Biography
John Smalls is a visual artist, designer, and art toy creator whose work explores themes of identity, family, humanity, freedom, and lived experience. His practice is informed by years of creating, traveling, and engaging with diverse cultures, experiences that became the foundation of his artistic education and continue to shape his perspective.
Drawing from both personal observation and the shared experiences of others, Smalls creates work that reflects the emotional and social realities of everyday life. Through painting and visual storytelling, he seeks to create images that resonate across cultures and invite meaningful connection.
Artist Statement
My work explores the human experience through painting, character design, and sculpture. Drawing from everyday life, relationships, martial arts, travel, and personal observation, I create work that reflects how people connect, adapt, persevere, and find meaning in the world around them.
Whether creating expressive figurative paintings or collectible art objects, I seek to tell stories that resonate beyond my own experiences. Rather than offering fixed narratives, my work invites viewers to bring their own memories, perspectives, and interpretations, allowing each piece to take on new meaning through personal connection.
I believe art has the ability to slow us down, encourage empathy, and deepen our understanding of one another. My goal is to create work that sparks curiosity, inspires reflection, and celebrates the richness and complexity of being human.
Group & Solo Exhibitions:
2024 – Freelancers Union Visual Artists, Freelancers Hub, Brooklyn, NY
2014 – Journey through Jiu Jitsu, Space Gallery, Long Island City, NY
2007 – Visual Slang: The Modern Urban Imagination, Abrons Arts Center, NYC
2006 – Touch and Feel: Messing with the high and low, Red Saw Gallery, Newark, NJ
2006 – Enough is Enough, Weston Hall Gallery, Newark, NJ
2005 – Expectations, The Paul Robeson Cultural Center, Rutgers, NJ
2005 – Arthouse Highland Park Arts Festival, New Brunswick, NJ
2004 – Hip Hop Political Convention Art and Resistance Show, Newark, NJ
2004 – San Antonio Cultural Arts Huevos Rancheros Gala, San Antonio, TX
2001 – First Friday Art Exhibition at the Ellis Bean Art Space, San Antonio, TX
2001 – 3rd Annual Mad Media Manifesto Exhibition, San Antonio, TX
2000 – Eye Con and Will Exhibition at the Art Asylum, San Antonio, TX
Publications:
- Jiu Jitsu Style Magazine April 2013
- Jits Magazine December 2012
- Jiu Jitsu Style Magazine May 2012
- SanAntonio Express-News Oct. 2001
- The Austin Chronicle August 2001
- Voices of Art Magazine. (Vol.9, No.1) 1998
Speaking Engagements:
2020 – Freelancers Hub – Faces of Freelance
2019 – Brooklyn Freelancers Union