Artist Statement
In my practice, I apply principles related to both figurative and spiritual abstraction, creating meticulously crafted collage paintings informed by social, technological, and ecological systems. My subjects are humanoid figures emanating within dreamscapes, rendered in warm oil washes and inspired by Alabama landscapes. Acrylic-based mediums, dynamic mark-making, and impressionistic painting techniques are applied and layered onto cut-and-sewn textiles, wood, or glass allowing these figures to emerge as both sculptural and fluid.
This approach is a response to modern society’s entanglement within technical and biological world systems, a reciprocal tension that exists within and beyond the self. Personal motifs are imbued with core ideas rooted in the concepts of memory, chakras as energy centers, spiritual impermanence, and alchemical myth. The Soul-Window motif (see “A Moment to Share”) reflects human resonance, urging the audience to remember that every moment plays a pivotal role in shaping our perception. The Anger and Ambition motifs (see “Root to Crown I”) are odes to the root and crown chakras, encouraging the audience to contemplate how their highs and lows are interconnected. Created for collective engagement, each work is a space to re-center and consider how we can collectively transmute tension.
Bio
Rain Spann (b.1998 in Dothan, AL) is an American artist and designer based in Virginia. His interdisciplinary practice spans painting, collage, and collage-paintings that propose new perspectives of how social, technological, and ecological systems converge. Beyond the studio, Spann is an electrical designer at Pace Collaborative and designs for his clothing brand, Onewing to Fly. An active community contributor, he assists with exhibit installations, leads educational workshops, and serves on the board of the non-profit BUILD: CDI. Spann graduated from Old Dominion University in 2021 with a bachelor’s in computer engineering and is currently a 2025–2026 First Patron Artist in Residence with the Contemporary Arts Network in Newport News, VA.
This approach is a response to modern society’s entanglement within technical and biological world systems, a reciprocal tension that exists within and beyond the self. Personal motifs are imbued with core ideas rooted in the concepts of memory, chakras as energy centers, spiritual impermanence, and alchemical myth. The Soul-Window motif (see “A Moment to Share”) reflects human resonance, urging the audience to remember that every moment plays a pivotal role in shaping our perception. The Anger and Ambition motifs (see “Root to Crown I”) are odes to the root and crown chakras, encouraging the audience to contemplate how their highs and lows are interconnected. Created for collective engagement, each work is a space to re-center and consider how we can collectively transmute tension.
Bio
Rain Spann (b.1998 in Dothan, AL) is an American artist and designer based in Virginia. His interdisciplinary practice spans painting, collage, and collage-paintings that propose new perspectives of how social, technological, and ecological systems converge. Beyond the studio, Spann is an electrical designer at Pace Collaborative and designs for his clothing brand, Onewing to Fly. An active community contributor, he assists with exhibit installations, leads educational workshops, and serves on the board of the non-profit BUILD: CDI. Spann graduated from Old Dominion University in 2021 with a bachelor’s in computer engineering and is currently a 2025–2026 First Patron Artist in Residence with the Contemporary Arts Network in Newport News, VA.
In 2017, he participated in the Chaiya Art Association exhibition in Taiwan, followed by his debut solo exhibition at HOMME Gallery in Washington, D.C. in 2019. In 2023 and 2024, Spann held consecutive solo exhibitions at Southside Contemporary Art Gallery. His work has been featured in national and regional exhibitions and auctions, including the Contemporary Arts Network, Black History Museum & Cultural Center, Wonzimer Gallery, Superchief Gallery, 1708 Gallery, Oakwood Arts, NYC Culture Club, and Knowhere Art Gallery. His work has been acquired by the Museum of Crypto Art (2023) and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Mansion (2021) and commissioned by VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center (2025).