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.


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
2023   Group Exhibition, Love Neon, Ken Saunders Gallery, Chicago, IL
            
            Group Exhibtion, Love Neon II, Ken Saunders Gallery, Chicago, ILi

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

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

Solo Exhibition @ Monaco, St Louis, MO
11.11.22 - 12.10.22






“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





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