The Journal Inc

Press Release

The Journal Gallery is pleased to present “Common Courtesy,” an exhibition of paintings by Patrick Griffin. 


For his second solo exhibition at The Journal Gallery, Griffin collected, categorized and scanned discarded “thank you” bags from bodegas, liquor stores, restaurants and trash cans, which he then meticulously rendered on canvas and wood panel. The resulting paintings form a series of subtle variations on a found lexicon of mass consumed images and designs. The works in “Common Courtesy” transform the overlooked aesthetics of detritus—New York City’s grocery and take-out containers—into a carefully rendered taxonomy, an ode to the disposable. Bouquets of translucent red flowers fold in on themselves and distorted faces form twisted grins; expressions of common courtesy (Thank You! Come Again!) are barely recognizable in the folds of crumpled plastic bags. From plastic to canvas, cheaply printed signage to hand-painted figures, the mass produced decorative is made abstract, and ephemera becomes permanent. 



Born in Houston, Texas, Patrick Griffin lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. His work has been included in group exhibitions nationally, including a two-person show, “Come on Vacation Leave on Probation,” at Space Gallery, San Francisco, CA, “Postermat,” at The Hole, New York City; “Cadaver Corpse” at Golden Age, Chicago. IL, and internationally, including “Off, Off Bowery,” at Colette, Paris, France, and “NY Minute,” curated by Kathy Grayson at Macro Future with the Depart Foundation, Rome, Italy. Griffin’s solo exhibitions include “Count Thy Buttons” at The Journal Gallery, and “Human Remains” at Hamburger Eyes Photo Center, San Francisco, CA. Patrick Griffin’s work was also included in the group exhibition “Salad Days,” at The Journal Gallery, Fall 2010.