Trenton Doyle Hancock Explained

Trenton Doyle Hancock
Birth Place:Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Nationality:American
Spouse:JooYoung Choi
Training:Texas A&M University-Commerce, Temple University
Website:https://www.mindofthemound.com/

Trenton Doyle Hancock (born 1974) is an American artist working with prints, drawings, and collaged-felt paintings. Through his work, Hancock mainly aims to tell the story of the Mounds, mystical creatures that are part of the artist's world. In this sense, each new artwork is the artist's contribution to the development of Mounds.

Early life and education

Hancock was born in 1974 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and grew up in Paris, Texas.[1] He received a BFA from Texas A&M University–Commerce. As an undergrad, Doyle worked as a cartoonist for the school newspaper. At the time, he thought he would become a professional cartoonist following graduation. The influence of Hancock's early interest in cartoons is still visible in his current work.[2] Following his studies at Texas A&M University-Commerce, Hancock earned an MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, Philadelphia.[3] Hancock's art was also significantly influenced by his upbringing in Paris, Texas. Church was a fundamental focal point of his childhood, as his stepfather was a minister.[4] Thus, religious tropes and themes are abundant in his works, such as recurring references to Redemption and the Eucharist.

Work

Hancock makes prints, videos, drawings, sculptures, individual performances, and collaged felt paintings.[5] His influences include comics, graphic novels, cartoons, music, and film.[3]

Hancock is known for his visual work that focuses on the Mounds and the Vegans, two forces that are constantly dueling with one another and serve as a representation of the eternal battle between good and evil. This extended series also serves to explore Hancock's mythology of the two forces, which gives him the opportunity to develop his concepts at length.[6] He has structured this world to be one he can both occupy and continuously rework, depicting the life stages of a variety of characters, such as the Mounds: ancient half-human and half-plant creatures which were created thousands of years ago when a human male ejaculated into a field of flowers.[7] The Vegans are malevolent beings who seek to destroy all Mounds, especially "The Legend": the original Mound, and the most despised among Vegans. The Vegans are meant to symbolize those who are determined to force their beliefs on others, whereas the Mounds symbolize the Earth, acceptance, love, and progressive behaviors.[8] Other key characters in Hancock's works are Painter, a maternal spirit who governs color, Loid, a paternal energy focused on words, and Torpedo Boy, an unheroic super hero alter ego that Hancock created as a child. Torpedo Boy has superhuman strength, but his human emotions—especially his pride—prevent him from performing his heroic duties to their fullest extent.[9] Additional characters that appear in the work alongside him include Junior Mound, Bringback, Baby Curt, and Shy Jerry.[10]

Trenton Doyle Hancock is known for taking risks in his art, and has stated that he is typically the most interested in his art when he feels he has done something daring with it: whether it deals with social issues, universal dilemmas, or personal matters.[11] Regarding whether Torpedo Boy and the Vegans are meant to symbolize good and evil in his works, Hancock states: "Hopefully there's a range of what the Vegans are, and what Torpedo Boy is. You can choose to identify with that range or not. I came from a household where there were very strict ideas about what good and evil are. When I left home, I realized that didn't really work for me, that life was a huge grey area. That became more interesting."

In 2013 his work was translated to Cult of Color: Call to Color,[12] a ballet created in collaboration with Ballet Austin's Artistic Director Stephen Mills.

Awards and fellowships

Among the honors that Hancock has earned are an Artadia Award (2003),[13] The Greenfield Prize at the Hermitage Artist Retreat (2013), a two-year residency and commission of original work,[14] Art League Houston's Texas Artist of the Year (2017),[15] and Texas Medal of Arts Awards in Visual Arts (2019).[16] Hancock was also one of the youngest artists to be featured in the Whitney Biennial, being selected for two consecutive exhibitions in 2000 and 2002. He was a Core Artist in Residence at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in 2002.[17]

Exhibitions and publications

[18]

Hancock was included in the American Folk Art Museum's "Dargerism" exhibit, showing the influence of Henry Darger on contemporary artists.

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/hancock/ Trenton Doyle Hancock
  2. News: Glimpse Inside the Mind of Artist Trenton Doyle Hancock at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Lehrer. Adam. Forbes. March 27, 2015. February 28, 2017.
  3. Web site: Trenton Doyle Hancock: Skin and Bones, 20 Years of Drawing Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. camh.org. March 17, 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140829013454/http://camh.org/exhibitions/trenton-doyle-hancock-skin-and-bones-20-years-drawing#.Vun3juIrLIU. August 29, 2014.
  4. Salamon. Jeff. June 2014. He'll always have Paris: Trenton Doyle Hancock's art may be otherworldly, but it's deeply rooted in his Texas upbringing.. Texas Monthly. 42.
  5. Web site: BalletAustin presents Trenton Doyle Hancock's Cult of Color: Call to Color - News - James Cohan Gallery. exhibit-e.com. www.jamescohan.com. March 17, 2016.
  6. News: Trenton Doyle Hancock, EMIT: What the Bringback Brought. The Ringling. May 25, 2017. en.
  7. News: Storytelling—Characters and Colors — Art21. Art21. May 25, 2017. en.
  8. Web site: Trenton Doyle Hancock: Coloring Veganism. Cruz. Melissa. August 12, 2012. James Cohan Gallery.
  9. News: Trenton Doyle Hancock: Storytelling—Characters and Colors Art21. February 28, 2017. en.
  10. Web site: Review: Trenton Doyle Hancock's wild world on display at Ringling. Lennie. Bennett. Tampa Bay Times. May 6, 2015. March 17, 2016.
  11. Dziedzic. Erin. February 26, 2013. Truth or Dare with Trenton Doyle Hancock. Artcore Journal.
  12. Web site: Interview with Trenton Doyle Hancock: 'Cult of Color' . Elliott Zooey . Martin . Glasstire. January 31, 2008. March 17, 2016.
  13. Web site: Awards / Past Awardees. 2 May 2013 . Artadia. February 20, 2016.
  14. Web site: Greenfield Winners. Greenfield Prize. April 11, 2016.
  15. Web site: Art League Houston names Trenton Doyle Hancock Texas artist of the year. Glentzer. Molly. 2017-05-03. Houston Chronicle. 2019-03-22.
  16. Web site: TEXAS CULTURAL TRUST REVEALS ANOTHER DISTINGUISHED GROUP OF HONOREES FOR TENTH BIENNIAL TEXAS MEDAL OF ARTS AWARDS. Texas Cultural Trust. 28 November 2018 . en-US. March 22, 2019.
  17. Book: Franklin, John Hope, 1915-2009.. Collecting African American art : the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. 2009. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Wardlaw, Alvia J., Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.. 9780300152913. [Houston]. 269282205.
  18. Web site: Trenton Doyle Hancock: Biography. Artnet Worldwide Corporation. February 20, 2016.
  19. Web site: Hampton Roads.com: All the events happening in Hampton Roads under one site.. HamptonRoads.com. March 17, 2016.
  20. Web site: Powerful Babies: Keith Haring's Impact on Artists Today. SPRITMUSEUM. March 16, 2016.
  21. Web site: DIRGE: Reflections on [Life and] Death MOCA Cleveland]. www.mocacleveland.org. March 22, 2019.
  22. Web site: Trenton Doyle Hancock, EMIT: What the Bringback Brought.. ringling.org. April 11, 2016.
  23. Web site: Trenton Doyle Hancock: The Re-Evolving Door to the Moundverse. January 2, 2018. Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. en-US. March 22, 2019.
  24. Web site: Trenton Doyle Hancock - Artists - James Cohan. www.jamescohan.com. March 22, 2019.
  25. Web site: PHILLIPS : AMERICAN AFRICAN AMERICAN, New York Selling Exhibition 10 January - 8 February 2019. Phillips. en. March 22, 2019.
  26. Web site: Contemporary Focus Trenton Doyle Hancock. The Menil Collection. en. March 22, 2019.
  27. Web site: Mind Of The Mound: Critical Mass. Mass MoCA. 22 February 2018 . en. July 1, 2019.

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