Artist Bio

Brian Riggenbach is a Nashville-based multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges the raw energy of fine art with the fast-paced world of culinary craft. Raised in Naples, Florida, Brian’s path has always been driven by a dual passion for the kitchen and the studio. He studied at Florida State University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, but his most critical education happened on the move. Spending formative years working independently across Paris, Northern Italy, and the Americas, he learned to observe the world through the lens of culture, food, and community. As a professional chef, Brian spent decades immersed in the hospitality industry, a lived experience that directly fuels his visual practice. Today, he balances his time between the heat of the kitchen and the focus of the studio, using each discipline to inform and elevate the other.

Artist Statement

I make art to capture the unfiltered theater of human connection. Having spent my life in restaurants, my eyes are trained to notice the quiet intimacy, the sudden bursts of energy, and the vulnerability that happens when people gather. The kitchen taught me how to blend elements under pressure; the canvas gives me a place to make those fleeting moments permanent.

My work centers heavily on color theory and psychological emotion. I use vivid, non-naturalistic color as a direct language to translate what someone is feeling rather than just what they look like. Driven by my travels and a deep commitment to social equality, my portraiture celebrates diverse lived experiences and open dialogue. By capturing people in honest, vulnerable states, I want to create a mirror that fosters empathy and tells a bold, visceral story.