Joey Goergen

he/him

Artist wearing a blue t-shirt sitting in studio/office with a black and white "Give My Love To Buffalo" banner on wall.

Joey Goergen

he/him

Joey Goergen

he/him

MFA Candidate

Fine Art

Artist Statement

The works created often mirror the experiences of interpersonal relationships, like attending a concert, getting coffee, or going on a hike. It becomes a view of a public facing self and the ways in which people are connected and disconnected with one another. These outward scenes are decorated in color and pattern.

This body of color and characters grow into one singular piece and share in a common experience presented in the composition. The groups swell and then dissipate. In viewing the scenes presented one can move past the vibrancy of the color and begin to pick apart the vignettes depicted. These non linear narratives can be constructed scenes of suburban boredom, coming of age, and the working of the relationships people carry with one another. These narratives become more ambiguous as text becomes incorporated into the work. A non sequitur throughout the image can build a loose sense of the conversations going through the world at any given moment and give a glimpse of the disconnection in the story among the players.

Sometimes these drawings or scenarios can be broken down into a singular setting, where the self can be examined and a more internal version of the individual can be expressed. There is a more monstrous and metaphorical approach that these characters are drawn with. They can have two mouths and a litany of eyes. The people can be seen eating flowers covered in thorns or seen just as themselves, uncomfortable in their skin, but attempting to blend in with the DayGlo expanse surrounding them.

There is a sense of melancholy and joy to be discovered throughout these stories and a search for growth and vulnerability among people in this world.