Ardillio Anderson at Chicago Athletic Association

Catch the work of Ardillio Anderson (also known as Hector Jones) on display for the month of January in the Chicago Athletic Association. Andersons newly framed drawings will be open to public viewing at the entrance of the 2nd floor Game Room beginning January 4th.

Anderson was previously featured in a podcast conversation at Chicago Athletic back in 2019.

Ardillio Anderson has cultivated a praxis of methodical, portrait-based artwork. He studies the nuances of facial expressions and presents them to the viewer with empathy and vulnerability. The resulting works are easily relatable yet powerful.

“I’m just trying to make it look as realistic as possible but have my own little twist. I put my own style to it. It’s time-consuming but it’s fun.”

His style is rooted in low contrast graphite drawings punctuated with colored pencil and ink, though his most recent works have evolved to incorporate an increased measure of saturated colors. For Anderson, art-making functions as a reprieve from the stresses of everyday life.

“It gets me away from being bored or in front of the TV or in my room all day. I can listen to music and do art at the same time. It lets me be free to do something other than be bored. I can get out there and people can look at my stuff.”

Anderson is also a member of the studio’s band, Van Go Go. He has exhibited at the Chicago Cultural Center, the Chazen Museum of Art in Wisconsin, and the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago. Anderson was also interviewed in a Chicago Athletic Association podcast featuring Arts of Life in 2019.