CONTACT
Email:
Instagram: @oleary.studio
BIO
Christopher O’Leary (b. Seattle, Washington) is an artist, photographer and researcher. His work in photography expands from still images to video, animation, custom software, and other experimental processes. O’Leary’s projects are generated in dialogue with scientists and laboratories working on contemporary issues in astronomy, cosmology, environmental science, and other fields, across the globe. He was the first artist in residence at the Carnegie Observatories in Las Campanas Chile, and has worked with with researchers at CalTech, LIGO Labs, the Smithsonian, UCLA, CalState Fullerton, and more. He has been awarded a number of artist residencies including the Ucross Residency, the Playa Residency, and the Rockland Residency. His current research is about the science and observation of gravitational waves, which will culminate in a solo exhibition at the Begovich Gallery at CalState Fullerton in 2024. He is also in a group show highlighting the research archive at CalTech, in conjunction with the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time Art-and-science event. O’Leary’s work has been shown in museums and galleries around the globe, in both art and science contexts. Chris lives and works in Los Angeles, California, and is an Assistant Professor of Photography at Pasadena City College.
Education
- 2008
MFA: Design Media Arts, University of California Los Angeles
- 2004
BFA: Photography, University of Washington
- 2004
BA: Interdisciplinary Art, University of Washington
Teaching
- 2015 - Present
Assistant Professor of Photography, Pasadena City College
- 2023
Visiting Lecturer, Digital Photography, UCLA Dept. of Design Media Arts
- 2010
Practicum: Generative Form and Code, CalArts, Santa Clarita, CA
- 2008 - 2013
Visiting Lecturer, Digital Photography, UCLA Dept. of Design Media Arts
Residencies & Fellowships
- 2022
- Playa at Summer Lake Art & Science Residency, Summer Lake, Oregon
- Research Sabbatical, Pasadena City College, Pasadena, CA
- 2020
Rockland Woods, Winter Residency, Bremerton, WA
- 2019
Playa at Summer Lake Art & Science Residency, Summer Lake, Oregon
- 2018
Rockland Woods Residency, Inaugural Residency, Bremerton, WA
- 2016 - Present
AxS Incubator: Fulcrum Arts, Pasadena, CA
- 2016
Artist in Residence, Carnegie Observatories, Atacama, Chile
- 2014 - 2015
- Senior Photographer, School of the Arts, UCLA
- Visiting Researcher, UCLA Art|Sci Research Center
- 2012
Ucross Foundation Fellowship & Residency
- 2009
Atlantic Center for the Arts: Associate Artist in video/performance to Carole Kim
- 2007
- Real-Presence Floating Sites, Artist Residency, Istanbul, Turkey
- Real-Presence, Artist Residency, Belgrade, Serbia
- 2004
Vain Free-Thinking Artist Residency, Seattle, WA
Selected Exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
- 2024
upcoming: Gravity Well, Begovich Museum, Cal-State Fullerton, Fullerton CA
- 2020
“Black (W)hole”, Collaborative Installation, Tinworks, Bozeman MT
- 2013
“Black (W)hole”, Collaborative Installation, Emerson Center for the Arts, Bozeman MT
- 2009
Multiverse > Future and Dust – A.L.I-Roma, Rome, Italy
- 2006
Light Play, Swingset Films Gallery, Seattle, WA
Group Exhibitions
- 2024
upcoming: CalTech Archive, Pacific Standard Time, Pasadena, CA
- 2018
“100% Synthetic”, Screening & DVD Publication, Estuary Records
- 2017
- “Far Bazar”, Cerritos College, Cerritos, CA
- “Fem Climate”, ARS Electronica, Linz Austria
- “Faculty Exhibition”, Boone Gallery, Pasadena City College
- “UNCERTAINTY”, Williamson Gallery at Art Center, Pasadena, CA
- 2016
- “Black (W)hole”, Sesnon Gallery at Porter College, UC Santa Cruz
- “Black (W)hole”, Cambridge Science Festival
- “Things To Come”, Pitach Tikva Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel
- 2015
- “Via Negativa”, South Bay Contemporary, San Pedro, CA
- “Xerodrome”, New Music Festival, San Francisco, CA
- 2014
- “Black (W)hole”, Permanent, Chabot Space & Science Center, Oakland, CA
- “Black (W)hole”, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Brownsville, TX
- “Xerodrome”, Sphaerae Experimental Gallery, AxS Festival, Pasadena, CA
- 2013
- “Black (W)hole”, MSU Planetarium, Bozeman MT.
- “Familiar Spirit”, Performance, Marsh Chapel, Boston University, Boston, MA
- 2012
- Dark Matter I, Machine Project, Los Angeles, CA
- Dark Matter II, Machine Project, Los Angeles, CA
- Dark Matter III, Machine Project, Los Angeles, CA
“Bandwagon”, Group Performance, Machine Project, Los Angeles, CA - “Render: New Construction in Video Art”, CA Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA
- 2011
- “ARTifact: 53K”, Sixth College Art Gallery, UCSD, San Diego, CA
- “Calamity Tales”, Performance, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA
- “Speculative”, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA
- “Spaceship Earth”, Center for Contemporary Art, Torun Poland
- “Beta-Release”, Six-Pack Projects, Long Beach, CA
- 2010
- Santa Monica Glow Festival, Santa Monica, CA
- “Real Presence X” – National Museum, Belgrade Serbia
- 2009
“Pluto” – Group Performance, Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL
- 2008
“Exit Strategies” – MFA Exhibition, New Wight Gallery, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Lectures & Performances
- 2022
Job Talk, Visual Arts, University of California, San Diego
- 2017
Leonardo LASER Talk, ArtCenter College of Design
- 2016
Leonardo LASER Talk, UCLA Art-Art-Science Center
- 2014
“Cloud Chambers” UCLA Art-Science Center Summer Institute, Los Angeles, CA
- 2011
“SPECULATIVE”, Curator Talk, LACE, Los Angeles, CA
- 2010
Artist Talk, Los Angeles Dorkbot, Machine Project, Los Angeles, CA
Publications & Bibliography
- 2024
upcoming: CalTech Archive, Claudia Bohn
- 2017
“Machine Project: The Platinum Collection”, Mark Allen
- 2016
Things To Come: Exhibition Catalogue, Doreet Harten
- 2015
- Via Negativa: Exhibition Catalogue, James McDevott
- Cloud Chambers Interview, Folio Magazine, Pasadena Arts Council, Winter 2015
- 2014
- Black (W)hole, Leonoardo, Spring 2014
- Casalegno, Mattia, “The SPECULATIVE Exhibition.”, Digicult, 08.2011
- 2012
“SPECULATIVE”, Drunken Boat Literary Magazine #15
- 2011
- “SPECULATIVE”, Catalogue and Reader for LACE, Editor w/ Zach Blas
- “Spaceship Earth”, Center for Contemporary Art, Torun Poland, curator Dobrila Denegri
- 2009
Multiverse > Directions for the world > Christopher O’Leary > Future & Dust
- 2008
Exit Strategies – Exhibition Catalogue
- 2007
Sabine Zurel, “100 jaar toekomst,” BRIGHT 19 (December-January 2008), 16.
Awards
- 2015
- PCC Foundation Faculty Grant – Academic Excellence Award
- Finalist for Creative Capital Award, Visual Arts
- 2007
- D|MA Travel Grant
- Eugene Wurzel Memorial Fellowship UCLA
- 2006
- UCLA Regents Stipend
- Vain Studios Grant
- 2004
UW School of Art, Graduating With Excellence Award