CLOSING RECEPTION: TJ Griffin: Animal Instinct

Where: Ro2 Art DOWNTOWN 110 N. Akard, Dallas, Texas 75201 When: Saturday, May 24, 7-10pm Join us Saturday night at we celebrate with the artist TJ Gfiffin, the closing of a successful solo exhibition, 'Animal Instinct.' TJ Griffin for his solo exhibition, 'Animal Instinct,' The show is on view through May 25 at Ro2 Art Downtown, located at 110 N. Akard Street, in the historic Kirby Building of Downtown Dallas. ARTIST STATEMENT: 'Animal Instinct' Much like animal instincts, my current art work steams from an instinctual expressive behavior. My need to create has existed for as long as I can remember. As I have grown, experimented and evolved; my art practice has begun to develop into something more instinctual. Purging the need to create for any other purpose than to express my psychological state of mind has created a calmness in my process. Some work is meditative, others are expressive depictions of my mental state frozen in a symbolic form. Working with animals, creatures, and patterns in a cartoon influenced style allows the more complex feelings a simplistic whimsical outlet. I consciously play with these feelings in a somewhat ridiculous way. This manner of creation allows me to easily work through the mental aspects of what I am experiencing through out my life. Ancient cultures have had a great influence on the style of my recent work. The symbolic imagery of masks and the figurative depictions of hybrid creatures in these cultures seem very familiar and natural to my creative process. Combining these early styles with contemporary concepts of expressive automatic drawing and painting allows me to fully express what my instincts desire. -- TJ Griffin, 2014 ABOUT THE ARTIST Originally from the small town of Union City Oklahoma, T.J. Griffin moved to the Dallas area in 2004. His work has been shown since 2007. In 2008 he received the DeGolyer Awards to Artists grant from the Dallas Museum of Art. T.J. graduated with his Bachelor in Art and Performance from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2008 and continued on to receive his MFA in 2010. T.J. had his first solo show in 2010 at the University of Texas at Dallas. While working on his PhD in Aesthetic Studies at The University of Texas Dallas, he has begun doing research on identity, superheroes, and masks. He has been accepted into numerous juried shows, including The Rising Eyes of Texas in Rockport, Texas, where he received the second place award. In 2011, his work was accepted into the juried art expo at 500x gallery in Dallas, Texas and the annual 'No Dead Artists' exhibit, a national juried show at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery in New Orleans, LA. TJ Griffin presented 'Remove Your Mask,' his first solo show in Dallas at Ro2 Art in April, 2011. **Dallas-based glass artist, Aaron Tate will be collaborating with TJ Griffin to create a glass sculptural installation of "Bird Ass Bird." More about Aaron Tate - www.aarontate.com More info: http://ro2art.com/animal-instinct.html directions: http://ro2.us/map110 | parking : http://ro2.us/parking110