Kalan Strauss (b. 1996, Los Angeles, USA) holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Growing up in Los Angeles and experiencing his father's professional involvement as an actor, Strauss became aware of the construction of representational imagery, and the extreme amount of editing, post-processing and visual effects that goes into these falsified scenarios that are presented to us as entertainment. Many of the formal qualities of Strauss’s work revolve around questioning, revealing, mimicing and critiquing this construction of representational imagery, specifically the visual experience.
His work centers around the theme of nostalgia, perceptual experiences and bringing together people in an emotional and intellectual journey. Strauss’s goal is to create thought-provoking pieces that explore the complexities of the human experience, specifically the memories and emotions that shape our lives, and to highlight the sensory experiences we often overlook in our mundane daily lives. The themes of identity, memory, and the human condition are recurrent in the artist’s work and they strive to create a sense of intimacy and vulnerability in their pieces. Strauss aims to connect with viewers on a deeper level, provoke a sense of self-reflection and empathy, as well as to bring people together to share a collective nostalgic experience.
His work centers around the theme of nostalgia, perceptual experiences and bringing together people in an emotional and intellectual journey. Strauss’s goal is to create thought-provoking pieces that explore the complexities of the human experience, specifically the memories and emotions that shape our lives, and to highlight the sensory experiences we often overlook in our mundane daily lives. The themes of identity, memory, and the human condition are recurrent in the artist’s work and they strive to create a sense of intimacy and vulnerability in their pieces. Strauss aims to connect with viewers on a deeper level, provoke a sense of self-reflection and empathy, as well as to bring people together to share a collective nostalgic experience.
Education
2020 BFA, Painting, New Media, and Art and Technology, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2017 AB, Marketing and Advertising, College of the Canyons, Valencia, CA
Exhibitions / Screenings / Performances / Murals / Commissions
2024 Group Exhibition, Time of Our Lives, Anthony Gallery at
The Mass, Tokyo
Group Exhibition, Amor Tuyo, Tlaloc Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Group Exhibition, Feed The Streets - Curated by Sayre Gomez, Los Angeles, CA
Group Exhibition, Looks Can Be Deceiving - Curated by Kalan Strauss, Anthony Gallery, Chicago, IL
Group Exhibition, Angelitos De Plata, Charlie James Gallery - Curated by Ozzie Jaurez, Los Angeles, CA
2023 Group Exhibition, Incognito, ICA LA at Hauser and Wirth,
Los Angeles, CA
Group Exhibition, Love Neon, Ken Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL
Group Exhibtion, Love Neon II, Ken Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL
2022 Solo Exhibition, Only In My Dreams, Monaco, St. Louis, MO
Group Exhibition, Small Neon, Ken Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL
Group Exhibition, Barely Fair 2022, The Latent Space, Chicago, IL
Group Exhibition, Decenter, The Latent Space, Chicago, IL
2021 Group Exhibition, You Thought To Think?, The Latent Space, Chicago, IL
Group Exhibition, Bright-Line, The Latent Space, Chicago, IL
Group Exhibition, Neon and Light Museum, Chicago, IL
2020 Mural, Porte/B-Line Chicago, 14 S Green Street, Chicago, IL
Experimental 3D Showcase, Mana Contemporary, Chicago, IL
2019 Now That’s What I Call REAL-TIME, Elastic Arts, Chicago, IL
BFA Show, Sullivan Galleries, Chicago, IL
SHC Collective, Soho House Chicago, Chicago, IL
Next to the Sun, YCA Gallery, Chicago, IL
Back to School!, FDC Studios, Chicago, IL
Solo Exhibition, The Grass Wall, FDC Studios, Chicago, IL
Man of the Match, Heineken, SeatGeek Stadium, Chicago, IL
Department of the Unimaginable, NIKE, Pop-up location, Chicago, IL
Mural, Live Out Your Dreams (LOUD), LOUD Factory, Chicago, IL
2018 Winter Lumen, Art and Technology Department Flex Space Gallery, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Chicago Fashion Week, FashionBar, Chicago, IL
Mural, Weissbluth Pediatrics - South-Loop, Chicago, IL
Mural, Uber/Lollapalooza/Soho House Chicago, Soho House Chicago, Chicago, IL
Mural, Bacardi/B-Line Chicago, B-Line Chicago, Chicago, IL
Art Bash, SITE Galleries, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2017 Worst Crowd, Pop-up Location, Los Angeles, CA
Curatorial
2024 Looks Can Be Deceiving, Anthony Gallery, Chicago, IL
2022 Warm Walls, The Latent Space @ Monaco, St. Louis
Barely Fair 2022, The Latent Space Booth, Chicago, IL
2021 Bright-Line, The Latent Space, Chicago, IL
Professional Activities
2020 Founder and Director, The Latent Space, Chicago, IL
Publications
2021 The Best Neon Exhibition in July 2021, F/Art Neon,
https://www.fart-neon.com/en/newsandpress-pkv1/art/neon-art-exhibition-july-2021.html
2019 Interview: Kalan Strauss, Occi Park, Kyle Harrison,
https://occipark.com/blogs/interviews/kalan-strauss
2018 Collective Terrain Inaugural Issue, Collective Terrain
Awards
2017-2020 Distinguished Scholar Award, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Only In My Dreams
“The Foe”, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
18x18 inches
“The Golden Knight”, 2022
Acrylic on panel
16x20 inches
“The Chase”, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
18x18 inches
Untitled, 2022
Acrylic on canvas
18x18 inches
“Manifest Destiny”, 2022
Colored pencil on paper
6x8 inches
“Kaiju on the Beach”, 2022
Colored pencil on paper
6x8 inches
“Only In My Dreams”, 2022
Colored pencil on paper
6x8 inches
Small Neon
Group Exhibition at Ken Saunders Gallery in Chicago, IL.9.9.22 - 11.15.22
“Traffic at Sunset, on Sunset”
Neon, argon, mercury, transformer, GTO wires
~ 20x8 inches
2022
Neon, argon, mercury, transformer, GTO wires
~ 20x8 inches
2022
Forest For The Trees (FFTT) was a group exhibition in Seattle, WA that featured 16 artists all showing 7x7 foot paintings on canvas.
![]()
![]()
“Tiger Hunting”, acrylic on canvas, 84x84 inches, 2022
“Trophy Piece”, 20x11 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025
“Choking Hazard”, 18.5x10 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025
“XL”, 30x14 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025
“Charge It! Pump It!”, 16x9.5 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025
“Multi-Directional Soak”, 22x11 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025
“Sensational Stream”, 20x11 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025
“Xpose, 24x12 inches, acrylic on canvas, 2025
“Get Wet”, 30x14 inches, Acrylic on canvas, 2024
“Easy Target”, 22x14 inches, Acrylic on canvas, 2024
“Love At First Shot”, 13x8.5 inches, Acrylic on canvas, 2024
“Maximum D”, 28x14 inches, Acrylic on canvas, 2024
“Pump Action”, 24x14 inches, Acrylic on canvas, 2024
“Akimbo”, 22x14 inches, Acrylic on canvas, 2024
“Child Protective Services” 28x14 inches, Acrylic on canvas, 2024
“Concealed Carry”, 22x16 inches, Acrylic on canvas, 2024
“Squirt”, 12x12 inches, Acrylic on board, 2023
“Splash From The Past”,
Resin, acrylic, vinyl, metal hardware
18.5x16x6 inches
2024