[biographies]
tom secrest was born in Columbus, OH, in 1942. He received his BFA and MFA from Ohio University in Athens, OH in 1966, and 1968 respectively. His work has been featured in a variety of exhibitions, including the One Man Show, University Art Museum, University of Louisiana, Lafayette, LA (1998); the First International Exhibition of the National Academy of Fantastic Art, Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE, (1986); and the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Prints Exhibition, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, (1981). Calvin Harlan wrote about Secrest’s work in The New Orleans Art Review in June of 1986. His pieces are in a number of prestigious collections including The Print Collection of The New York Public Library, New York, NY; The Print Collection of Harlan and Weaver Intaglio, New York, NY; The Print Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA; and The Collection of The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA. This exhibition at CUE Art Foundation marks Secrest’s first solo show in New York. trenton doyle hancock was born in 1974 in Oklahoma City, OK. Raised in Paris, TX, Hancock earned his BFA from East Texas State University, Commerce, TX and his MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Hancock’s prints, drawings and collaged felt paintings work together to tell the
story of the Mounds—a group of mythical creatures that are the tragic protagonists of the artist’s unfolding narrative. Each new work by Hancock is a contribution to the saga of the Mounds, portraying the birth, life, death, afterlife and even dream states of these half-animal, half-plant creatures. Influenced by the history of painting, especially Abstract Expressionism, Hancock transforms traditionally formal decisions—such as the use of color, language and pattern—into opportunities to create new characters, develop sub-plots and convey symbolic meaning. Hancock’s paintings often rework Biblical stories that the artist learned as a child from his family and local church community. Balancing moral dilemmas with wit and a musical sense of language and color, Hancock’s works create a painterly space of psychological dimension. Trenton Doyle Hancock was featured in the 2000 and 2002 Whitney Biennial exhibitions, becoming one of the youngest artists in history to participate in this prestigious survey. His work has been the subject of one-person exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, TX; the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, TX; the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, FL; The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland; and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Holland. The recipient of numerous awards, Hancock lives and works in Houston, TX where he was a 2002 Core Artist-in-Residence at the Glassell School of Art of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX.