Biography
Cole Hancock is an MFA candidate in Printmaking at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They graduated from Florida State University with a BFA in studio art and a concentration in printmaking in 2021. In 2019, they became director of Phyllis Straus Gallery in Tallahassee, FL, and in 2020 was awarded the IDEA grant to begin research into environment-industry interactions. Following graduation, they returned to East Tennessee to continue their art practice exploring postindustrial culture in conversation with the environment. Their practice involves low budget roadtripping to document these interactions; by combining print with paper craft, they contemplate the nature of our relationship with the land. As an Appalachian-based itinerant artist, they explore the coevolution and preservation of ecosystems with human infrastructure. Cole regularly attends SGCI (Southern Graphics Council International) conferences, and has been exhibited by local and national galleries such as the Lawrence Arts Center and Relay Ridge, Knoxville.
Artist Statement
Growing up in the Appalachian foothills, I witnessed how culture and ecosystems evolve together. My art merges traditional craft with contemporary printmaking to explore human interactions with nature and how efforts to preserve it often lead to unintended changes. Postindustrial commercialization overpowers natural spaces, embedding human infrastructure like highways through national parks, amusement parks near landmarks, and gas stations at the edges of wilderness. I focus on the tension between preservation and exploitation, especially through the lens of tourism.
I use locally-sourced recycled and natural fibers to create handmade paper, connecting my work to the land in a tangible way. This physical connection allows me to examine the complex relationship between human-made boundaries and the natural world. Through posters, zines, and handmade paper compositions, I engage with nature as both advocate and adversary. My use of abstraction, illustration, and text allows me to critique the commodification of landscapes and its ecological impact. I create works that humorously distort the myth of an area into sarcastic travel ads or depict the natural beauty of a place with trash embedded in the paper, symbolizing human encroachment.
At the intersection of souvenirs, nature, and environmental impact lies a false sense of estrangement. Our relationship with the land is defined by the borders we impose and what we choose to preserve or discard. This evolving relationship mirrors the development of human infrastructure alongside feral ecosystems. My work examines this delicate balance and how shifts in the natural world challenge our control over ancient landscapes.