Artist Jordan Eagles Explores Identity and Belonging Through Blood and Baseball

Artist Jordan Eagles is using a potent and deeply personal medium—real human blood—to confront issues of sexuality, identity, and societal exclusion in his current exhibition, “Bases Loaded,” on view at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn. The exhibition delves into the artist’s complex relationship with belonging, particularly within the context of blood donation policies and his own identity as a gay man.

The genesis of the project stems from a chance encounter three years ago when Eagles saw a New York Mets jersey with the slogan “The Mets are in our blood.” This sparked an exploration into the bodily connection invoked by sports fandom, leading him to the realization that despite his lifelong passion for the team, he was personally excluded from certain forms of participation due to his medication for HIV prevention.

Por que importa

Eagles, who has utilized animal blood in his artwork since the 1990s, found himself unable to donate blood himself while on PrEP, a medication that significantly reduces the risk of HIV transmission. This personal irony became a central theme for “Bases Loaded.” The exhibition features 13 Mets jerseys, each stained with the blood of an anonymous HIV-positive man. These jerseys, echoing the number of players on a baseball field, become a canvas for exploring themes of corporeality and exclusion.

Beyond the jerseys, the exhibition includes nine mixed-media resin sculptures shaped like home plates, a fundamental element in baseball scoring. These forms further emphasize the intersection of sports and the artist’s broader commentary.

The politics of blood donation have long been a concern for Eagles. Gay and bisexual men in the U.S. faced decades of stringent bans on blood donation, a policy that only began to ease in 2023 with new screening questions that still carry bias, according to Eagles. Individuals on PrEP are currently unable to donate unless they stop taking the medication for three months. This context underscores the artwork’s engagement with policy and personal experience.

Eagles’ previous works have also explored the visceral nature of blood, including soaking vintage Superman cartoons and projecting close-up blood blotches in various institutions. However, “Bases Loaded” carries a profound personal significance. In addition to his own and the anonymous donor’s blood, some resin sculptures contain the blood of Eagles’ father. This inclusion signifies the artist’s reckoning with his familial lineage, his introduction to Mets fandom, and his ongoing quest for self-acceptance and belonging.

Further layers of personal narrative are woven into the exhibition through resin sculptures that suspend family photographs of relatives wearing Mets T-shirts, alongside elements like needles, face masks, and baseball cards. These pieces blend the intimate with the symbolic, creating a dense tapestry of meaning.

“This project invites the public to think about policy but it is also more broadly about identity, belonging and what it means to be be a part of something,” Eagles stated. The exhibition also plays with language, drawing parallels between baseball terminology such as “first base” and “innings” and the lexicon of gay sex, adding a layer of playful subversion to the weighty themes.

“Blood in language is often used to be divisive but I am also thinking about my own life and ways of belonging to a community and wanting to be a part of a team that ultimately you are not permitted to be a part of,” Eagles explained.

The exhibition “Jordan Eagles: Bases Loaded” is on view at Pioneer Works through August 9, 2026.

Key facts
| Item | Detail |
| :——————– | :———————————————————————- |
| Artist | Jordan Eagles |
| Exhibition Title | Bases Loaded |
| Venue | Pioneer Works, Brooklyn |
| Medium | Real human blood, baseball jerseys, resin sculptures, family photographs |
| Themes | Sexuality, belonging, identity, blood donation policy, LGBTQ+ stigma |
| Exhibition Dates | On view through August 9, 2026 |

This exhibition is relevant to Paionia7’s audience by presenting a compelling intersection of art, social commentary, and personal narrative. It highlights how an artist is using a provocative medium to engage with critical issues surrounding identity, inclusion, and societal policy, prompting viewers to consider their own sense of belonging and the systemic barriers that exist.

Source: Wallpaper – https://www.wallpaper.com/art/jordan-eagles-bases-loaded-pioneer-works-brooklyn

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