Erika Iris

American Artist

Erika Iris Artwork

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Erika Iris Artwork

Erika Iris utilizes a multimedia approach to create wonderful composite art pieces.

Images of such iconic figures as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Madonna are formed using a combination of items including audiotape reels and drawings of the artists. The variety of media used by Erika creates a visually stimulating dynamic that is as unique as it is appealing.

I have experience in a range of media, although I have my own particular preferences that I keep coming back to. If my style speaks to you, I’d love to work with you in the future. Please be in touch to find out more and to discuss how we can collaborate on whatever you have in mind. Erika Iris Hoffman lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband Sean, daughter Margaux, and new puppy Scooby Doo.

Erika Iris Website

Read what Erika has to say about her art below:

My name is Erika Iris and I like to take things- random things- like what you would find at a garage sale or in a thrift store- and make them into composite art. Most of my pieces become portraits of people associated with the item I’ve chosen. I don’t really add any paint or pigments… I usually just take things apart and re-arrange them in weird ways, cutting away pieces when necessary. A lot of my art is made with cassette tapes and old film reels in a series I call “Ghost in the Machine.”

“The Ghost in the Machine” series was inspired by some strange ideas. How at one level we are cellular beings and another we are a single “self.” The single cassette tape I thought of as representing the mind. The tape ribbon represents our thoughts, the data within. Taking that data – those bits of memory – and rearranging them to form what we see as a face is my way of finding a “ghost in the machine.” I also liked the fact that when you look at a portrait like Jimi Hendrix out of a cassette tape, you can almost hear the music in your head – so your own “data” is responding to what you see.

Erika Iris Simmons Woo Arts cassette tape — American Artist Erika Iris Woo Arts cassette tape

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to contact me with any questions or just to say hi. I’ll return your message as soon as I can.

Best wishes

Composite Art

Erika iri5 (pronounced “iris”) is a self-taught artist. She holds a degree in Russian from Washington University in St. Louis. She loves working with strange experimental materials. In 2010 she collaborated with director Ethan Lader to help produce the hit music video for the Bruno Mars song “Just the Way You Are.” The video has received over 400 million views on youtube. She was honored as the Official Artist for the 2013 Grammy Awards. Past clients include: The Times, Oprah Magazine, MAXIM, Levis Strauss & Co., Hermes, Showtime, and RayBan. Erika iri5 lives and works in Chicago.

Erika Iris Artwork