about the artist.
Ian King is a multimedia artist, designer, and community organizer based in Newark, NJ. Much of his body of work is made through collaging and transferring images onto acrylic-based paintings, creating a personal time capsule in his stark, illustrative style of portraiture. He is interested in using nontraditional techniques and objects to tell stories about people whose stories never get told in public arenas. Drawing from his lived experience as a transgender man, brushes with chronic illness, and a wealth of inspiration from other outsider artists, King fills in the blanks and presents sensitive information in a way that commands attention.
Raised in Bergen County, King obtained a BFA in Illustration from St. John’s University in 2022. His work has been exhibited locally at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Building, Gallery Aferro (Newark), the Art Alliance of Monmouth County (Red Bank), Novado Gallery, and Smush Gallery (Jersey City). He has also shown at Eclipse Center for Creative Community (Lansdale, PA), St. John’s University’s Yeh Art Gallery (Queens, NY), and Eastern Kentucky University’s Fred Parker Giles Gallery (Richmond, KY). King has been an artist-in-residence at Gallery Aferro and a previous grant recipient of the City of Newark’s Creative Catalyst Fund.
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.
photo credit: rachel fawn alban
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