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OX-OP ARTS PRESENTS:
DEREK HESS: "DESCENT FROM GRACE"
FINE ART ORIGINALS AND POSTERS

Artist Reception Saturday JUL. 9TH, 7:00 pm – 10:00pm
Seawhores performing at Grumpy’s after the reception.
(both events are free)
Show runs JUL 9th – JUL 31st

Minneapolis, MN – OX-OP Arts presents a solo show by Cleveland, Ohio-based artist Derek Hess. Examples of his work are included in the Louvre’s permanent poster collection, and, his first portfolio is part of a permanent collection at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Derek Hess was introduced to the Twin Cities by Robyne Robinson at her groundbreaking Flatland Gallery several years ago to much acclaim, so his return is highly anticipated.

For Hess, life is nothing but a series of lines – connected by color and explained by perspective – that offer both the questions and the answers. As a contemporary artist, he metaphorically strives to find the perfect line that causes riots in the streets and touches the spirit of the soul, peeling back the layers to expose the core of society, which oftentimes reveals a vision of gritty imagery and an oblique point of view.

While studying drawing and printmaking at the Cleveland Institute of Art and the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Hess began booking shows at Cleveland’s then underground venue The Euclid Tavern (1989 – 1995). Working in the environment of indie rock’s DIY aesthetic prompted Hess to design rock posters for each show. Hess has created hundreds of posters for bands ranging from Pink Floyd and Pearl Jam to the Cows, yet easily distinguishing himself from the bourgeoning Art Poster community with a fine art edge that surpasses the usually iconic and graphic based norms of that genre.

Note: We are aware that it IS July & the gallery is clad in metal. The air conditioning “situation” has been remedied.


OX-OP is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday 4-8pm as well as by
appointment, with new shows opening the first Saturday of every month.

Rob McBroom
rob@ox-op.com

Tiff Larkin
tiff@ox-op.com

612-259-0085

OX-OP gallery
1111 Washington Ave S.
(Behind Grumpy’s Bar)
Minneapolis, MN 55415
Ph. 612-259-0085
www.ox-op.com

OX-OP gets graphic about art
by Marianne Combs, Minnesota Public Radio
July 13, 2005

Derek Hess is the latest artist to show at OX-OP Gallery in Minneapolis. (MPR photo/Marianne Combs)When you want to buy comic book art - you go to a comic book store, right? Nowadays you might go to a gallery. Graphic art is moving into the realm of high art, and attracting new, younger buyers.

Minneapolis, Minn. — OX-OP gallery in Minneapolis has been open for just over two years now, and in that time it's presented work inspired by cartoons, comic books, graphic design and Japanese anime.


Currently OX-OP is showing the work of artist Derek Hess. Hess flew in from Cleveland Ohio to hang the show. He's tan, blond and covered in tattoos, some inspired by his own work.

"This was one of my fine art pieces," he says flexing his arms. He has tanks on both arms, and several Captain Americas elsewhere on his body.

"I just got my latest fine art print tattooed on my back in Switzerland - you wanna see it?" he asks.

Hess turns around and lifts up his t-shirt. Between his shoulder blades is the image of a man holding his head in his hands. The drawing is all black except for bright red blood which streams down Hess' spine. What inspired this piece?

"Bad relationships tend to fan that fire - so I'm waiting for my next relationship to fail then I'll have a whole new body of work," he laughs.


Hess's show at OX-Op is filled with angst ridden figures drowning or wrapped in barbed wire. Most are stark, two color pieces. Hess says his style is inspired in part by comic book artists of the 60s and 70s.

While his personal life might appear to be on the rocks, Hess's art is quite popular. He sells much of his work online to people in the US, the UK and Germany.

On opening night the OX-OP Gallery quickly fills up, and within minutes the first prints sell. But this is not your typical gallery crowd. These people are young; many sport intricate tattoos similar to Hess's own. 23 and 24 year olds pour over the price list, debating which prints they can afford.

Sarah Stone brought along the youngest art lover - 5 week old Sophia.

"This is like her third show!" Stone says.


Stone is an artist herself, and has worked at many galleries. She says the world of graphic art doesn't get nearly the appreciation it deserves.

"I personally think it definitely needs more respect," she says. "But, so do tattoo artists and graffiti artists and a lot of outsider artists."

OX OP Manager Rob McBroom says this is a gallery where what you see is what you get: "It's the type of work where if you don't want to have to read anything further into it other than the general image that's fine. It's intelligent work, but you don't necessarily have to have anything crammed down your throat if you don't want to," he says.

Like many OxOp artists, Derek Hess has a highly developed sense of graphic design and marketing. In addition to his fine art, he also has his own clothing line featuring his images. Occasionally he designs a record album or a magazine cover. Hess says he's doing his best to present his work to a broad audience.

"To be an artist today you could go the traditional route and starve and eat your paint and whatever you need to get by," he says.

But Hess has decided to go the route of maximum exposure. As a result, he's not surprised by young faces walking in the gallery door.


"Almost at every gallery show, I have a kid will come up to me and say 'This is the first show I've ever been to! They'll ask if there's a cover charge, because they've never been to a show before."

Hess says he believes his work lures younger kids into the art world. Graphic or illustrative art has a growing following, and not just amongst the young music and anime fans.

Walker Art Center's Kristi Atkinson says museums are now showing work they would never have touched a decade ago. But she says graphic art has some stereotypes to overcome.

"Anything that's grasped by the average person immediately - than it's not art it's pop culture," she says. "But you know I mean look at contemporary art that's just not a valid argument anymore."

Graphic art fans point out Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol both faced similar criticisms of being too accessible. However this is art that tells a story and it's clear from the crowds at places like OXOP that it's art a certain younger audience wants.

Art Dealer

Art Attack on the Suburbs-Grumpy’s Art Unveiling Party
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"Rome is Burning/The New School"
Aesthetic Apparatus-"The Official Aesthetic Apparatus Kindling & Litter-Box-Liner Sale"
Gary Baseman- "MOD Manifestations Of Desire"
Mark Mothersbaugh-"Postcard Diaries"
Gary Taxali-"Chumpy's Specials"
Nathan Jurevicius-"Tunnel Vision"
Shepard Fairey "Visual Disobedience"
Jaime Hayon: "Mon Cirque"
Derek Hess: "Descent from Grace"
Shag-"Push Your Luck"
Billy Childish-Paintings, Prints, Poetry & Performance
Kii Arens-"The Yard Sale"
Burlesque of North America: First Blood, Part III
"Triangulated Fire" paintings by Naoto Hattori, Ryan Kelly & Chris Ryniak
BuffMonster-"Dulces Locos"
Dalek- "The Return of the Space Monkey"
Yumiko Kayukawa & Oksana Badrak
Glenn Barr-"New Paintings & Prints"
KRK Ryden-"The Atomic Glob Show"
Camille Rose Garcia-"Works on Paper"
"Qeedrophonic"
Frank Kozik-"All Your Base Are Belong to Us"
Bwana Spoons & Martin Ontiveros "Like Sqeezing Juice from a Stone"
"Rated XX"
Aesthetic Apparatus
George Thompson-"Bachelor of Fine Arts"
Mark Mothersbaugh-"Beautiful Mutants"
Charles S. Anderson Design-"Awful Pretty: Original Art"
Jeff Soto-"Complete Domination"
Dave Burke-"New Paintings"
Tim Biskup-"The Phantom Thread"
Shag-"Tell No One: Paintings and Prints"
Niagara-"Paintings,Prints and General Artistic Mayhem
Shepard Fairey -"Prints and the Revolution"
Gary Baseman-"Open Wounds (and other paintings about vulnerability)"
Dalek-"Two Fingers of Milk"
"Big Bang"