ARTIST STATEMENT OF JASON O’KEEFE
I don’t want all the answers so much as I want to imagine possibilities. I gravitate most towards forms that are bizarre and fantastic and I enjoy finding such traits everywhere I look. I craft amalgam creatures, grotesques if you will. I’ll build them out of whatever is on hand; it makes me happy imagining how each material has a life of its own that affects the personalities of my pieces; bronze heads may trap evil spirits, duct tape dolls may spring to life when the lights go out. They are physical manifestations of my moods and subconscious thoughts, but why do I really make them? What stories do they tell? I can’t adequately answer these questions because “the creating” is only the beginning of my process. My creations become my imaginary friends and night terrors. They are like my children. I may be the one constructing them but I'm still not quite sure where I began and how they end…
BIO OF JASON O’KEEFE
Jason is a life-long artist and native of Massachusetts. His family was always doting and supportive of his creative flair. Parochial school in Dorchester, and public schools in Hull weren’t such a good fit, so as a teen he commuted to a vocational program in Canton that would change his life by paving the way for his acceptance at MassArt. IE Jason had always spent plenty of time in his own head space, finding his escape in fantasy. He seeks serenity in both the natural world and the invariable decay of humanity and its works. He finds inspiration anywhere and everywhere. Jason’s work can be found online via various social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Patreon, etc.). He currently lives in Holbrook MA and commutes to multiple part time jobs, relating to art, education, human services, and of course manual labor.