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
“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
“Tiger Hunting”, acrylic on canvas, 84x84 inches, 2022