212 Arts is pleased to present Damon Johnson’s 4th solo exhibition at the gallery, entitled “The Bodega Blues”
The museum of modern art was one of Damon Johnson’s first stops after moving home from 5 years in Portland. While exploring this fabled institution he found himself captivated by Edward Hopper’s painting “Gas”. Struck by the loneliness, and eeriness of the work, Johnson couldn’t help but ruminate on the changes that New York has undergone since Hopper’s time there. Relating to the isolation of Hopper’s work and its timely nature in the context of adjusting to life in the global pandemic, Damon set out to capture the same sense of stillness that permeates anything lost in time. Utilizing marker and pen “The Bodega Blues” looks to make good on this promise utilizing darkness and light.
Johnson chose Bodegas as the focus of his new series, because they stand as quintessential symbols of New York that are integral to the lives of neighborhood residents. Whether as a gathering place or the source of your morning breakfast and coffee every New Yorker has “their” bodega. In the age of the global pandemic seeing these once flourishing shops and centers of neighborhood life empty and abandoned can’t help but make you feel a kinship with how Edward Hopper depicted the world through his art. While trying to capture the stillness of a Hopper painting Johnson added quotes to the signage relating to the pandemic that sought to address the resilience of New York as it overcomes this challenging period. Inspiring, energetic, still, and anxiety ridden, the series has become a visual diary spanning the course of the past 4 months.
In the past year Johnson has completed murals for The Ridge Hotel, The Lisa Project’s World Pride Mural Project, The Grand Street Bid, The Rose & Thistle in Portland OR and The Art Hotel in Palm Springs, CA. The artist has continued his practice of graffiti and street art on the streets of Portland, Oregon for the past 5 past years.
Johnson has also collaborated with companies and brands including: Design Within Reach, The Surf Lodge in Montauk, the U.S. OPEN, The Jue Lan Club, 2 Buts, Pink Elephant, Eleven, Go-Go, Retox, and Webster Hall.
Johnson’s work has been displayed in such galleries as Long View Gallery, Mark Murray Fine Arts, Rochester Contemporary Arts Center, Factory Fresh, Octavia Gallery, Sotheby’s, Half Gallery, and The New Museum. Press features and favorable reviews have appeared in such publications as Gotham Magazine, Forbes Magazine, Radar, Zink, SOS, Hampton’s Magazine, The City Review, The Daily News, The New York Post, The New York Observer and The New York Times. His work is in the permanent collection of the Patterson, Hamilton, and Chelsea Art Museums.