We are delighted to welcome Paz Griot, a poet, visual artist and actor from New York, to our Residency in Feb 2025! Paz is looking forward to collaborate with talented Thai dancers, filmmakers, graphic designers, and performers.
Paz Griot is a spoken word poet, visual artist, actor, playwright, and performer originally from New York City. He has lived in Istanbul since 2014 and has been traveling the world since high school, including time with the United States Peace Corps and studies at the University of Hyderabad in India. He has written and published several poems, performed in numerous plays and open mic events, written seven plays, and exhibited his paintings, collages, and sculptures in six gallery shows at the Art Students League of New York. In 2011, he was awarded the Blue Dot Award for Innovation in Visual Arts by the Art Students League. His literary work has been published in the Bosphorus Review of Books and the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal.
Paz works in various mediums, including watercolor and acrylic, blending abstract and realistic styles with themes of spirituality, world exploration, architecture, and nature. In the summer of 2023, he directed a small production of Tennessee Williams’ Small Craft Warnings in Istanbul. His artistic inspirations include Marc Chagall, Faith Ringgold, Paul Klee, Auguste Rodin, Isamu Noguchi, Claude Monet, David Hockney, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Katsushika Hokusai, as well as traditional art from various Asian cultures.
Paz is excited about the opportunity to travel to Thailand and immerse himself in its rich artistic traditions. As a Buddhist, he finds the Theravāda Buddhist temples, sculptures, and paintings of Southeast Asia deeply inspiring. Learning more about these vibrant traditions and participating in the theater, storytelling, and design workshops will be invaluable to his artistic journey.
As a spoken word poet who incorporates performance elements to enhance my work, Paz plans to collaborate with Studio 88’s talented dancers, filmmakers, graphic designers, and performers. His goal is to create multimedia pieces that combine poetry with film, dance, music, and visual design, expanding his reach in the digital age and bringing his work to new audiences.”
More about his work can be found at www.pazgriot.com
If you would like to join our art community, Studio 88 is accepting applications on an ongoing basis. Check out our residency program and apply now.
Studio 88 Artist Residency 