FLINT, Michigan — Across Flint’s creative scene, an artist is turning creative chaos into soulful composition in a city known for its grit and grind. Known as
GGGGG, this multi-hyphenate visual and contemporary digital artist and designer redefines what it means to live artfully and intentionally, rooted in Black identity, spiritual reflection, and unrelenting experimentation.
But before the exhibitions and installations, before Bau-Hōuse or Art Basel, there was just “G.” A kid affectionately called “G-Baby” by his parents — a nickname inspired by the movie
Hardball and a nod to his short stature on the baseball field. “The name reminds me that you can overcome anything,” he says through email. That sense of perseverance would come to shape both his life and his art.
Born and raised in Flint, “GG’s,” as his son likes to call him, spent his earliest days split between the comforting guidance of his grandmother’s creativity, who could “draw, dress, and just had this natural brilliance,” and his mother’s tailor shop. “[My grandma] gave me this deep belief that I could do anything—not through her words, but through the way she treated me.”
At home, the balance of ambition and artistry was constant. His mom ran her own business. His father — a General Motors employee for over 30 years — embodied consistency and structure. “They pushed me toward stability,” he admits, whose parents were initially skeptical about his life path. “And I tried. I graduated from Mott with the highest honors [and] even went to Kettering.”
From there, G purposely decided to live life as an artist, changing who and what he thought he’d be.
“I’ve always been multiple things, doing something — whether it was events, merch, or design — but it took time to see it all as art. Around 24, I made the decision to live a creative life on purpose. Every event I curated, every clothing drop I did, every logo, I treated like practice,” he explains. “I believed all these different skills would come together at some point. I guess I’m trying to say: Don’t stop practicing; the time will come!”
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Alexandria ArmandThe artist known as GGGGG.
That belief paid off. G’s recent exhibition,
HoodstarAngels at
Riverbank Arts was a visually, spiritually, and communally defining moment “about seeing young Black kids as pure and innocent,” he describes.
“The angels I depict are my children, my students, [and] myself ascending, despite the noise. It’s a love letter to at-risk and underserved youth. A celebration of Black beauty, opulence, and Baptist churches.”
When asked about people's reception to his exhibition that night, he replied, “The reception was beautiful. People connected, laughed, met each other, and held space. The energy in the room spoke louder than anything — a testimony to all the artists involved and the team over at Riverbank Arts.”
But G’s not one to stay in one lane. Just as his message evolves, so does his medium. From the purple-hued pieces shown at the Flint Repertory Theatre to digital abstractions currently exhibited at the Flint Institute of Arts, his artistic voice is constantly shape-shifting. “I’m thankful for the constant creative flow,” he says. “I like when things feel a little disruptive.”
Disruption, for G, isn’t chaos — it’s liberation. That, in turn, fuels his ambitions and desires to “want to work with galleries that understand that energy and are open to different kinds of artists,” he explains. “It’s about pushing boundaries and making room for artists doing a little bit of everything — design, film, merch, all of it. The goal isn’t to fit tradition but to expand it — to create room for fluid, multi-disciplinary voices that can help reshape traditional boundaries.”
This June, he’ll do just that with
SS-1, a streetwear-centered exhibition and installation at BAU-HŌUSE in downtown Flint. In August, he’ll also debut a film using AI technology, diving into immersive motion work. But whether he’s creating in pixels or paint, fabric or film, the heart of his work remains the same.
In a time when the world often demands conformity and clarity,
GGGGG offers something else: permission to be fluid, curious, and more than one thing at once. His work “reflects both a hope for the future and a caution about the present,” while his life’s journey reminds us that there’s power in the practice and staying true to yourself even when the path isn’t clear.
“Art becomes a prayer for what’s possible and a reminder that God handles all things above us. Don’t stop practicing,” he says. “The time will come.”
And if his story is any indication, the time for G, for Flint, and for art that defies convention has already arrived.
To learn more about GGGGG, visit his Instagram page and website.