Drawing With Coal: UK – Poland
solo exhibition by Jordan L Rodgers (aka. Węglowy Artysta)
17th June – 5th July 2025
The ArtHouse, 65 Eastbank Street, Southport
Tues thro Fri 10.00 – 15.00 and Sat 11.00 – 16.00.
Keen eyed regional aficionados of contemporary art will already be familiar with the arresting gestural drama that characterise Jordan L Rodgers’ brutalist landscapes.
Jordan’s highly individual work bridges the cultural heritage of the UK and Poland and is driven by his deep fascination with industrial history and its preservation. Through bold compositions of line, tone and form, Jordan skillfully captures the raw energy of these landscapes by transforming their historical significance into visual narratives, each piece becoming a story in itself.
Originally from Liverpool, Jordan who is known in Poland as Węglowy Artysta, exploits his bravura technique to push the boundaries of traditional drawing through his innovative exploration of using coal as an artistic medium.
The modernist architecture and industrial landscapes of Poland have become key ingredients in Jordan’s output: “As someone who has found a home in both countries, I am drawn to the parallels between their histories. My time spent walking the coalfields of Upper Silesia, sketching the structures of collieries and immersing myself in these industrial environments has deepened my connection to Poland’s mining heritage. At the same time, I continue my work across the UK, documenting sites that reflect the country’s past.”
A 2012 graduate in Fine Art at Lancaster University, Jordan’s distinctive mark-making has recently been exhibited at the Editions Gallery in Liverpool and is included in this year’s Sefton Open now on at The Atkinson in Southport.
Previously showcased in both solo and group exhibitions, Jordan’s drawings have gained national and international recognition including the Aesthetica Art Prize, the 100 Contemporary Artists Anthology and Jerwood Drawing Prize.
Jordan is now gearing up for his latest solo exhibition at The ArtHouse in Southport: “Drawing With Coal: UK – Poland is a personal exhibition that interprets my journey through the industrial landscapes of both the UK and Poland. Through charcoal drawings created on-site, I explore the rich history of coal mining and shipbuilding, two industries that have shaped communities, economies and identities. This exhibition serves as both a tribute and a dialogue, honouring the resilience of workers and the lasting impact of industry on our cultural heritage”.
Key locations in Jordan’s investigations in the UK included the Lancashire Mining Museum at Astley Green and South Wales’ Cefn Coed Colliery Museum. In Poland Jordan also visited the historic Zabytkowa Kopalnia Ignacy in Rybnik and Park Tradycji in Siemianowice Śląskie: “Many of these former industrial sites are now protected as museums or Scheduled Monuments, preserving their cultural and historical significance for future generations. The Gdansk Shipyard, known for its pivotal role in Poland’s industrial heritage and its connection to global events like the Solidarity movement, offers a fascinating contrast to the history of Liverpool’s docks and port. These connections between two nations, shaped by coal, steel and the sea, resonate throughout my work”.
By combining historical, architectural and cultural influences within a single composition, Jordan’s treatment of multiple perspectives and manipulation of geometric shapes provides a flattened picture plane reminiscent of the linear Cubist mannerisms of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.
As well as capturing the artistic exchange between two historically and culturally rich regions, Jordan intends ‘Drawing With Coal’ will offer more than the sum of its parts: “Beyond history, this exhibition is also about community. With an established Polish community in Southport and Liverpool, I hope to create a space where shared heritage can be reflected upon, remembered, and reimagined through art”.
Drawing With Coal: UK – Poland will be on display 17th June – 5th July 2025 at The ArtHouse, 65 Eastbank Street, Southport, Tues thro Fri 10.00 – 15.00 and Sat 11.00 – 16.00.