Ian C. Hess
Ian C. Hess explores the beauty of brokenness expressed through the shattered, graceful, and failed myths of yesterday. While coinciding with the Japanese Philosophies of Wabi Sabi (acceptance of transience and imperfection) and Kintsugi (treats breakage as beauty to be emphasized), he aims to reinvent aspects of these categories into present tense embodied forms, adorned in the textures and idioms of our time. The central theme of portraiture expressed through the means of broken Grecko-Roman busts serve as the foundational constant amongst the myriad of techniques, and varied perspectives of the human ideal. The many pieces of his work synthesize a plurality of elements comprised of the past and present with universally recognized imagery within each painting as a specific locality that brings with it a generative power. All myth was once personal experience.
While personal work is an ambition, Ian seeks to unite a broader community within Richmond as the Creative Director of Endeavor Studios. Endeavor is a 5-year running Studio Art Gallery that’s run by artists for artists who aim to deepen their practice and involve themselves in a diverse, creative community in a real and permanent way. With dedication and discipline, Endeavor is currently developing a 4-story building that ensures the Richmond Arts District and the artists in it are here to stay.