Joshua Dodson: Instincts

Joshua dodson: instincts: evolutions on structural compositions

January 13 - February 17, 2024

Press Release

Ro2 Art is excited to present Instincts: Evolutions in Structural Compositions, an exhibition of new shaped paintings by Dallas-based artist Joshua Dodson. The exhibition will open January 13, 2024 and remain on view through February 17, 2024, at Ro2 Art Gallery, located at 2606 Bataan St., Dallas, TX, with an opening reception to be held January 13 from 7-10pm.

In Instincts: Evolutions in Structural Compositions, Dodson returns to the origins of his artistic inspirations, analyzing the details of these influences. Not only a thorough exploration of color and shape, Dodson’s show is also a personal reflection. Through his abstracted pieces, Dodson explores the reasoning for his interest in and incorporation of themes from urban landscapes and graffiti in his art. Dodson’s works function as specific studies of shape, color and composition, and how each element is reliant on one another. His geometric woodworks are 2-dimensional; however, as they are meticulously planned, cut, and painted to appear 3-dimensional, the shaped works become a hybrid of painting and sculpture. The limited use of bold colors amidst the neutral white, gray, and black in each work, make Dodson’s pieces act as detailed studies of each color and the color's impact on the piece in adding depth and emphasis. Dodson’s works skillfully showcase the harmonious relationship between shape and color and how these elements have evolved within his art.

download press release

download exhibition checklist

About the Artist

Joshua Dodson (b.1988) is a Dallas-based contemporary artist who works in painting, murals, and sculpture design. His work focuses on the relationships within form and color through systems of structural abstraction. Heavily influenced by urban letter forms within graffiti design, he also builds upon the nuances of constructivism. His use of gradients, shadows, and lighting make his paintings seem 3-dimensional giving the works their relief. Through carefully planned compositions, Joshua’s paintings go beyond the boundaries of canvas and instead find themselves placed within intricately shaped wood panels which serve as vehicles to display shape and color in a near mechanical sense. Brilliant colors overlap each other while gradients dance into shadows, giving each piece a sense of motion. When placed together, his series of paintings communicate a physical dialogue between each other informing the objects individuality.

His mural practice has given him the ability to take influence from the studio and transform large spaces and share his work with the public, including companies and clients such as the Dallas Independent School District, Uptown Dallas, 5G Architecture, Ink + Pro Design, Westdale Properties, and most notably his involvement with immersive art giant Meow Wolf and its fifth permanent exhibit “The Real Unreal,” located in Grapevine, TX.

Joshua Dodson is represented by Ro2 Art Gallery in Dallas, TX, with work in the J.P. Morgan Chase Permanent Art Collection, UT Southwestern Medical Center of Dallas, Tiffany Lendrum Fine Art, and others.

show statement

Instincts: Evolutions in Structural Compositions explores the nature of origin in which Joshua Dodson’s work is derived. He questions his own fascinations with color and shape before graffiti and how it has shaped his current understanding of why urban surroundings, design, and symmetry influence his work.