Artist Statement
As an interdisciplinary artist, my collage-paintings vividly are observations of how technology, industrialism, and the natural world coexist within modern human civilization. Anthropic figures and dreamscapes - woven from cosmic color and a blend of organic and geometric structure - populate alternate worlds rendered with painting, drawing, and sewing. Rooted in references from personal mythology, mystical motifs, and familial connection to Alabama's American South, my work forms an interconnected allegory that examines memory, spiritual impermanence, coexistence, and connection.
Bio
Rain Spann (b. 1998 in Abbeville, AL) is an American Artist, Electrical Engineer, and Graphic Designer based in Virginia. As an interdisciplinary artist, Spann references memories, moments, and symbols that allude to the familial connection he has with the American South. While many are sourced from family photographs, others are often imaginative - contributing to larger conversations within art history. Through a process of blending collage, sewing, painting, drawing, and graphic art illustration, Spann focuses on juxtaposition as a way to depict the similarities and contradictions between industrial, technological, and natural systems. While there are consistent techniques present within the broader scope of his work his process includes, but is not limited to, the layering of organic and geometric shapes and the use of fluid and static mediums. His practice is deeply rooted in themes such as transformation, symbiosis, and renewal. These themes build on an on-going observation of how the ever evolving, and interwoven, relationship between technological, industrial, and natural systems mirrors his life as an engineer and artist.
In 2016, Spann graduated from Landstown High Schools STEM Academy where he developed a curiosity for the relationship between technology and art. In 2019, his debut solo exhibition opened at HOMME D.C. Gallery in Washington, D.C. In 2021, Spann graduated from Old Dominion University with a focus in hardware engineering. Upon graduating he was awarded as an inaugural artist in residence within the CabinDAO residency program. In 2023, Spann’s solo exhibition “Growing Spirit” would become the debut solo exhibit for Richmond’s Southside Contemporary Art Gallery. Spann has participated in several auctions, most notably being the Cabin Fever auction with 1708 Gallery in Richmond VA, the Solstice VI benefit group exhibition/auction with Oakwood Arts, and the CANTemporaries auction/exhibition with the Contemporary Arts Network. He has exhibited work regionally and nationally. Spann not only serves works as an artist, but frequently volunteers to assist organizations in the installation, deinstallation, design, and contribution of pro-bono mural work. In addition, he has held numerous roles as a graphic designer and illustrator, most notably being as a graphic artist for Rachael N. Page-Blackwell’s performance piece: Four Women and an Artist in 2020, held at the Zeiger Dream Theatre in Town Center, Virginia Beach. His work has been collected privately and publicly, most prominently being by the Fresh Prince of Bel Air AirBnB.