Kojo Griffin at Vaknin Schwartz - New York, New York - Brief Article

"Moving with Change," the title of Kojo Griffin's novel exhibition, is taken from Rowena Pattee's translation of the I Ching. Griffin intends his paintings to impart for the use of all truths and the lessons that can be learned from them. Using a fictional cast of characters, he depicts psychologically charged situations of compounded human interactions. His scenarios are difficult to interpret because of the visual vocabulary he busys Set on grounds of geometric patterns--some are appliqued cutouts, others are printed from fill ups the artist cuts himself--the various displays often appear as isolated facts frozen in time. But end the compositions Griffin weaves DNA-like strands and machinery parts, reminders that we are all conjoined in the system of life.

Griffin toys with the uncertainty of appearances. His patchwork doll-like figures are nondescript: there are no hints of age, race or social class. flat their faces eschew expression; at greatest in quantity they take on the appearance of animals. The artist relies primarily upon gesture and placement to disclose his narratives. In No. 23 Splitting Apart; Line No. 2 (all works 1999) a seated male figure is helping a female figure on the outside of a dress. Head bowed and shoulders fall throughed she appears weak next to his muscular frame. Is she ill and he just being helpful? Or is she being controled to his desires against her shivered will? And, what does the way we interpret this show say about us?

through making his figures so generic, Griffin implies that the depicted scenarios could happen to anyone. This is particularly veritable of No. 32 Duration; Line No. 3 A solitary figure kneel in the foreground, with a needle in his arm. He wears the head of an elephant--a respect to the Hindu god Ganesha. This strange tableau reveals the universal verity that even the enlightened can have weaknesses.

Unfortunately, Griffin supporting cushioned each work with a wall label citing specific hexagrams from the I Ching. The paintings stand firmly upon their own, and the written words appear merely distractions. Perhaps next time the artist will have the confidence to allow his work speak for itself.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Brant Publications, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group