Exhibitions
GRIFFIN ALLMAN: MOVING IN BETWEEN
Tri-Star Arts / 4450 Candora Ave., Candoro Marble Building September 1, 2023 - November 14, 2023
Griffin Allman
Tri-Star Arts is pleased to present the next exhibition in their Golden Chain Gallery project space located at the historic Candoro Marble Building. Moving In Between by Griffin Allman (Knoxville, TN) opens Friday, September 1, 2023 and will run through Saturday, November 18, 2023. This show is located within the unique architectural space of a narrow wooden stairwell.
An opening reception will be held on Friday, September 1, 2023 from 5:00—8:00 pm (artist in attendance). The address is 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920 and admission is always free of charge.
Allman states of his work, “The making of a mark is not an isolated event, but it instead requires action to take place in order to ignite its existence. This action could be a simple move or a choreographed performance, and the action ultimately reflects upon the person who created it. A mark, whether it be a word or an image, can be reproduced hundreds of times, and it will lose its original meaning while simultaneously gaining a new meaning that births a life of its own. Therefore, the hand of its creator holds the power to not only repurpose a gesture, but to also incorporate newfound identity that becomes increasingly personal as a mark is made.
My practice is currently focused on investigating the immediacy of drawing as a performance that enables its creator to develop identity through a repeated gesture. My previous body of work has consisted of hard-edge geometric abstraction that showcased a need to control and organize the picture plane. Through this process, my personal identity as an artist became lost, as I navigated a seemingly clear-cut landscape that did not necessitate a need to showcase the spontaneity that I desire. I am looking to the history of graffiti, specifically the fast-paced mechanics involved in its creation, as a method to circumnavigate the slow speed of hard-edge painting and ultimately shape the development of images that allow intuition to be a driving force. I am interested in how the compartmentalization of shape can work in tandem with quick mark-making to develop an artistic language that reflects both of these interests."
Griffin Allman is an artist and art educator currently living in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Originally from Ohio, Allman received both his BFA in Painting and his BA in Art Education at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. He has had the pleasure of exhibiting work in multiple locations, including First Street Gallery in New York, NY, Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI, and at Summit Art Space in Akron, OH.
Tri-Star Arts exhibitions are open to the public regularly from Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 am until 5:00 pm, alongside iconic spaces within the Candoro Marble Building (located in the Vestal neighborhood of Knoxville).
Tri-Star Arts is based at the Candoro Marble Building with its main office, gallery space, and artist studios. Their gallery features exhibitions with a local, state-wide, and national focus on contemporary visual art.
Constructed in 1923, the Candoro Marble Building originally served as the offices and showroom for the Candoro Marble Company. It showcases a Charles Barber-designed Beaux-Arts architectural style, beautiful Tennessee pink marble, and an iconic tree-lined drive on its one-acre grounds. In early 2021, the Aslan Foundation completed a substantial restoration of the building. In partnership with the Aslan Foundation, Tri-Star Arts oversees programming at the site. It is located at 4450 Candora Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37920.
About Tri-Star Arts:
Tri-Star Arts serves Tennessee by cultivating and spotlighting the contemporary visual art scenes in each region while fostering a unified state-wide art scene. Tri-Star Arts programs promote art dialogue between the different cities in the state, and between the state and the nation.
Tri-Star Arts initiatives include a gallery space and artist studios at the historic Candoro Marble Building, Current Art Fund grants, 2023 Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art, state-wide exhibition projects and speaker series, and LocateArts.org web resource.
