Getting To Know Someone: 80’s Babies Oct 8th - Nov 8th Leo Kesting Gallery
2009
Free Admission/Open to the Public
Info From its origins as Capla Kesting Fine Art in Brooklyn, the Leo Kesting Gallery launched in 2003 and developed an aggressive campaign to introduce new figurative artists to collectors and art supporters. Leo Kesting offers the art viewing public an opportunity to see forthcoming talents in an intimate setting where undiscovered, cutting-edge artists are presented to the contemporary art scene.
Leo Kesting Gallery opening hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11am until 7pm Sunday & Monday 1pm - 6pm 812 Washington St (corner of Gansevoort St) New York 10014 A, C, E & L train to 8th Ave 1, 2, 3 to 14th Street 917- 650 - 3760 / 917- 292 - 8865 http://www.leokesting.com
Leo Kesting Gallery Presents
Jason Douglas Griffin Getting To Know Someone: 80’s Babies Oct 8th - Nov 8th
2009
Opening Night Reception with Artist: Thurs Oct 8th, 7pm - 10pm
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For me it represents a passion for people, collaborating with them to discover their story
Jason Douglas Griffin’s sophomore solo exhibit “Getting to Know Someone : 80’s Babies” opens to the public with a reception for the artist at Leo Kesting Gallery on Thursday, October 8th from 7:00 until 10:00 pm.
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This installation-heavy exhibition, a collection of figurative paintings and illustrations with strong influence from photography methods, marks the second solo endeavor by Griffin. “For me it represents a passion for people, collaborating with them to discover their story,“ Jason explains about his work. “In this collection I am trying to discover the sitter’s narrative, the life they lead and where they lead it. It’s much more personal than any portrait.”
The raging 80’s- a time of sex, white lines and financial excess, gave way to a generation of twentysomethings worlds away from their baby boomer parents. With a title seemingly cribbed from a John Hughes’ film, “Getting to Know Someone: 80’s Babies” explores the intersection of self and city in a generation freshly bereft of their cultural icons- John Hughes, Michael Jackson and Patrick Swayze.
Personal narratives are a recurring theme in Griffin’s work. His recently celebrated book release “My Name is Jason : Mine Too” combines Griffin’s work with poet Jason Reynolds’ words, documenting their creative coming of age in New York City. The monograph released through HarperCollins publishing, has received critical acclaim and has sold several thousand copies with write ups in the Washington Post and numerous other publications.
80’s Babies continues Jason’s dialog with the 1980’s generation. “These works are elaborate profiles of the subject and the city in which they live,” states gallerist David Kesting, “With the incorporation of found materials, Griffin’s paintings capture the relationship between the city, the viewer and his subjects.”
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Another Side of Myself, Mixed Media, 14” x 24” Brooklyn Dreams, Mixed Media, 10” x 16” Gone, Mixed Media/Wood, 13” x 22” Away From It All, Mixed Media/Found Object, 32” x 7” x 61”
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Diagram Of The Supreme Ultimate, Mixed Media, 46” x 81” Connecting To The Internet, Mixed Media/Wood, 12” x 20” Man Horse with Glass of Wine, Mixed Media/Wood, 11” x 16” Remember Who, Mixed Media/Wood, 18” x 28”
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We Have An Understanding, Mixed Media, 26” x 62” Before, Mixed Media/Wood, 8” x 22” Stop, Mixed Media, 10” x 8”
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Thought Blossoms, Mixed Media/Wood, 30” x 71” Underneath, Mixed Media/Found Object, 36” x 4” x 44” Don’t Look, Mixed Media/Found Object, 10” x 14”
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Hard & Soft, Mixed Media, 37” x 42” Free Bird, Mixed Media/Found Object, 52” x 24” Enlightenment, Mixed Media/Wood, 58” x 58”
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City Jump, Mixed Media/Wood, 16.5” x 19” Bad Lola, Mixed Media/Wood, 16” x 20” Bliss, Mixed Media/Wood, 24” x 24” Getting To Know Someone, Mixed Media, 24” x 24”
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Lola Is That You?, Mixed Media/Wood, 36” x 28” Fly By Day, Mixed Media/Found Object, 22” x 21” I’m Used To The Stares, Mixed Media/Wood, 13.5” x 19”
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Artist Biography
Jason Douglas Griffin
New York City ...Griffin’s paintings borrow equally from classical artistic traditions, urban aesthetic and pop culture. Intensely personal, while at the same time unpretentious and accessible, Jason Douglas Griffin’s paintings borrow equally from classical artistic traditions, urban aesthetic and pop culture. In Griffin’s work, the intersection of cultures and ideologies produce an innovative style that challenges the common perceptions of art and identity. Griffin’s art has been featured in several cities around the country including Miami, Chicago, Washington DC, and New York, as well internationally in China and Holland. He has been written about in magazines including NY Arts Magazine and The Economist, and has been featured in The Washington Post numerous times. Griffin not only works to exhibit his art in galleries, but he has also tapped into the literary world in his book entitled “My Name is Jason. Mine Too”. This HarperCollins release, and debut into the published world, is a remarkably fresh and unique zine-like collection of text and art in a full color paperback.
Cover
Look At Him, Mixed Media/Found Object, 18.5” x 27” (Front) Gentle Man, Mixed Media/Found Object, 34” x 82” (Back) Open Me, Mixed Media, 85” x 65”
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