Esther Hz is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist based in Denver, Colorado. She is known for creating installation and performance art that sets up interactive, creative experiences for the viewer. Esther has been a resident artist at Redline and Platteforum, and her work has been featured by the Denver Art Museum at Untitled in 2019 and Arthyve's Archives as Muse program debut. She was also awarded a Red Bull microgrant in 2020. In addition to her own art, Esther has worked with young people at the MCA through their "Failure Lab" and "Creator's Studio" programs, mentored girls at Resilience Rising, and served as Associate Director at Platteforum, where she managed an international artist residency, youth program, and podcast. Currently, she works at Union Hall as Chief Curator and is also an Executive Assistant for Black Ball Projects in New York. She maintains her studio practice at XDenver.

My work re-frames and distills the human condition in inventive ways, putting the viewer in new situations to see themselves and be seen. Previously, I created "happenings" around participation and engagement, where I modernized old rituals or scenarios and offered new bizarre ones to fill a much-needed emotional or social gap. As the work evolves, I am drawn to storytelling through the process of drawing, animation, and translating those 2-d works into 3-d mechanical and performative crude sculptures. This interdisciplinary approach allows me to digest, regurgitate, and compost my life experiences. The unrefined and extraneous quality of the work makes light of my personal mental and emotional fallibilities in much the same way as a close friend might.

Curriculum Vitae