The “B” here should stand for Brooklyn, which is where the North Ontario native Ian Hundley calls home and studio for a haute-quilting operation that has turned heads and excited fashionistas and art gawkers alike.
In the late 90s, Hundley and his brother left behind their 500-person rural hometown for the New York City modeling world. While they never made it Doublemint big–“Those are juicy contracts, I tell you!” Hundley exclaims–the experience did open both brothers’ eyes to the art world, where they both make their living now. Hundley’s medium is fabric, from which he quilts topographically-inspired landscapes hearkening back to a high-school geography textbook. It still sits in their Williamsburg studio, among Ian’s brother’s graphic design work as well as Hundley’s quilts.
When Hundley was granted space last year in the appointment-only Earnest Sewn studio in the Meatpacking District, hype descended upon him. His work has since earned a number of commissions, as well as mentions in VOGUE and ARTFORUM, which celebrated fabrics “quilted into a flood of abstract waves.”
While spinning off a few private commissions, this spring finds Hundley poised to mount his next big gallery show, evaluating possibilities in New York, LA and Toronto. Regardless of his decision, it’s only a matter of time before Canada claims him as its own. Come summer, Hundley et frere set off for their annual creative retreat to the Northern Ontario cabin they’ve built.
There are no quilts to be found there, however: “I’m afraid the local mice would gnaw away at them!” (http://ianhundleystudio.com).
