Ian Ferguson Resides In A Separate Realm

By way of Seattle and San Diego, artist Ian Ferguson seems to finally have hit his artistic stride amidst the urban rawness of Chicago. This documentary takes a quick glance at the new direction of his works — with a special focus on large-scale works, paper cuts, and mixed media pieces that intricately render an array of subjects, including row homes, nature, basketball, nudity, geometry, and beards. The video piece captures Ferguson himself as well, as he rapidly gives descriptions of his self-crafted mythological universe and cycles around demonstrating hybrid martial/dance moves. It’s certainly refreshing to see that all of the eccentricities we captured in our previous interview with Ferguson are not only still present, but even more worthy of attention now.

“They’re Hermaphrodite cave-dwellers — male-female characters that have multiple chins and very distinct characteristics, like droopy eyes. Above all else, the Herms love three things: wine, cigarettes, and major corporations. At least, if those major corporations are Nike, Reebok, or their ultimate love, McDonald’s.”
Ian Ferguson, on his mythological characters, the Hermtroglodites aka Herms

Written by
Vee Hua 華婷婷

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

Vee has two narrative short films. Searching Skies (2017) touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States; with it, they helped co-organize The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. Reckless Spirits (2022) is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

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Written by Vee Hua 華婷婷
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