Daniel Hibbert (b. 1986 in Lansing, Michigan) is an American painter who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Hibbert’s work explores the role of storytelling in society as a catalyst for connection and change. In the form of large-scale compositions, he translates stories told through non-visual forms (such as music, poetry and spoken-word) into complex and vivid paintings that allow viewers to engage the story in a new way.
Self-taught with a background in mechanical engineering and music, Hibbert’s practice integrates a deeply analytical thought process with an expressive aesthetic. Possessing a unique “left-brain, right-brain” duality, his work reflects both modes, alternating between clean lines with figurative images and abstract expressions of emotion. His process involves deconstructing the story of inspiration down to its most fundamental emotions via color and texture (which he calls “bass notes”) and then layering in the “melody and harmonies” to complete it.
While his work relays social commentary and broadly relevant themes around the human experience, Hibbert’s explorations often offer a window into his own relationships with vulnerability, race, religion and politics. The intimate view into his psyche creates an invitation for reflection and conversation.
Hibbert is a 2017 James Weldon Johnson Foundation Artist-in-Residence Fellow and has been the subject of three solo exhibitions in New York City – Timeless (2015), Good Mourning, America (2017) and Parables (2024). His art resides in private collections in New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco and London, amongst many others.
