Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Morrow.
Hi DJ, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t start twisting balloons with the goal of creating fine art. I was a sixteen-year-old who loathed the idea of working at a regular teenage job, stocking groceries or flipping burgers. So I turned to my parents, who’d done their fair share of twisting, to pick up on this odd form of entertainment. After mastering the basics like the sword, flower, and puppy dog, I was off twisting at local fairs and birthday parties.
I would continue the balloon-twisting business for another eight years, until March 2020 brought an abrupt end to the work I’d been receiving. The pandemic took a devastating toll on my mental health. Occasionally I would find the motivation to pick the balloons back up, no longer as tools for entertainment and decoration, but as a vehicle for contemplative self-expression.
A year later I was at a crossroads. Do I hold true to the artistic vision that had started to form, with darker imagery and increasingly challenging subject matter, or do I pivot back to family-friendly children’s entertainment and balloon décor? In April of 2021, my balloon rendition of Francisco Goya’s gruesome fresco painting, “Saturn Devouring His Son”, claimed the top post on Reddit that week, and the positive response was the push I needed to break out of the limits I’d placed on myself.
For the rest of the year, I deepened my exploration of the balloon medium, crafting images with an emphasis on artistic composition, narrative, and symbolism. The designs filling my sketchbook will continue to be realized throughout 2022 as I begin production on prints and plan live installations for my sculptures. These new prints will be available within the next month or two so keep your eyes on my social media for news on that.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Deciding to abandon children’s entertainment in favor of pursuing a future in fine art has been an intimidating and uncertain process. I don’t have an art education aside from a few community college classes, but my parents brought me up with the encouragement to learn any skill I put my mind to with the incredible resources available to those born in the age of the internet. As I surround myself with more experienced artists and forge connections with those who appreciate my vision, the future I want for my art is slowly starting to come into focus.
The supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic have rippled out to numerous industries. The balloon world hasn’t been spared its wrath. With sourcing balloons continuing to be a struggle, I can’t afford to be as picky about my favorite brands, and more often than not have to twist with whatever is available online. I’m hoping the situation improves soon, but I’m not holding my breath.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I call myself a fine art balloon sculptor. Although I work primarily in sculpture, I work towards a final image composition I have planned with twisting my balloons. These sculptures I create use many hundreds, sometimes thousands, of balloons and often take 25 hours or more to finish. The balloons I use are made of latex, derived from the sap of rubber trees, and don’t contain plastics in them, contrary to popular misconceptions.
My art defies the usual expectations of balloons as a medium. While there’s an important place for fun and amusement in balloons, I reach for different emotions when creating my art. Loneliness (The Entertainer), horror (Saturn Devouring His Son), indignation (Defiant), and existential dread (Sometimes Falling Asleep Feels Like Dying) are some of the emotions I’ve tried to evoke in my work. Each piece is rich with symbolic imagery and thematic purpose. I’ve made sculptures about many issues I’m personally invested in. Mental health (Reaching/Reaching 2021), environmental collapse (A Shattered Visage), capitalist exploitation (Nobody Wants to Work Anymore), reactionary politics (The Feasting of Jephthah), and LGBT identity (A Work in Progress) are just some of the themes I’ve explored.
By and large, balloons are not considered fine art or an avenue for exploring the serious subject matter. My art claims its own unique space, disarming the viewer by shattering their expectations of the medium, and in doing so hopefully allowing for a change in perspective on the important issues my art touches on.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My art is a reflection of the things that matter most to me. My desperate desire to see progressive change economically and socially is a constant motivator and underpins my identity as a humanist. The desire for freedom of thought and liberation from religious oppression is the underpinning of my identity as a Satanist. These motivations, informed by my upbringing in the infamous Family International (formerly known as the Children of God) cult, dictate the direction and tone of my work.
Contact Info:
- Email: balloonsinbold@gmail.com
- Website: https://balloonsinbold.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balloonsinbold/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BalloonsinBOLD
