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OX-OP ARTS PRESENTS:
GEORGE THOMPSON-BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS
Artist Reception Saturday FEB. 7th, 7:00 pm – 10:00pm
Show runs FEB 7th – FEB 29th, 2004

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – If having a Ph.D. or an M.D. gets you called “doctor,” what do they call you when you have a BFA? George R. Thompson IV doesn’t mind, as long as he gets to keep producing artwork at the impressive pace he’s kept over the past decade or so.

In what he calls his “skateboarding, angst, death period,” in high school, Thompson was mainly influenced by magazines, old record covers, and graffiti, and had a mind to eventually producing skateboard graphics. He peddled hand silk-screened t-shirts at concerts and in local Chicago stores and just kept pushing his talent, hoping that “maybe somewhere down the line you’ll get thrown a bone, but mostly you just keep doing it because you like it so much.” After earning his BFA at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, that’s pretty much how things have ended up.

On the day to day level, Thompson has become established as Fobia’s art director for the last three years, with important projects including the branding for the entire Iota line of skateboards and clothing. He is a founding member of Life Sucks Die Magazine, a nine year old publication out of Minneapolis, and a designer for Burlesque Design of North America. He is currently working with Rhymesayers Entertainment, Real, Consolidated and Iota skateboards, contributions to a new book from Design Is Kinky, “Semi Permanent 2” and a Qee brand toy for traveling exhibition. Thompson’s local art credits stretch as far back as group shows at Intermedia Arts in the 1990s, including “We Exist” in 1998, as well as a four person showing at the Rogue Buddha gallery curated by Anthony Pugh. In addition, Thompson’s work has been shown in Ox-Op’s “Big Bang” group show and “Legal Tender” in St. Louis in 2003, an exhibition at L.A.’s Ghetto Gloss gallery and a San Diego show sponsored by Toyota’s Scion. His first solo show, a City Pages A-listed installation titled “Business Casual,” was presented in St. Paul’s AND Gallery in 2003.

“BFA” is a series of 20-some new paintings straight from the mind of George R. Thompson IV, but try not to be on the lookout for clear themes. Being grouped into the new, popular “urban street art” promotions is an uncomfortable position for him, as is the idea of being a “fine artist” – the labels are just too confining, placing limiting parameters on the direction of his art. “I just don’t define everything like, ‘This is graffiti,’ ‘This is art,’ ‘This is crash art.’ It’s almost pretentious to lump it in with some movement; I don’t want to be lumped in with this thing because, when they move on to the next thing, then it’s just ‘played out.’” For the time being, this has resulted in Thompson painting exactly what he likes: “I don’t put too much stock into symbolism in paintings. For instance, the stuff I’m doing right now: I like birds, I like naked ladies, and I like mitre saws, and I’ll put that all in a painting. It makes sense on a different level, I guess.”

The Ox-Op Gallery cordially invites you to view the new works of George R. Thompson, IV, Bachelor of Fine Arts.

OX-OP is open to the public Tuesday through Friday 4-8pm, Saturdays 1-5pm as well as by
appointment, with new shows opening the first Saturday of every month.


FOR FURTHER INFO AND PHOTOS, CONTACT:

Wes Winship
612-259-0085
wes@ox-op.com

OX-OP gallery
1111 Washington Ave S.
(Behind Grumpy’s Bar)
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Ph. 612-259-0085
www.ox-op.com

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