Hal Hardin
Conway, Arkansas
Summer 2026 * Art
Artist Statement
I create paintings as an act of resistance. By examining the historical role of figurative painting as a tool for governing our relationship to the body, performance, and self-fashioning from my vantage point as a genderqueer person in the South, I explore my nuanced experiences with curiosity. A murky Arkansan river, droopy cat tails and pond-skaters. Bodies toppling over each other, disoriented, red strings between red candles, beginning to catch fire. I do not aim to make work that is generalized or didactic, but rather to investigate a specific idea or remembered personal interaction. The specificity in the clothes and objects within the image reference a certain time, place, memory, or social culture. I combat the expectation of what bodies in painting should look like, what “transness” could look like without offering the viewer the visual satisfaction of discovery.
The artist in the studio. © Hal Hardin
Works
Bear Picnic, 2025, 36” x 26”, oil on canvas
Mall Bath, 2026, Oil on Canvas, 46" x 63"
Salt Lamps, 2025, Oil on Canvas, 59" x 48"
Pond Skaters, 2025, Oil on Canvas, 42" x 34"
Sandalwood, 2026, 12” x 10”, oil on panel
KitchenAid, 2025, 15" x 13", oil on panel with handmade frame
Sunbather II, 2025, 24” x 48”, oil and sand on canvas
Dinner for the Husband (that I Hate), 2025, 2025, 20” x 29”, oil on canvas
Cord Cutting, 2026, 24 × 23 × 1 in, Oil on canvas
Summer Solstice, 2026 © Hal Hardin
About the Artist
Hal Hardin is a genderqueer painter based in Northwest Arkansas who explores the layered and evolving nature of identity through contemporary figurative painting. Their work is informed by their experiences navigating the American South, art historical references, and popular culture. Hal received their BFA in Painting and BA in Art History from the University of Arkansas in 2026. Hal has exhibited work at Windgate Galleries in Fayetteville, AR, Midnight Gallery in Bentonville, AR, and in group exhibitions across Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and New York. They are the recipient of the 2026 Windgate Accelerator Grant and have received additional support through travel grants for study at the UA Rome Center, Mount Gretna School of Art, the New York Studio School, and the Chautauqua School of Art. Their work has been featured in publications such as NOVA by New American Paintings and in the 2026 Summer Catalog from I LIKE YOUR WORK podcast.
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