Rashawn Griffin | The Little Way

Show Dates: April 1 – May 22
This Spring, Ogden Contemporary Arts features Kansas City artist Rashawn Griffin and his video installation, The Little Way. Griffin’s art pushes boundaries between object and architecture, calling viewers to engage in their own past experiences when confronting his work. For this exhibition, Griffin transforms OCA’s Arts Garage into an immersive installation, presenting thought-provoking imagery that is intentional yet open to viewer interpretation. The Little Way opens on April 1st during Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll from 6-9pm.

Griffin is known for architectural installations that manipulate space and create new environments, often using diverse materials such as sheets, fabric, food and flora. For his exhibit at OCA, Griffin transforms the gallery with screens, projection and sound for an atmospheric experience. Incorporating three separate works, this project has been specifically adapted into a unique experience for the OCA Center.

The Little Way documents the actions of a lumbering garbage bag man/sculpture, navigating various landscapes and its own cumbersome form. Perhaps evoking the feel of Frankenstein’s monster, the figurative object seemingly attempts specific tasks, succeeding or failing depending on the viewer’s perspective. The figure staggers across open fields, explores wooded landscapes and exists in suburban backyards. Intentionally ill-defined at times, the footage can feel like an elusive sighting of Bigfoot or Sasquatch. Viewers follow the creature throughout the installation as it travels, sharing its successes and struggles.

Poetically, the title of the project, The Little Way, relates to the subject’s actions; how a seemingly small task – such as picking a flower or moving a latch – can be “monumental in some circumstances”. Griffin’s work is often a reflection of the artist’s life, resonating with viewers as they attach their own meanings and emotion to the work.