Chris Vance: “Balance” exhibit opening reception

Join us for the Chris Vance opening reception at Moberg Gallery, 2411 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312 on Friday, April 15, 2022, from 5pm – 8 pm.

Chris Vance has been intrigued during the pandemic years by the chaos and calm that coexist. He is also fascinated by dual modes of operating which seem to have emerged even more noticeably now that the world is opening, and people are reacting differently to this resumed movement. Vance has been studying the artists he admires, collaborating with friends, and sharing studio space with his son. And so, he decided that his 2022 exhibit needed to explore the nature of things that reside side by side, both working together and fighting against each other. Striking a balance by placing paintings in couples, Vance lets them talk intimately to each other, their lines and color not so much an attraction of opposites but a learning to live together, with their differences at the core. 

Chris Vance is best known for his vibrant exterior wall murals throughout the metro Des Moines area. His painting is greatly influenced by graffiti and skateboards artists, and he believes that ideas are an “internal ingestion, and the art is the medium of the expression.” He is a visual diarist concerned with place and time. His exploration of scale is thorough, from creating small panel works that group together brilliantly, to large-scale acrylics. An Iowa State University graduate, he currently resides in Bondurant.