Gentleman’s Game Featured In Second Solo Exhibition With East Hampton’s Roman Fine Art

Gentleman’s Game – an artistic collaboration between Brandon Friend and Jason Douglas Griffin – will unveil the duo’s latest works in a new exhibition entitled Safe House at East Hampton’s Roman Fine Art.

Friend, a New York native, and Griffin, a DC transplant, united in 2008 as Gentleman’s Game to present their collaborative work both domestically and internationally. Their work incorporates a mix of medias and touches on a dystopian world. Their own fabricated world suggests constant struggle and decay in images of long decaying oil rigs and never ending oceans, alongside glimmers of hope and modernity with strange new technologies and innovative scenes.

“When I discovered the work of Gentleman’s Game four years ago they were working on an ambitious series of works called The Atlantic,” shared Damien Roman, owner of Roman Art. “Inspired by 1973’s influential, French, sci-fi classic, Fantastic Planet their work explored many of the same conflicts and weighty allegorical themes at the heart of René Laloux’s groundbreaking animated film. I was riveted by their vision of a turbulent, drowned and unforgiving world, perhaps centuries into our own dystopian future, inhabited by Godlike giants, bizarre creatures from the depths and the scattered remnants of humanity.”

Their newest series, Safe Houses, presents strange new tree houses, with that same underlying hint of struggle, but an inherent nostalgia and hopefulness. The artists’ methods of incorporating multiple medias, such as cutouts and photographic media with painting, collage, drawing and more, allow viewers a liberty to interpret the work with their own biases.

“As they explored this world, I’ve been along for the journey and I’ve been inspired watching them grow,” noted Roman. “Gentleman’s Game’s newest exhibit, Safe Houses, marks the next chapter in their sweeping narrative.”

Friend and Griffin, born in 1980 and 1981, respectively, have studied and finetuned their practice for years, which is evident in their insightful collections. The duo has been featured in numerous reputable galleries and art fairs, including Scope Basel, Texas Contemporary, Project Gallery, LA, 19 Karen Gallery, Australia, Octavia Gallery, New Orleans and more.

This will be Gentleman’s Game’s second solo exhibition with Roman Fine Art.

“We see yet another facet to the world of The Atlantic, one that injects the story with a bit of beauty, serenity and perhaps most importantly, hope,” added Roman.

Safe House will debut on Friday, March 24, with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m., and remain on view through Sunday, April 23.

Roman Fine Art is located at 66 Park Place in East Hampton. For more information visit romanfineart.com.