Bio
Ronald Hall seamlessly blends fiction and nonfiction in his narrative
paintings, crafting otherworldly spaces where figures contemplate and
navigate the complexities of the past, present, and future. Hall's creative
process heavily relies on digital tools, particularly the computer, which
he uses for experimenting with color, composition and scale. His work
draws from a rich tapestry of influences, including his personal
experiences growing up in the challenging environments of Pittsburgh,
PA. Hall's distinctive style transforms domestic interiors, plantations, and
various environmental structures into surreal dreamscapes that evoke
historical and contemporary issues related to race and social
constructionism.
Hall often incorporates media references such as video game imagery,
Hall often incorporates media references such as video game imagery,
Civil Rights protest photographs, and racial stereotypes, exposing the
intricate biases woven into the fabric of everyday life. His work is also
deeply influenced by the Surrealist art movement of the early 20th
century, echoing its historical practices while exploring modern-day
themes.
A Pittsburgh native, Hall honed his artistic skills at the High School for
A Pittsburgh native, Hall honed his artistic skills at the High School for
Creative and Performing Arts, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and the
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In 1999, he relocated to
Seattle, becoming an artist-member of a Seattle based gallery called
Gallery 110 and showcasing his work at prominent Northwestern
institutions like The Tacoma Museum, The Seattle Art Museum, and
The Wing Luke Asian Museum. Hall has been honored with numerous
prestigious awards and grants, including the Gottlieb Foundation Grant,
the Pollock-Krasner Grant, Headlands Center For The Arts Residency, a
2024 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Painting, The Sharpe-Walentas
Studio Program, The Bronx Museum of the Arts AIM Program, the
Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant, and the 2013 Artist
Fellowship Award in Seattle.
CV
Selected Group Exhibitions: Art Fairs:
McBride/Dillman Seattle Art Fair - 2024
“Interior Worlds/Exterior Myths” Expo Chicago - 2024
New York, NY - June 26th - August 23rd 2025 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair - New York, NY - May, 2023
West Bund Art Fair - Shanghai, China - Nov, 2021
Center for Performance Research 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair - New York, NY - May, 2021
“When The Eye Speaks” Portal Art Fair - New York, NY - May, 2016
Brooklyn, NY - July 25th 2024 Spring/Break Art Fair - New York, NY - March, 2016
Art Cake Exhibition Space Selected Reviews and or Publications:
“Residents Exhibition”
Smack Mellon Hot Picks - 2017 Top Artists List
University of Washington, Jacob Lawrence Gallery Smack Mellon Hot Picks program, 2015 Top Artists List
“Black Surrealism” Art Voices Magazine: - 2013 - 25 Artists to Watch & Collect
Seattle, WA - June 27th - July 11th 2023 The Stranger, “Slog” - 2013
The Stranger, “Slog” - 2012
Art Cake Exhibition Space Art In America - 2007
“Anniversary Resident Showcase”
Brooklyn, NY - July 14th - March 11th 2023 Residencies, Grants & Awards:
Hesse Flatow ISCP Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Residency, Brooklyn, NY - *Sept -2025
“Augurhythms” MacDowell Artist Fellowship Residency, Peterborough, NH - June/July 2025
New York, NY - July 14th - August 26th 2022 Headlands Center For The Arts Residency, Sausalito, CA - 2024
Triangle Arts Residency, Brooklyn, NY - 2024
VillageOne Art Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program - Brooklyn, NY - 2021 - 2022
“Revealing The Beauty Within” Elizabeth Foundation For the Arts - New York, NY - 2018 - 2019
New York, NY - May 24th - June 25th 2022 Skowhegan School of Painting And Sculpture, Skowhegan, MN - 2016
The Bronx Museum of the Arts (AIM program) - Bronx, NY - 2015
Aout Gallery NARS; Studio Residency Fellowship - Brooklyn, NY - 2014
“Young Dreams” 2024 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Painting
Gemmayzeh, Beirut - February 24th - April 1st 2021 Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Individual Grant Recipient - 2023
Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant - 2018
Wa Na Wari Arts Space Pollock-Krasner Grant - 2016
Seattle, WA. - January 2nd 2020 - March 8th 2020 2013 Artist Fellowship Award - The Artist Trust of Washington State
Provincetown Art Association and Museum Selected Institutional & Private Collections:
"The 2018 Grant Recipients" Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, AR
Provincetown, MA September 27th - Nov 10th, 2019 Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, Wa
Green River College, Auburn, Wa
Center On Contemporary Art Michael Xufu Huang
"Painters Who Know How To Paint" Beth Rudin DeWoody
Seattle, WA June 7th - July 14th, 2018
Horton Gallery
4912 Main Street
Houston. Texas September 9th - October 22, 2016
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
AIM Program group exhibition
The Bronx, NY – July 9th – September 20th 2015
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
James Harris Gallery - "Remnants", Dallas, TX - 2024
Duane Thomas Gallery - “New Paintings”, NYC - 2020
Ground Floor Gallery - "Undisclosed: Visual Conversations"
Brooklyn, NY - 2019
Basile Gallery of Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN - 2018
Education:
Skowhegan School of Painting And Sculpture, Skowhegan, MN 2016
Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa
High school for the Creative and Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, Pa
Born in Pittsburgh, Pa
Lives in Brooklyn, NY
Full CV Download