Where: Ro2 Art | Downtown
110 N Akard St. Dallas, TX 75201
When: September 26 - October 31, 2020
Opening Reception: Saturday September 26, 12-5 PM
Dallas, September 2020 - Ro2 Art is proud to present In America, a solo exhibition featuring new works by artist Joey Brock. The show will run from September 26 through October 31, 2020. The exhibition will open with an artist reception at Ro2 Art Downtown located at 110 N Akard St, Dallas, TX and will take place from 12-5 PM.
The substance of Joey Brock’s work is oriented around self-acceptance and self-love, something that had eluded the artist for many years while coming of age as gay in a small Texas town. Seeking to offer a voice to Americans who are not often heard, Brock utilizes multiple applications including photography, sculpture, collage based photos, light box installations, video and sound to portray his ideas. His subjects’ personal stories and accounts become the spirit of the work as Brock explores various identities in the hope of inspiring deeper empathy. In America invites viewers to confront societal norms and challenge perceptions and perspective biases.
Artist Statement
The exhibition ‘In America’ was first conceived in 2018 when I was searching for a more fulfilling and meaningful art practice. During my participation in the M. David & Co. artist residency in Bushwick, Brooklyn, I created a self-portrait. Growing up the grandson of a Baptist Minister in small town Texas, I wanted to express how being gay affected my psychological and emotional development. The actualization of authenticity, self-acceptance and self-love had eluded me for fifty years -- stemming from my feelings of isolation, lifelong confrontation with prejudice and not assimilating with what society deemed as acceptable.
The thing about our pasts -- they will follow us around until we address them and let them go. The genesis of my self-portrait was instrumental in finding my voice and in turn, starting a social practice called the One Portrait Project. All are invited to participate, and to date I have engaged with almost 60 people, from all walks of life, age 24 - 86. The conversation involves asking each person the same questions about their experiences with discrimination, actively giving voice to, and creating a narrative for Americans not often heard. A photo is taken to document the process. I’ve utilized the medium of photography as a vehicle to realize this artistic endeavor to capture real faces and their personal stories.
‘In America’ is a multi-media installation of photography, audio, video, sculpture and photo collage. The title is a direct reference to Robert Frank’s iconoclastic and revolutionary book of photographs ‘The Americans’, which seems more relevant now than ever. The interviews, along with each portrait have been compiled to share now with a broader audience, with the hope of finding greater empathy from exploring identity & challenging our perceptions.
About The Artist
Joey Brock is a mixed media artist whose work has been influenced by urban/ natural landscapes, street art and graphic, minimalist forms. The medium of photography has always been a part of his work. However, that medium has become a more integral part of the process. In December 2018, Joey participated in the M. David & Co. artist residency located in Brooklyn, NY. He created a self-portrait photographed with an iPhone, printed on mylar, and clipped to a photography light stand. The time at the residency inspired him to question his beliefs, self-acceptance, empathy, and discrimination. Through the process, Joey endeavored to start a broader conversation about these subjects with ONE - portrait project. Over the past year, he has been photographing 50 subjects and asking each participant the same questions about discrimination. The Truth Warriors series evolved into photographic collages of the subject’s portraits symbolizing the masks we wear, speaking our truth and personal strength.
Joey has a degree in Fashion Merchandising, and his work has been exhibited over the past ten years in California, Utah, Massachusetts, and Texas. His current work is represented at Ro2 Art Gallery in Dallas, TX and On Center Gallery in Provincetown, MA. In 2016 he was awarded third prize for artistic merit by juror Eric M. Lee, Director of the Kimbell Art Museum for the Artspace 111 3rd Annual Regional Juried Exhibition. Joey has been published in numerous publications including D Home, Luxe and twice in Create Magazine.
About Ro2 Art
Ro2 Art, a contemporary fine art gallery located in The Cedars Neighborhood near Downtown Dallas, represents a diverse group of emerging, mid-career, and established contemporary artists – many with ties to the North Texas Region. The gallery, founded in 2010 by mother-and-son partners Susan Roth Romans and Jordan Roth, regularly collaborates with organizations such as The MAC and Cedars Union and maintains an exhibition program within the Magnolia Theatre at West Village and other satellite venues. Ro2 Art has been named Dallas Observer's "Best Art Gallery" and was presented with the 25th Annual Obelisk Award for small business by the North Texas Business Council for the Arts. The gallery's art fair program has included the Dallas Art Fair, Texas Contemporary, and Art Aspen.
All works will be on view September 16 - October 31, 2020. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, September 26, 12-5 PM at Ro2 Art, located at 110 N Akard St, Dallas TX 75201. For more information, visit www.Ro2art.com, or call Jordan Roth at (214) 803-9575.
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