Juxtapoz Magazine – Saturday Morning Fever: Griffin Goodman @ All Star Press, Chicago

For their first solo-show of the year, All Star Press presents Saturday Morning Fever featuring the works of Griffin Goodman. Saturday Morning Fever is a collection of work that jumps into Goodman’s childhood: the intimate ritual of waking up early on Saturday, grabbing a sugary bowl of cereal, and cozying up in front of the television to watch hours of cartoons. This customary time became a true form of escapism for Griffin and children around the world. Just like the cartoons he watched as a kid, his paintings, at first glance, may seem bright and sugar coated, but as the viewer digests these images they slowly unravel themselves to be a little darker in humor and reality. Through free-form juxtapositions of appropriated imagery sourced from popular culture and art history, the artist creates bricolages that speak to both the hyper-layered construction of Photoshop files and the densely metaphoric structure of Pop Art.

At a young age, Griffin’s mom introduced him to the comedy of the Marx Brothers, The Three Stooges, the characters of Sid and Marty Krofft, and Saturday morning cartoons. The experience of watching these programs, contrasted with the urban landscape of his home-grown Detroit, shaped his burgeoning aesthetic and informs his practice today.

For many adults across the world, they will never forget the joy that Saturday Morning Cartoons brought to them, and how prominent it was in childhood: While kids today have access to almost all cartoons anytime they desire, some will never have the experience of waking up on Saturday Mornings, turning on the TV, grabbing that big bowl of cereal, and waiting for their favorite cartoon to start. This show is dedicated to those adults who still feel like a kid inside. To never let your inner child disappear.