Local artist Jeff Goring signs his name on a wall at his own exhibit at the Esplanade. He says it has been a fun ride from painting illegally to having his own exhibit on display.--NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker
About 20 years ago, Jeff Goring was one of many young people who would take to the street and spray paint illegally as a form of expressing themselves.
Now in 2020, Goring is a husband and father, and he has created graffiti art for world renowned companies like Nike and Lululemon.
This week he was able to check another box off his ‘to do’ list – have his own exhibit at the Esplanade.
Goring’s exhibit, Thinking of Others, is on now until Nov. 13 and is a pay-what-you-will admission fee.
“This is a really cool opportunity and I’m just really excited for it,” he said. “I just love the whole culture around graffiti art and everything that comes with it.”
The exhibit features a few of Goring’s murals on 3-foot by 16-foot wood canvases. Goring says he was hoping to share a positive message with everyone who came to the show.
“They’re based off verses and references in the bible about helping other people,” he said. “One of them is Acts 2:45, and that message is sell your possessions and give to those in need. The message is that there’s so many people in our community who need help.
“Another one I did was Matthew 22:39, which says to love your neighbour.
“It’s so important to care about others, especially right now.”
Goring says the verses can have meaning to everyone, not just religious folk.
“You don’t have to go to church or read the bible to appreciate what these are saying,” he said. “We live in such a selfish world. When you look out for other people and help out when you can, it makes such a huge difference and doesn’t take much.
“Even in my own life I can be selfish. I try to acknowledge that and to be better every day.”
On top of the murals with meanings, Goring created one with his artist name, Sonz1.
The last wall of the exhibit has been left mostly blank, with a large area for people to create their own graffiti tag and to sign with a colourful marker.
“We wanted to get people involved,” he said. “With graffiti, it’s all about writing your name. We figured it only made sense to let people write their names.”
Goring started creating graffiti art around 1996 and says he never would have imagined having his own exhibit anywhere, let alone a building like the Esplanade.
“It’s pretty amazing to have my work in here,” he said. “The older I get the more I realize that graffiti is an outlet for people.
“Everyone has hobbies and passions they use as an outlet and to take care of their mental health. I think my story is a good lesson on sticking with what you love, because you never know where you’ll end up.”
