Gregory Rick // Solo Exhibition

Johansson Projects presents an exhibition of new work by Oakland based artist, Gregory Rick. Gregory Rick reimagines history painting through expressive compositions at the intersection of contemporary politics and historical events. Rejecting realism with fragmented figures, mythic imagery, and ancient symbolism, he mines collective memory to counter dominant narratives. Shaped by experiences as a veteran, citizen, and subject, Rick's paintings blur history and mythology to reflect on recurring cycles of violence, oppression, and resistance. There will be an opening reception during Oakland Art Murmur on October 2, 2026. Gregory Rick makes powerful paintings that delve into archetypal explorations of human nature. His rhythmic works writhe with movement, blurring lines between history painting and abstraction. Like Guston's pile-ups, Rick compresses gesture and form to provoke ideas of struggle, confrontation, and transcendence. While mining his personal experiences with the 101st Airborne, he joins a long tradition of artists like Picasso, Goya, and Léger who used paint to mourn the spoils of war. Rick was born in 1981 and grew up in South Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received his BFA from California College of the Arts in 2019 and graduated from Stanford University with an MFA in Art Practice in 2022. Rick has received the Combat Infantry Badge, the Yamaguchi printmaking award, the Nathan Oliviera fellowship, and the Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Award. He will be a part of an upcoming exhibition slated to open at the National Veterans Museum in Chicago as a part of being a 2026 NVAM fellow. Rick lives with his wife and daughters in Oakland, California and is represented by Johansson Projects. Gregory Rick Developing a historical imagination and fondness for drawing stories, Gregory Rick's cathartic mark-making process collapses history while confronting personal trauma. His works reflect episodes of individual experience while in dialogue with the wider world, touching deeply on the political nature of oppressive systems. Inspired by a youth fascination with graffiti, Rick's blatant narratives convey symbolism and cryptic language that capture the recklessness and hysteria of present-day America. He paints on a shaky historical line cemented in humility and conviction, and populates his pictures with "characters who serve as archetypes," in conjunction with memory and self-exploration.