David Griggs - The cubensis head butt

Jan Murphy Gallery is pleased to present 'The cubensis head butt' by Sydney based artist David Griggs, his first solo exhibition with the gallery. In ‘The cubensis head butt’, memories of faces and places collide with the artist’s immediate surroundings. Created in a period of isolation for himself and many others globally, the artist was granted time to ‘slow down’ in the studio without distractions. Mirroring the mood of many during this period, Griggs spent many days meticulously painting detailed works which he would then contrast with wild abstract gestures, creating paintings that hold different moods on the same picture plane. As the artist states “Find the maze, get out of the maze. Then enter a new maze. Repeat.” David Griggs (b.1975) holds a Bachelor of Visual Art from Sydney College of the Arts (1999) and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Sydney (2007). He is a repeat finalist in The Archibald (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and other national prizes. He spent twelve years in The Philippines following an Asialink residency and a survey exhibition, 'David Griggs: Between Nature and Sin' toured galleries in Australia (2017-2019). His work is held in institutional collections all over Australia, notably QAGOMA and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.