Statement

A steadfast optimism underpins each of my paintings. Embracing the element of chance, they begin spontaneously, with watery stains, drips, or brush marks.

In subsequent layers, improvisation gives way to strategic decision making. The works revel in the inherent dualities of paint, as both object and artifice, and canvas, as both a surface and a window. Painting has the potential to create spaces that are agreeable to our eyes and minds despite their conflicting logic. The negative space of the raw linen or canvas can become a positive element within the composition. Brushmarks that might represent the earliest beginnings initially appear as though they were the finishing touches. By piecing together visual clues, traces and textures left behind in the paint, the viewer is able to reconstruct the history of its creation, like a magic trick that still deceives despite showing off the source of its illusion.

Biography

Christopher Kuhn (born 1977, Chicago, IL) lives and paints in Los Angeles, CA. His work has been presented in solo exhibitions around the world including at the Ronchini Gallery, London; Gallery One Four, Seoul; Jacob’s, Los Angeles; Galerie Bessières, Paris; Geary Contemporary, New York; and Field Contemporary, Vancouver. His paintings have been featured in art ltd., Blouin Artinfo, Harper’s Bazaar Art, Artslant, British GQ, the Huffington Post, and on the BBC World News. He graduated from the American University of Paris with a B.A. in Art History and earned a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Curriculum Vitæ

Education

2007-2008 M.F.A. Candidate, University of Tennessee Knoxville
2006-2007 Post-Bac Certificate, School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
1996-1999 B.A. Art History, American University of Paris; France

Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions

2019 Formerly Known As, Gallery ONE FOUR, Seoul, South Korea
2018 Weights and Measures, Jacob’s, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Beyond Appearances, Galerie Bessieres, Chatou, France
2017 As I Live and Breathe, Ronchini Gallery, London, UK
2017 Sleight of Hand, Geary Contemporary, New York, NY 
2014 Sunny Side Up, FIELD Contemporary, Vancouver, Canada
2014 Material Witness, Sonce Alexander Gallery, Culver City, CA 
2011 Arranged: Richard Galling and Christopher Kuhn, Autonomie, Los Angeles, CA

Group Exhibitions

2019 Re:Union, Durden and Ray, Los Angeles, CA
2019 Limited Edition Canvas Panels, Pretend Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Expulsion: Painting as Proxy Act and Action, Fine Art Complex 1101, Tempe, AZ
2018 Galeristes, with Galerie Bessieres, Paris, France
2018 Los Angeles Notebook, Jacob’s West, Venice, CA
2018 Group Show, Galerie Bessieres, Chatou, France
2018 Maiden LA, Backyard Show, Double Happiness Studio, Burbank, CA
2018 Reunion, Brenda Harrop Gallery, West Hollywood, CA, Curator: John Wolf
2017 EXPO Chicago, with Ronchini Gallery, Chicago, IL
2017 TRAKR, PØST, Los Angeles, CA 
2017 Trust Fall, ALSO, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Dallas Art Fair, with Geary Contemporary, Dallas, TX
2017 Abstract in the Singular, Bentley Gallery, Phoenix, AZ
2017 Abstract Miniatures, Fine Art Complex 1101, Tempe, AZ
2016 La Nuit S'Ouvre, BLAM Projects, Los Angeles, CA 
2015 Hashtag Abstract, Ronchini Gallery, London, UK, Curator: Kamiar Maleki 
2015 Yes In My Back Yard, Durden & Ray, Los Angeles, CA (Curator)
2015 Microscopes and Binoculars, Hoffman LaChance Contemporary, St. Louis, MO, 
2015 Abstract Abstract, MAINSITE Contemporary Art, Norman, OK
2015 From the Barricades, Kreuzberg Pavillon, Berlin, Germany 
2015 View From the Edge of the Soul, Durden & Ray, Los Angeles, CA
2015 After Living in the Room of Realites Nouvelles, Sonce Alexander Gallery, Culver City, CA  
2014 Dragnet, Manhattan Beach Art Center, Manhattan Beach, CA
2014 Selected Works, FIELD Satellite, Vancouver, Canada
2014 MAS Attack 6, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
2013 Millennial Abstractions, Marin Community Foundation, Novato, CA, Curator: Patricia Watts
2013 Paradox Maintenance Technicians, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
2013 MAS Attack (Mutual Appreciation Society), LA Mart, Los Angeles, CA
2012 Seven Young Los Angeles Painters I Like, George Lawson Gallery, Culver City,
2012 Painting on Edge II, den contemporary, West Hollywood, CA
2012 The New Cool School, White Box Contemporary, San Diego, CA
2012 Painting on Edge, Autonomie, Los Angeles, CA 
2011 Speculative Materialism II, Andi Campognone Projects, Pomona, CA
2007 Boston Young Contemporaries, 808 Gallery, Boston University; Jurors: Chie Fueki, Sheila Gallagher, and Bruce Brown  

Awards & Distinctions

2007 Graduate Teaching Assistantship, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Select Bibliography

“Christopher Kuhn” Full Blede, Issue 7: The Continuant. January 2019, p. 12 d’Avignon, Angella, “A Concise Guide to LA’s Outdoor Art Spaces, from a Pool to a Garage” Hyperallergic, August 22, 2018
Birden, Sebastien, “Chatou: la Maison Levanneaur est devenue une galerie d’art” Le Parisien, July 13, 2018
Kamer, Nimrud, “All that glitters on the Golden Horn” British GQ, August 2017
Ross, Deborah, “'Abstraction in the Singular' at Bentley Gallery” art ltd., May 1, 2017
“Christopher Kuhn's 'Sleight of Hand' at Geary Contemporary” Blouin Artinfo, March 30, 2017
Young, Amy, "'Abstraction in the Singular' at Bentley Gallery" Java Magazine, March 2, 2017 
Stokes, Felicity, "Hashtag Abstract" Harper's Bazaar Art, September-October 2015
Hegert, Natalie, “Kamiar Maleki Turns a Passion for Collecting into an Exhibition-with an #InstagramTwist” Artslant, July 22, 2015
Zand, Roxane, “What's Hot” Sotheby's Cultural Crossroads Blog,  July 7, 2015
Bunyard, Jesc, “Ronchini Gallery: Hashtag Abstract” Hunger TV, July 3, 2015
“Hashtag Abstract: Group Exhibition in London Curates Abstract Painting for the Social Media Age” The Plus, July 1, 2015
Gleadell, Colin, “Market News: scandal sells” The Telegraph, June 22, 2015
Stumeier, Daniel, “Second Sight: 'Microscopes and Binoculars,' at Hoffman LaChance Contemporary” St. Louis Magazine, March 23, 2015
Burke, Mack, “Outside the Lines: Mainsite's Latest Exhibit Presents Big Abstract Ideas in Small Forms” The Norman Transcript, February 12, 2015
Broersma, Virginia, “Painting Chops” huffingtonpost.com, October 28, 2014
"Must-Sees This Week: October 23 to 29, 2014" Canadian Art, October 23, 2014 
Gardocki, Matthew and Moore, Catlin, “Emergent Presence: Eight LA Artists You Should Know” Fabrik, Issue 22
Lutz, Leora, “'Millennial Abstractions” at the office of The Marin Community Foundation”, sfaqonline.com, May, 2013
Ollman, Leah, "'Seven Young Los Angeles Painters I Like" at George Lawson" Los Angeles Times, March 1, 2012 
Sesto, Carl, me/we, SMFA Press, Boston, MA, 2007, p. 42 

Residencies

2007 Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT