Ian Danac / D'ford

Bio

Decade 1

My formative years unfolded against the backdrop of indifferent, liberal, and non-religious parents who outsourced their parental duties to television. The volatile nature of their marriage—marked by my father's drinking and my mother's ensuing frustration—forced me to retreat inward, cultivating a beautiful, self-created sanctuary. This environment instilled in me an early, fierce resolve to forge a life distinctly different from theirs, a feeling so profound I often fabricated stories of being adopted. I navigated the Ontario education system while enduring daily homophobia and relentless bullying. Despite this, I consistently achieved straight A's and discovered a prodigious talent for drawing, establishing myself as a smart, yet perpetually anxious, child.

Decade 2

High school provided a formal visual arts program, but it was overshadowed by homophobic administrators who made the environment hostile. My act of painting my entire bedroom black provoked outrage from my mother. The administration threatened expulsion, jeopardizing my graduation, should I attend prom with a male date. Recognizing my potential, my art teachers became my advocates, guiding me toward the Ontario College of Art (OCA) as a path to escape Newmarket, Ontario—a community I viewed as provincial and stifled by intolerance. Accepted at the remarkably young age of sixteen, I felt out of place and quickly disillusioned with the formal curriculum. I departed, took on a "pink-collar" job, and moved in with a peer. During this period, I developed a passion for whole foods and culinary arts. My creative impulse found release in painting on every available surface, a relentless, nesting-like approach to art akin to Maud Lewis.

Decade 3

This decade was characterized by profound emotional experiences and a significant clash with systemic prejudice. I fell in love repeatedly. My aspirations to join the Canadian military were thwarted by overt homophobia, and a subsequent quest for a coveted government position was denied, an outcome I attribute to the Canadian government's refusal to employ an openly gay man at the time. Despite these setbacks, I purchased a beautiful home, survived an abusive relationship, and navigated the emotional neutrality of London, Ontario.

Decade 4 

Embracing the nascent rave culture, I helped define the "Industrial look" and thrived in its creative energy, fueled by euphoria and a spirit of liberation. I experienced life fiercely and freely alongside a cherished artist in Toronto’s gay village, delving into clothing design, sales, painting, and collaging—a sustained period of dancing and sexual self-discovery. My work as a "Cool-hunter"—reporting emerging trends to fashion executives—led to the creation and tour of a feature art film, though the film festival circuit often indulged an excessive consumption of alcohol. Following 9/11, I relocated to Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York, with a banker. There, I created my first major series of nudes, an early, painstaking exploration of collaging two-dimensional images with three-dimensional photography to create an elevated image, a manual precursor to modern image generation tools.

Decade 5

A move to Washington D.C. sparked an immediate fascination with white classical sculptures, influencing my pivot to collaging with three-dimensional objects. This involved painting male dolls, first white, then military green, among other palettes. After seducing a handsome cellist, I co-founded a luxurious, bohemian-inspired boutique in Toronto’s Art and Design district. I consciously eschewed the rising wave of social media, preferring the focused intimacy of online dating, and dedicated time to mastering photo manipulation techniques. The decade concluded with a brief, tumultuous marriage to a man from Texas, which ended in divorce six months later, accompanied by charges of assault.

Decade 6

Remarriage was soon followed by the devastating loss of my husband to cancer, leading to a period of profound disillusionment. During the isolation and anxiety of the COVID years, I turned to cannabis for solace, though I successfully conquered my reliance on both alcohol and nicotine. This era of self-medication was a necessity to survive what I perceived as the decay of a once-affordable nation now grappling with poverty and danger—a deep-seated frustration that bred an unwelcome resentment toward the Canadian government.

Decade 7

My current focus is on the pursuit of love, the creation of homosexual poetry, and the exploration of AI sculpting as a contemporary artistic medium. My life remains a dedication to the enduring power of beauty, love, and the aesthetic of gay men.