Derek Hibbs: Ramshackle

Friday, Nov 12, 2021 – Jan 14, 2022

1743 Commercial Avenue, Madison, WI 53704

Tandem Press is pleased to host Ramshackle, an exhibition of prints by Derek Hibbs, a 2020 MFA graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and former Tandem Press project assistant. Hibb’s work satirically illustrates working-class survival in the face of American class inequality, particularly now in the midst of a pandemic.

Artist Statement:

Ramshackle (adjective)
1: appearing ready to collapse: RICKETY
2: carelessly or loosely constructed / / a ramshackle plot

An apt title for this body of work, not literally in its construction, but within the content. Some works in this exhibition undoubtedly highly specific ongoing human issues: climate change, inequality, selfishness, and addiction, to name a few. Others function as a reflection or recollection of the self in a time of flux and instability.

The past few years have been turbulent, to say the least. Ramshackle has been a relevant word for how one many feel while enduring the seemingly endless battle of living in a tumultuous political landscape amidst a global pandemic. It describes countless scenarios for those recently brought to the brink of something about to collapse. It also fairly describes a general assertion about society – how we have typically lacked consideration for other throughout human history – something that is gravely needed for us to move forward on planet earth.

Artist Biography:

Derek Hibbs (b. 1992, Toledo, Ohio) received his BFA in printmaking from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and his MFA in Studio Art (printmaking) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hibbs lives and works in Madison, Wisconsin where he has established a fully functional home print studio. Through this operation, titled Persistence Press, Hibbs collaborates with local artists to produce a wide variety of fine art prints. Hibbs is also currently a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he teaches a variety of 2D media.

This exhibition is made possible through support from the Anonymous Fund.

Visit Derek Hibbs’s website for more information