about the artist.
Ian King is a mixed media artist, illustrator, designer, and community organizer based in East Newark, NJ. Raised in Bergen County, King obtained a BFA in Illustration from St. John’s University in 2022. He gained his foundational understanding of the fine art world while still in high school, participating in a dual-enrollment program and studying under contemporary realism artist Ard Berge for several courses at Felician University. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited at the Montclair Art Museum, Gallery Aferro, the Art Alliance of Monmouth County, Novado Gallery, Smush Gallery, the Watchung Arts Center, St. John’s University’s Yeh Art Gallery, and Eastern Kentucky University’s Fred Parker Giles Gallery. Recently, his work was highlighted in Hyperallergic, NJarts.net, and the Jersey City Times. He was previously an artist-in-residence at Gallery Aferro and Smush Gallery, and received a grant from the City of Newark and Newark Arts’ 2022 Creative Catalyst Fund. King is also a graphic designer for Legal Services of New Jersey, volunteers with multiple local community organizations and mutual aid networks, and occasionally takes freelance illustration projects. in the artist’s words:
i am interested in recording visual histories through compelling, illustrative portraiture—both in the traditional sense and through depicting stylized bodies in their abstract forms. These paintings are scrapbooked with ephemera, writings, and layers of varied mediums, making each piece a preservation of memory that is sentimental to myself and my subjects. Subjects range from forgotten heroes of folk music to family and community members whose local roots are held onto with a firm grasp in the face of loss, censorship, and fading knowledge. In my self-portrait impressions, I aim to make prevalent the pathos of living as a transgender man in a contemporary society. Elsewhere, i strive to put others first, leading viewers’ eyes deeper into worlds left untraveled and conditions often ignored. this work is ultimately informed by my belief in the liberation of all peoples from oppression and the innate goodness still buried deep within humanity.
ian is available for freelance illustration/design work and art commissions, and can price available fine art works for sale. this offer is especially extended to the art directors at merge records and drag city records. if you’re reading this, hi.
inquire within at ian.e.kingart@gmail.com.