Cody Gene (b. 1995) is a painter whose work draws from a private imaginative world he first created as a child while navigating the illness of a parent. This inner landscape, at once spiritual and fantastical, continues to serve as the foundation of his practice today. Through richly narrative compositions, Gene explores themes of salvation, memory, and play, weaving together references to video games, cartoons, social media, and advertising copy. His paintings show an intimacy of personal mythology magnified through a broader cultural lens, inviting viewers into a vivid and layered pictorial universe that speaks to the endless demands of a modern and fragmented cultural climate. Gene lives and works in rural Kansas, where his studio serves as both retreat and point of departure for his ongoing exploration of narrative painting.