(b. 1964) 

Hipkiss has become an internationally acclaimed artist over the past decade, and Kohler Foundation was among the first to acquire a major work. The Foundation’s first exposure to Hipkiss was in 2000 when the Kohler Foundation acquired three drawings, including the monumental 35-foot long drawing “Lonely Europe Arm Yourself".  The works were preserved and gifted to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. In 2014, a fourth Hipkiss was acquired for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, and now, in 2015, four additional murals, known as the “Losses Series” have been acquired for the Arts Center and will be gifted later this year.

The work of Hipkiss, until recently, has been attributed to Chris Hipkiss alone, but in fact, Alpha and Chris Mason, a feminist couple, actually create in partnership. Chris has said, “being seen as a male artist has led to erroneous perceptions about the work; it’s only natural to be influenced by the gender of the artist, after all.” Chris is the “draftsperson,” but Alpha deserves equal credit for her creative input.

Together, this artistic couple, collectively known as Hipkiss, has created vast panoramic scenes of what many describe as “post-apocalyptic landscapes”. Work by Hipkiss has been featured in exhibitions at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Tate Britain, New Museum, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Whitechapel Gallery, American Folk Art Museum, and Intuit, among others.