Filmed in 2012 at James Cohan Gallery in New York City, artist Trenton Doyle Hancock discusses his large-scale collage "The Former and the Ladder or Ascension and a Cinchin'" (2012). Made from materials that Hancock accumulated over a fifteen-year period, including scraps from some of his earlier artworks, it provides a condensed overview of his artistic development to-date. The artist, who recently moved away from his longtime Mounds and Vegans narrative, describes the central figure as busting out of shackles and "trying to get free of something." "The Former and the Ladder or Ascension and a Cinchin'" is held in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts collection.

Influenced by the history of painting, especially Abstract Expressionism, Hancock transforms traditionally formal decisions—such as the use of color, language, and pattern—into opportunities to convey narratives.

Learn more about the artist at:
http://www.art21.org/artists/trenton-doyle-hancock

CREDITS: Producer: Ian Forster. Consulting Producer: Wesley Miller & Nick Ravich. Interview: Ian Forster. Camera: Ian Forster, Rafael Salazar Moreno & Ava Wiland. Sound: Stephanie Andreou & Ava Wiland. Editor: Morgan Riles. Artwork Courtesy: Trenton Doyle Hancock & James Cohan Gallery. Theme Music: Peter Foley.

"Exclusive" is supported, in part, by by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; 21c Museum Hotel, and by individual contributors.

Trenton Doyle Hancock, "The Former and the Ladder or Ascension and a Cinchin'" (2012) at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
http://www.vmfa.museum/Collections/21st-Century_Art/Hancock_T_2013_3_Former_and_the_Ladder.aspx