After earning his bachelor’s degree in sculpture from the University of Victoria (Canada) fine arts program, Ian moved to Southampton in 2007 where he established himself as a fine artist and graphic designer. Since then he has exhibited his work at several UK venues, including the ‘Visual Biographies’ exhibition (University of Southampton) and ‘Cut to the Chase’ (Bargate Gallery, Southampton). His work can be seen in the permanent collection of the University of Southampton, and has recently been selected for inclusion in the city-wide ‘Hyde900′ exhibition in Winchester this Spring.
Ian’s current practice draws upon the aesthetic of Greek vases as a vehicle to assimilate diverse visual forms into a universal style. By using one of the earliest forms of so-called ‘classical’ art as a model, Ian’s work symbolically links the history of Western graphic art back to its origins. The resultant works dissolve much of the hierarchical quality of historical narratives by removing clear boundaries between contemporary and traditional, as well as “high” and “low” imagery, creating possibilities for new configurations of our existing visual language.