Brittany Nelson (b. 1984, Great Falls, Montana, USA) explores 19th-century photographic chemistry techniques and science fiction to address themes of loneliness, isolation, and distance within the queer community and its parallels with space exploration. She is the recipient of a Creative Capital Foundation Grant in Visual Arts (New York, NY) and a Theo Westenberger Foundation Grant for advancing women in the arts (New York, NY). Her work has been exhibited at Bonniers Konsthall (Stockholm, Sweden), Die Ecke (Santiago, Chile), Sonnenstube (Lugano, Switzerland), The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (Detroit, MI), The Brooklyn Academy of Music (New York, NY), The Cranbrook Art Museum (Bloomfield Hills, MI), The Newcomb Art Museum (New Orleans, LA), The International Print Center (New York, NY), among many others. She has upcoming solo presentations at Le CAP - Centre d’art Saint Fons, France and Fotogalleriet in Oslo, Norway in 2022. Her monograph “Out Of The Everywhere” was released in 2019 by Mousse Publishing (Milan, Italy), and her sculptural book “Monuments to the Conquerors of Space” was released in 2017 and published by Small Editions (New York, NY). Her work has been featured in publications such as Art in America, Frieze, and The New Yorker.
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2020
The Starry Rift, curated by Stefanie Hessler, Die Ecke, Santiago, Chile
2019
10,000 Light Years From Home, Patron Gallery, Chicago, IL
2018
Warm Worlds and Otherwise, Harnett Museum of Art, Richmond, VA (with sound installation by Danishta Rivero.
Science Fictions, Crush Curatorial, New York, NY
2017
Conjectures In A Related Field, Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA
Monuments, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
2016
The Year I Make Contact, Morgan Lehman Gallery, New York, NY
Controller, Patron Gallery, Chicago, IL
Alternative Process, David Klein Gallery, Detroit, MI
Monuments to the Conquerors of Space, Sadie Halie Projects, Minneapolis, MN
Selected Group Exhbitions:
2020
Shapeshifters, Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI
An Infinite and Omnivorous Sky, curated by Kendra Paitz, University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal, IL
2019
Urania, curated by Zoë De Luca, Sonnenstube, Lugano, Switzerland
Cosmological Arrows, curated by Caroline Elgh, Bonniers Konsthall, Stockholm, Sweden
Parallels and Peripheries, curated by Larry Ossei-Mensah, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI
Pulled In Brooklyn, International Print Center New York, curated by Roberta Waddell and Samantha Rippner, New York, NY
2017
Unfamiliar Again: Contemporary Women Abstractionists, Newcomb Art Museum, New Orleans, LA
New Geometry, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA
Out of the Ether, True/False Film Festival with Sager Braudis Gallery, Columbia, MO
2016
New Photography: Next Wave Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, curated by Holly Shen, Brooklyn, NY
Surface of Things, Houston Center of Photography, Houston, TX
2016: Theo Westenberger Foundation Grant, New York. NY
2015: Creative Capital Foundation Grant, Visual Arts, New York, NY
Headlands Center for the Arts, Artist In Residence, San Francisco, CA, October 2017
Teton Art Lab, Artist In Residence, Jackson, WY, July 2016
Phoenix Art Museum, Stacy Zuber Photography Award, Juror’s Choice Honorable Mention, Phoenix, AZ, 2015
The Print Center, Fish/Pearce Prize for excellence in process based work, Philadelphia, PA
Minneapolis Institute of Art + Site Santa Fe, Collector’s Tour, Minneapolis, MN, 2013
Minneapolis College of Art + Design, Faculty Grant, 2013
Vermont Studio Center, Artist in Residence, Johnson, VT, July 2012
Cranbrook Art Museum + Cranbrook Science Museum, commissioned work, Bloomfield Hills, MI
The Print Center, 86th International Competition, Philadelphia, PA (juror Jennifer Blessing, Curator, Guggenheim)
2020
Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Studies, Photography, Parsons, The New School, New York, NY, June 15-16
2019
Panel Discussion and book launch for “Out Of The Everywhere” with Miguel Lopez and Stefanie Hessler, Casa Canibal, Spanish Culturual Institute, San Jose, Costa Rica
Panel discussion and book signing, Out Of The Everywhere, with Stefanie Hessler and Lauren Thorson, Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU, Richmond, VA
Book signing, Out Of The Everywhere, published and sponsored by Mousse Publishing, New York Art Book Fair, MoMA PS1, New York, NY
Guest Lecturer, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA, March 21
Juror and Visiting Critic, “2, 3 and 4 Dimensional Photography: Alternatives Photography Biennial,” University of Ohio, January 24
2018
Fall Lecture Series, sponsored by the Photography Department, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, November 29
Book signing, Monuments, published by Small Editions, New York Art Book Fair, MoMA PS1, New York, NY
2017
Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Department of Glass, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, September 20
Panel Discussion, “Contemporary Women Abstractionists,” Amy Ellingson, Brittany Nelson, Anne Vieux, moderated by Monica Ramirez Montagut, Newcomb Art Museum, New Orleans, LA, September 6
Distinguished Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Studies, SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY, February 1
Artist Lecture, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA, February 9
2016
Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Department of Media Arts and Graduate Studies, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis, MN, September 22
Artist Talk, Creative Capital Artist Retreat, Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Troy, NY, July 30
Visiting Artist Lecture Series, Graduate Studies, Photography, Parsons, The New School, New York , NY, June 16-17
Artist in Residence Lecture, Teton ArtLab, Jackson, WY, July 14
Invited Speaker, “Science Fiction,” Constructed Realities, Society for Photographic Education National Conference, Las Vegas NV, March 12
Visiting Assistant Professor Lecture, Department of Art Foundations, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, February
Video feature and interview, Creative Capital Foundation, New York, NY, online
Video feature and interview, GalleryLOG, New York, NY, online
2015
Visiting Artist Lecture, Graduate Studies, Photography, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI, September 17
Artist Talk, Creative Capital Artist Retreat, Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, Troy, NY, July 24
2019 Out of the Everywhere, Mousse Publishing, Milan Italy. Edited by Stefanie Hessler, new texts from Lars Bang Larsen, Quinn Latimer, Stefanie Hessler, script by Gordon Hall, with original artworks Danielle Dean, Gala Porras Kim. Designed by Lauren Thorson of Studio-Set
2018 Monuments, risograph printed publication, edition of 100, published by Small Editions, New York, NY
2017 Monuments to the Conquerors of Space, Halochrome and Gelatin Silver prints bound in a sculptural book, Edition of 3, published by Small Editions, New York, NY
