The Secret Book of John
Artist book, pulp painting, 2024
First shown at Untitled Art Fair in Miami with GOLESTANI Gallery
The Secret Book of John takes its title taken from a second-century Gnostic text considered heretical in its time but not known again until the twentieth century. It describes Jesus giving “secret” knowledge to his disciple, John. In this artist book, Shorb’s private journal entries of intimate, at times anonymous, encounters with men mix with entries from the Gnostic text. Written in the artist’s hand, the works reference men’s little black books and conversations in early online chatrooms—those open yet hidden textual spaces. Shorb’s approach physically enlarges and visually obscures these texts. His technique embodies ecstatic writing through the wet process of pulp painting that creates a fluidity of color and line wherein the text itself comes dripping out.