(b. 1995) is a self-taught artist born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Waldorf, Maryland. He is a graduate of Towson University in Baltimore, MD. He is known for alluring, powerful paintings of Black life liberated from the burdens of racial stereotypes and conflict. Figures and scenes are idealized, as Hardy depicts a world of Black figures existing in comfort, in moments of relaxation, enjoyment, even triumph, free from the realities of existence as a marginalized minority in America. Hardy deliberately darkens the skin tone of his figures, irrespective of the skin tone of the various subjects. Hardy’s works are chronicles of lives lived Black— Black talents, Black “comfort,” and Black voice. In a style influenced by Kerry James Marshall and Ernie Barnes, Hardy’s work seeks to subvert, transcend, and ultimately replace stereotypical, negative, depictions of Black American life. In 2021, Hardy had his first solo presentation at UTA Artist Space in Los Angeles, followed by his debut solo exhibition with Charlie James Gallery in early 2022. His work is held in the collections of the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, California, the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA, and the North Dakota Museum of Art.
