Tie Tight Knots, XOXO is a solo exhibition of sculptures by Raleigh-based artist Jean Gray Mohs on view exclusively online February 1 - 28, 2023.
On view exclusively online at Charlotte Russell Contemporary the month of February, Tie Tight Knots, XOXO is a sculptural collection that continues Jean Gray Moh's Woven Stranger series - a narration of the resilience of the human body and her own health journey as the recipient of a double lung transplant.
In this collection, she continues to use her signature materials wood and thread, as symbols for strength and fragility, but this body of work leans in a more playful direction. Jean Gray's material choice is by design. For her, paint is representative of breath, water, erosion, personality, obstacles, and time. Wood is a representative of strength, rigidity, and weight. Waxed thread is representative of binding, movement, play, and fragility.
The title of the exhibit, Tie Tight Knots, XOXO, is a reference to launching this collection during Valentine's Day. This work is a nod to her mother and to her brother and the pieces are inspired by the organ of the heart, but also playfully inspired by the theme of Valentine's. The four wooden hearts titled BFF, Be mine, Be Cool, and I'm Yours, in particular are meant to organically mimic Valentine's heart candy.
This is her fourth exhibition at Charlotte Russell Contemporary. Jean Gray Mohs is an artist born and raised in North Carolina. In December of 2002, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Georgia Southern University. Upon earning her Master of Arts in Teaching at Georgia Southern University in 2008 she settled back into North Carolina where she is an active artist.
She lovingly calls Raleigh home and has been creating artwork and educating the area about art since 2008. Selected exhibits include the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, the North Carolina Museum of Art, Greenhill Gallery, Meredith College, Duke University Hospital, and an upcoming show at Greensboro Project Space in the fall of 2023. Her work has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Southern Living, and Traditional Home. Her works have been shown regionally as well as internationally.
