprint, Cardboard
"Between the Lines" Abstract, Paper Wall Relief Sculpture, Mixed Media Collage
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"Between the Lines" by Joan Giordano
Mixed media, archival newspaper, encaustic on canvas
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her unique hand made paper sculpture and wall relief sculpture and Japanese influenced wall scrolls...
Category
2010s Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Encaustic, Magazine Paper, Newsprint, Canvas, Mixed Media
"Exodus", Joan Giordano, Mixed Media, Paper, Newsprint, Wall Hanging, vertical
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"Exodus" by Joan Giordano
Mixed Media, Handmade Abaca Paper, Newspapers, Photographic Prints, Encaustic
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her unique hand made paper sculpture and wall relief sculpture and Japanese influenced wall scrolls.
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Archival Paper, Handmade Paper, Newsprint
"A Life of Wonderment" Abstract Paper Wall Relief Sculpture, Mixed Media Collage
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"A Life of Wonderment" by Joan Giordano
Mixed media, archival newspapers, corrugated cardboard
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her unique hand made paper sculpture and wall relief sculpture and Japanese influenced wall scrolls...
Category
2010s Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Cardboard, Magazine Paper, Newsprint
"The World in a Grain of Sand" Abstract Paper Wall Sculpture, Mixed Media
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"The World in a Grain of Sand" by Joan Giordano
Mixed media, international archival newspapers, encaustic on canvas
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her ...
Category
2010s Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Magazine Paper, Newsprint, Canvas, Encaustic
"The Year in Pictures" Abstract Paper Wall Relief Sculpture, Mixed Media Collage
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"The Year in Pictures" by Joan Giordano
Mixed media, international archival newspapers, encaustic on wood panel
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her uniq...
Category
2010s Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Encaustic, Magazine Paper, Newsprint, Wood Panel
"Free Press" Mixed media & paper, wall relief sculpture
By Joan Giordano
Located in New York, NY
"Free Press" by Joan Giordano
Mixed media, archival newspaper, encaustic on canvas
Museum shown and collected artist Joan Giordano is known for her unique hand made paper and wall relief sculpture...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Joan Giordano Sculptures
Materials
Mixed Media, Canvas, Encaustic, Newsprint
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Joan Giordano sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Joan Giordano sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of sculptures to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Joan Giordano in paper, newsprint, mixed media and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Joan Giordano sculptures, so small editions measuring 23 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Richard Heinrich, Matt Shlian, and Val Bertoia. Joan Giordano sculptures prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $10,000 and tops out at $30,000, while the average work can sell for $18,000.