Richmond artist launches sticker-themed exhibition, public art project

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond artist and curator Ian Hess is kicking off a month-long, multi-layered art project that puts sticker culture in the spotlight.

The series launches Sept. 5 at Gallery5 during the city’s First Friday art walk with “Hello My Name Is,” an exhibition featuring hundreds of artists from around the world. The show highlights sticker culture as an art form that has grown from city streets to international recognition.

The celebration continues Sept. 13 at the Byrd Theatre with a screening of “Sticker Movie,” a documentary, exploring the history of sticker making, the community of collectors, and the subculture of slap taggers.

The project will culminate with a first-of-its-kind mobile art piece in the United States — a sticker-covered bus. Thousands of stickers submitted by participating artists will be used to wrap an entire bus, turning it into a rolling public artwork. The concept was inspired by a similar project in Estonia in 2024, but this will be the first time the idea is brought to American streets.

The exhibition and activations are the latest projects from Hess, known for his work with Little Giant Society, Supply RVA and the development of the Manchester Art Park.

With “Hello My Name Is,” Hess said the goal is to highlight repetition, distinctness, collectability and longevity — all central to sticker culture — while creating opportunities for the Richmond community to engage with a global movement.

For more information on the international sticker bus project, click here.