BLISS: A Night That Shifted Austin’s Frequency

Solo Exhibition by Matthew Trujillo

Presented by ORO Art & ONO Agency

A Night Where Art Became Atmosphere On the evening of October 2nd, Austin experienced something rare, an art event that didn’t simply take place, but seemed to unfold like weather. BLISS was not a standard exhibition; it was an emotional environment. The moment guests stepped inside the Gallery, the outside world softened. A warm undertone of ambient sound moved beneath the conversations, the lights hovered low and golden, and Matthew Trujillo’s paintings radiated like constellations across the darkened room.

His work, tender, rebellious, layered with personal rhythm, felt fully alive in that space. Each canvas pulled viewers inward, dissolving the boundary between observation and immersion. The night carried an energy that was both quiet and electric, a balance few exhibitions manage to achieve. People didn’t simply walk through BLISS; they surrendered to it.

A Collaboration Across Disciplines

The power of BLISS came not only from the art itself but from the intricate ecosystem of creatives who came together to build it. The entire night was the result of a deeply collaborative process, one shaped by vision, trust, and a shared belief in the transformative potential of art. At the heart of the curatorial direction was ORO Art, founded by Joshua Winston, whose team, led through the dedicated liaison work of Adrianne Moloney, ensured the show’s narrative moved with intention. Supporting this curatorial flow was Edmund Chow, whose brand relations work helped align the event’s cultural and visual language.

Documentation was seamlessly handled by ONO Agency, founded by Evan H. Duvall, whose presence extended far beyond simple coverage. Their visual team, including photographer Jasmin Porter and cinematographer Jessie Rodriguez, captured the atmosphere with a sense of reverence, preserving the night’s emotional texture. Assisting them, Morgan Nickel and Marlana enriched the process with logistical and creative support, ensuring the documentation remained as fluid as the event itself.

Behind the scenes, the production team formed the backbone of BLISS. Producers Joshua Winston, Evan H. Duval, and Matthew Trujillo orchestrated an environment where all artistic elements could breathe. The lighting and audio, guided by the expert hands of Matthew Vallejo, created the atmospheric foundation that defined the night. Operations manager Payton Long kept the rhythm of the event steady, while graphic designer Israel Lopez shaped the visual identity that extended beyond the walls of the warehouse.

The build-out, crafted by Andrew Davis, transformed the venue into a world that matched the emotional depth of the art, while sound engineers Sarah Pederzani and Suxxy Puxxy infused the space with a sonic presence that supported the work without overpowering it. ORO representatives Lady Shalay and Colette Vetter ensured that every detail stayed aligned with the curatorial vision. And at the center of hospitality, Matty held the bar, completing the environment with warmth and ease.

The result of this collaboration was a night where every component, from lighting to sound to design, merged into a single, coherent atmosphere. It was a reminder that art at its highest level is never created alone; it emerges from community. Trujillo’s Creative Shift For Matthew Trujillo, BLISS was more than an exhibition, it was a turning point, a moment where years of artistic discipline collided with a newfound willingness to let go. His previous work has always hovered between controlled chaos and poetic restraint, the kind of visual language that carries both grit and grace. But in BLISS, something shifted. The work breathed differently. It moved with a confidence that came not from precision, but from surrender.

This exhibition marked a deep internal evolution for Trujillo, a shedding of old structures and an embrace of instinct as a guiding force. Instead of approaching the canvas with tight intention, he began to trust the motion of his hand, the unpredictability of color, the emotional cadence of the process itself. What emerged was a body of work that felt raw, unfiltered, and startlingly honest, a visual diary written in layers of intuition.

His palette expanded into a more complex emotional range. The restless violets carried tremors of longing and electricity. The softened greys moved like shifting weather, offering moments of calm before dissolving into tension. The rusted metallics echoed memory and erosion, grounding the compositions with a sense of lived experience. And then there were the whites, whites that weren’t empty but alive, blooming across the surface like breath, fog, or the faint light that appears just before dawn.

In this collection, Trujillo was not painting objects or narratives; he was painting states of being. Each work felt like a suspended moment, open, flickering, emotional, unafraid of its own imperfections. The pieces were powerful not because they were flawless and polished, but because they were willing to exist in their own vulnerability.

A Crowd in Collective Stillness The audience that night reflected the full spectrum of Austin’s creative ecosystem, a living collage of disciplines and personalities. Filmmakers leaned in to catch the brushstrokes of painters; designers whispered observations to musicians; curators moved through clusters of street artists and collectors, all navigating the space without hierarchy or pretense. The room buzzed with conversation and quiet admiration, yet, amid this lively mingling, there were moments when the energy seemed to pause altogether. In an unspoken, almost instinctive agreement, everyone fell into the same hush—an almost sacred stillness that invited introspection.

These shared pauses lent the evening a rare gravity. No announcements, no prompts, no theatrical cues, just the collective willingness to stop, to witness, and to feel. In those suspended moments, BLISS revealed its true essence: a space where the inner lives of all attendees converged, where emotion became communal, and where the simple act of paying attention together transformed the ordinary into something profoundly intimate. It was a silence alive with connection, a subtle reminder that art’s power often lies in the shared breath of those who experience it.

A Local Event With Global Pulse BLISS wasn’t only a moment for Austin; it emerged as a defining chapter in a broader, global creative dialogue. As the official Austin contribution to ONO Magazine Volume 1, the event’s impact extended far beyond the city’s borders, bridging the local artistic scene with international creative hubs such as New York, London, and more. Through the platform provided by ONO, the exhibition became a conduit for exchange, allowing the energy, ideas, and innovative spirit of Austin’s artists to ripple across continents. What began as a local celebration of instinct and experimentation evolved into a meaningful instance of cross-city collaboration, fostering connections between artists, curators, and audiences worldwide. In doing so, BLISS positioned itself not merely as an exhibition but as part of a larger movement toward cultural openness, dialogue, and shared creative exploration.

A Final Note That Lingered When the lights dimmed and the crowd slowly drifted back into the cooling Austin night, something unmistakable remained in the air. Conversations continued to spill into the streets, ideas were exchanged with a newfound urgency, and connections, both fleeting and profound, were formed across familiar faces and strangers alike. The night also carried its own quiet affirmation: five of the seven newest paintings were collected before the evening even came to a close, a momentum that opened the door to a new mural commission in Austin as well. The atmosphere carried a sense of buoyancy, as if the city itself had absorbed a new frequency, a subtle but tangible shift in energy that hinted at possibilities beyond the evening.

That lingering resonance was the true impact of BLISS. The experience did not conclude when the doors closed; it continued to ripple outward, living in the people who had witnessed it, in the sparks of dialogue that traveled with them, and in the creative momentum it inspired. Artists, attendees, and passersby alike carried fragments of the event into their own worlds, subtly reshaping perspectives and fueling imagination long after the final note faded. In those moments, BLISS became more than an exhibition, it became a catalyst for enduring inspiration, a fleeting encounter that left a permanent imprint on Austin’s creative consciousness.