John Perretti
John Perretti: Of Tunnels, Time and Tumult
- Sat, Aug 9, 2025 - Sat, Sep 13, 2025 9am - 5pm On view
Bay 100 Gallery at The Silos at Sawyer Yards1502 Sawyer Street
The artist, (first one-man show in 1977 at St. Bartholomew’s Church NYC) and famous past pugilist presents his most expansive exhibition, Of Tunnels, Time and Tumult, at the Bay 100 Gallery at The Silos at Sawyer Yards in Houston, Texas. Marking his 69th year of life, this powerful and immersive show features over 50 works, including large-scale paintings, drawings, and sculpture, each offering a window into his mind through his hand and his tireless research. The work is both personal and universal.
Perretti, a cultural shapeshifter equally known for coining the term “Mixed Martial Arts" draws on experience spanning a life in the ring, hunting underwater, and the solitude of his studios. His work fuses classical draftsmanship with overt expressionism often inspired by hidden history, poetics, sexuality, and transparency. "Of Tunnels, Time and Tumult"; invites viewers into a world where angelic light collides with trench warfare, where S(h)umerian language shouts through color fields, and where a rabbit—drawn from his son's childhood is body of work that is as vulnerable as it is unflinching. “This is a show of my life,” says Perretti. “I want the audience to feel the time I’ve lived, the tunnels I’ve traveled through, and the tumult I’ve never stopped documenting; I want them to feel as if I had put my hands on them.”
This exhibition presents a culmination of themes that have shaped Perretti’s creative evolution: violence and grace, truth and discipline, unafraid of living dangerously, and loving teaching. Works range from pen studies done in youth to massive paintings echoing Turner’s turbulent skies, Kiefer’s historical dedication, and Twombly’s luscious lyricism. The sculptures—crafted from black walnut, iron, cardboard, pvc, resin, and hybrid materials—evoke sacred architecture, battlefield debris, religion and found relics. Perretti is considered, “The Original Dinosaur”, “The Godfather of MMA” and “Brutally Honest”.
About the Artist: John Perretti is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, writer, poet and a mixed martial arts pioneer. His work has been exhibited in New York, Italy, Japan, Los Angeles, and Houston. A former professor at the School of Visual Arts and a member of the Screen Actors Guild, Perretti is also the founder of Tao Jutsu Do (founded 1974) and a co-creator of The Contenders, and Extreme Fighting. He is the author of The Origin of a Species and the Mixed Martial Arts, and has been inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of Fame as a Living Legend. His working studio is C255 at Winter Street Studios.
Featured Artwork: Precession, 2025, Acrylic on Wood