Finding Home in the District: An Interview with Artist Eric Hagan

From posting his art on Reddit to being hand-selected by Reddit to design a slate of customizable avatars for its users, D.C.-based artist Eric Hagan has seen his art take off in a way he never quite imagined. Hagan developed his unique artistic style when he was 13 years old, but only recently decided to pursue art full-time. After moving to D.C. from upstate New York with his girlfriend, he finally feels he’s found a home for his art to thrive.

In his upcoming exhibit that will be displayed on February 1 at HOMME Gallery, Hagan sets out to make a body of work representing his journey over the past year. Unpacking emotion and self-reflection through abstract monochromatic illustration, Hagan has fully come into his own with his latest works.

We spoke with Hagan about his new exhibit, his artistic vision and why he has no plans of leaving D.C. anytime soon.

District Fray: Tell me about your new exhibition at HOMME Gallery. What can we expect?
Eric Hagan: You’ll see 12 originals that I’ve been working on for many months. They’re all ink illustrations in my own style. There will also be some merchandise people can pick up, like T-shirts and prints. I made the body of work with the intention to give some sort of narrative. Each piece represents my journey over the past year as I became a more established artist. I was a starving artist for a couple of years. This is the first year in which things started to work out and I started making real progress. These pieces document that journey. 

I read that you worked in the Peace Corps in Zambia for three years. Can you tell me about that experience and if it in any way inspired your art?
It’s a complicated issue for me. Up top, I would like to acknowledge that it is a little problematic and complicated as an institution for many reasons, but it’s kind of unavoidable in my journey as an artist. I was sent as an income-generating volunteer. So basically, I was put in this community and just had to come up with any kind of scheme that would make people money and start different businesses: like selling fruit trees or honey and making beehives and starting little bakery businesses. Gradually, I realized I got really good at using my creativity, to just have an idea and make things happen. I got addicted to that sensation of trying something and seeing what would happen. In Zambia, there’s a lot more cultural value given to people who are clever. The American path to success of getting an education, getting a degree, getting a job: it’s very linear and isn’t obtainable to many people who live in rural communities. I realized when I returned to America I wanted to emulate that style of life in which everything I had came from my creativity. So I just translated it to my goal of being an artist.

Art by Eric Hagan.

Why did you choose to move to D.C. and continue to pursue art here?
I moved to D.C. for the opportunity of it. I grew up in a rural area in upstate New York, and there’s not much opportunity for pursuing art. My girlfriend got a job in D.C. and I just followed her and started reaching out to as many [local] people in the art field. I actually used a copy of the District Fray Magazine, an edition on artists and curators in the city. I reached out to all of their Instagrams and introduced myself. And that’s how I got three art shows; that’s how I met Amir Browder, the owner of Homme Gallery.

That’s so interesting to hear. How has your experience been pursuing art in D.C. since then? Have you felt supported?
Yeah, definitely. I think the traditional cities where people move to pursue art are inundated with people with the same idea, like New York City or LA. D.C. is the perfect size for someone who wants to do what I’m doing. And then make progress [over time] instead of paying $5,000 a month for an apartment and not even making it.

What inspires your style of art?
I like to make these art pieces almost as if they’re like Rorschach tests. There are a lot of opposing emotions woven into the same area so that when someone looks at one of my pieces, no two people will see the same thing. And I think it’s often their own projections that come to the forefront, which is my goal: people can see themselves reflected in the piece.

Why did you choose the medium of ink illustration?
It started with accessibility. When I was in school, it was pretty easy to get your hands on printer paper and sharpies. Eventually, I upgraded my materials, but it’s still ink on paper. And I just continued to develop it because I find it very satisfying.

Where else can we see your art? What’s next for you?
I built my career mainly from Reddit. Customers would reach out to me through that platform, and I would sell just enough art to make rent until the next month and continue like that for about two years. The company itself reached out to me and contracted me to design profile pictures that users could use on the platform. What Reddit did that was interesting was they allowed these 30 artists to release limited collections, but all the money from the sale went to the artists, which is pretty miraculous. And so it was really surreal this summer to see my art on a Times Square billboard. Seeing my art next to people’s comments and stuff [on the site] is really cool.

I also just post every day to Instagram, Tik Tok and Reddit. It’s afforded me the freedom to do what I’ve always wanted to do, and churn out art every day. Now the goal is to just produce more art, have bigger art shows, just continually expand the business. Because it’s no longer just about survival, I can actually pursue the art and give it the time it needs to develop without that axe hanging over my head of just making something to sell it.

Eric Hagan’s latest solo exhibition is on view at Homme Gallery until Feb. 15th, with an opening reception on February 1 from 7-9 p.m.

See more of Hagan’s work on his Reddit here and follow him on Instagram @eric_hagan_art.

Homme Gallery:  52 O St. NW, DC; homme.gallery // @homme_dc

Enjoy this piece? Consider becoming a member for access to our premium digital content. Support local journalism and start your membership today.

Jenna Schwartz