Garrett Griffin: Relics
September 16 - October 15, 2023
(left) "Pink Vessel" 2023
Wood, wire, foam, plaster, acrylic
(right) "Third Body" 2023
Dye, acrylic, spray paint on muslin over wood frame
The forms and colors in Garrett Griffin’s recent work draw from memories of his childhood in of his childhood in Arizona. He creates organisms, portals, mirrors, and vessels that are influenced by the textures, topography, vernacular, architecture, archaeology, symbology, animal life, and colors of the desert.
His working process begins with drawings that morph into organs or networks, and slowly become bodily or structural. He makes references to the Arizona environment with textures that emulate adobe walls and specific petroglyphs — embedding limestone, gravel, and sand within the surfaces he creates.
Collectively this body of work exists within a shared ecosystem, with each piece having unique visual characteristics. The vessels hold personal meaning to Griffin, as they reference the systems and cultures that are familiar to him. He says the work is “a summary of his filtered memory” and his intention is to create forms that eventually become inherently familiar to anyone who encounters them.