Demetrius Oliver

b.1975, Brooklyn, NY
lives and works in New York

Education

2004
MFA, University of Pennsylvania

1998
BFA, Rhode Island School of Design

Solo Exhibitions

2022
Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York (upcoming)

2018
Pneumato, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York

2017
Aeriform, Seed Space, Nashville, TN

2015
Eclipse, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle, WA
Anemometer, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX

2014
Canicular, Print Center, Philadelphia, PA (catalogue)

2013
Terrestrial, Franklin Artworks, Minneapolis, MN

2012
Azimuth, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX

2011
Orrery, D’Amelio Terras, New York
Penumbra, Light Work, Syracuse, NY (catalogue)

2010
Jupiter, High Line Public Art project, New York
Albedo, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX

2009
Mare, FAB Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Sidereal, Clough-Hanson Gallery, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN

2008
Observatory, D’Amelio Terras, New York
Firmament, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX

2006
Demetrius Oliver, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA
Perspective 153/ Compass, Contemporary Arts Museum (catalogue) Houston, TX
Extracts, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Demetrius Oliver, P.S.1 MoMa project space solo exhibition, P.S.1 MoMa, New York

Selected Group Exhibitions
2020
Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
An Infinite and Omnivorous Sky, curated by Kendra Paitz, University Galleries at Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

2019
The Assembly: Photography from Houston Galleries, FotoFest at Silver Street, Houston, TX
The Sheltering Sky, Palo Alto Art Center, Palo Alto, CA
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air, Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, New York

2017
I Won’t Let You Say Goodbye This Time, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Third Space/Shifting Conversations About Contemporary Art, Birmingham Museum Of Art, Birmingham, AL

2016
Explode Every Day: An Inquiry Into the Phenomena of Wonder, Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA
Hadley Holliday, Demetrius Oliver, Dario Robleto, Acme, Los Angeles, CA

2015
I AM, THE POSTER PROJECT Presents, New York and online
SUNSET HAIRCUT, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX
Works of Paper II, Acme, Los Angeles, CA
Skyward, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC

2014
Rituals, Larm Galleri, Copenhagen, Denmark
Three Thousand Times, Each Hour, a Different Terrain, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX

2013
Touch the Moon, Louis B. James, New York
11 Dimensions, Louis B. James, New York
The Order of Things, curated by Jamillah James, NURTUREart, New York
Interval Measures, curated by Lucien Terras, 143 Reade Street, New York

2012
Affinity Atlas, curated by Ian Berry, Wellin Museum of Art, Clinton, NY
Bearden Project, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York

2011
In Context, Roberts & Tilton, Culver City, CA
Sculpted, Etched and Cut: Metal Works from the Permanent Collection, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York

2010
Collected. Reflections on the Permanent Collection, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
Mequitta Ahuja, Demetrius Oliver, Dawit L. Petros, and Xaviera Simmons, curated by Jacob Robichaux, Cliford Change, New York
Cantilever, Inman Gallery, Houston, TX

2009
30 Seconds of an Inch, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
Harsh Terrain, Roberts & Tilton, Los Angeles, CA
Gravity, curated by Marisa Sanchèz, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle, WA
Your Gold Teeth II, curated by Todd Levin, Mariane Boesky, New York
1992009, D’Amelio Terras, New York, NY

2008
Houston Collects: African American Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX
Zero Zone, curated by David Hunt, Tracy Williams Ltd, New York
Learning by Doing: 25 Years of the Core Program, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Black Is Black Ain’t, Renaissance Society, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, traveling to Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI and H & R Block Artspace Kansas City, MO (2008-2009)

2007
Blur: Titus Kaphar, Wardell Milan, Demetrius Oliver, Arndt & Partner, Berlin, Germany
Midnight’s Daydream, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (catalogue)
Taking Aim: Selections from the Elliot Perry Collection, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
Crossing the Line: African American Art in the Jacqueline Bradley and Clarence Otis, Jr. Collection, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Winter Park, FL (catalogue)
Life is But a Dream: Contemporary Figurative Photography, Space 301, Mobile, AL
Making Do 2, Green Gallery, Yale University, New Haven, CT
World View, The Dallas Contemporary, Dallas, TX
Artadia Reprised, DiverseWorks, Houston, TX

2006
Represent: Selections from The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York State Museum, Albany, NY
Impossible Exchange, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX
Now!, Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC
Black Alphabet – Contexts of Contemporary African American Art, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland
Leg, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX
CORE Residency Exhibition, Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX

2005
Frequency, curated by Thelma Golden and Christine Kim, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York (catalogue)
Bebe Le Strange, D’Amelio Terras, New York
CORE Residency Exhibition, Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,  TX

2004
Round 21, Project Row Houses, Houston, TX

Bibliography

2017
Schreiber, Barbara. “Simple Passion, Complex Vision: The Darryl Atwell Collection of African-American Art,” The Charlotte Observer, December 27.
Molloy, Audrey, “Demetrius Oliver: Aeriform”, Nashville Arts Magazine, September.

2016
Jen, Alex, “Explode Every Day underscores the fun, the inexplicable in art”, The Williams Record, September 21.

2015
Zastudil, Nancy, “ Critic’s Pick: Houston”, Paper City Magazine, October, p. 78

2014
Hirsh, Jennie, “Demetrius Oliver, The Print Center”,Art in America, (Vol. 102, No.5), May, pp. 171-172
Caperton, John, “John Caperton talks about Demetrius Oliver’s Canicular”, theartblog.org, March 11.
Gerwin, Daniel, “Canicular: Demetrius Oliver at the Print Center”, The Huffington Post, February 28.
Valdes, Lesley, “Getting Sirius”, Pennsylvania Gazette, February 27.
Monnier, Annette, “Canine accouterments and a mini-planetarium make for an otherworldly art experience”, City Paper, Philadelphia, February 20.
Crimmins, Peter, “Not easy to catch dog star exhibit in Philadelphia”, WHYY, January 10.
Melamed, Samantha, “Fabric of the Universe”, Philadelphia Inquirer, January 9,p. C, C6

2012
Britt, Douglas,“Azimuth”, Art Ltd, May.
Barliant, Claire, “Photography Object Manque”, Art in America, March.
Paper Monument, “Draw It With Eyes Closed: The Art of the Art Assignment” p. 33

2011
Baker, R.C. “Turpentine Jukebox”, Village Voice,July 20-26, p. 27
Salmon, Lori“Nature’s Transcendent Image: The Art (and Technology) of Self Realization.”, The International Review of African American Art, vol. 23 no. 3,pp. 19-23.

2010
Baker, R.C. “The Best Art of 2010”, Village Voice, December 29, p. 21
“Stargazing” The New Yorker, September 20, p. 42
Friedman, Yael. “Stargazing on the Highline.” More Intelligent Life
Mack, Joshua “Demetrius Oliver: Jupiter” Art Review,September 17.
Contact Sheet No. 157, Light Work Annual, essay by Anne Wilkes Tucker pp. 4-9
Hulme, Emily. “Heavens on the High Line.” AM New York, September 10-12, pp. 24.

2009
Smith, Roberta, “A Beating Heart of Social Import”, New York Times, Dec 10, pp. C29 & C32″
Graves, Jen, “Currently Hanging: Gravity at Cornish” The Stranger, December 2.
Brown, Becky,“Your Gold Teeth II” Brooklyn Rail,September.
Doran, Anne, “Your Gold Teeth” Time Out New York, July 30- August 5, Issue 722.
Thorson, Alice, “ Provocative ‘Black is, Black Ain’t probes issue of race”, Kansas City Star, July 4.
Smith, Roberta, “Your Gold Teeth II”New York Times, July 3.
Knowles, Carol, “Four by Four”, Memphis Flyer, March 26.
Carlin, T.J., Studio Visit: Demetrius Oliver, Time Out New York, Mar 19-25, 2009, Issue 703, p. 56-57
Mueller, Kurt, “Firmament” Art Lies, No.64 Winter pp. 68-73

2008
Copeland, Huey, “The Blackness of Blackness,” Artforum October. pg. 151-154
Cotter, Holland, “Museum and Galleries Listings: Last Chance: Demetrius Oliver”, The New York Times, September 26
Carlin, T.J., “Demetrius Oliver, Observatory,” Time Out New York, September 19-25, p. 97
Cotter, Holland, “Art in Review: Demetrius Oliver, Observatory,” The New York Times, September 18.
Baker, R.C., “Best in Show: Demetrius Oliver’s ‘Observatory’ at D’Amelio Terras,” The Village Voice, September 17, 2008, p. 42.
“Zero Zone” New Yorker, Aug 11&18, 2008 p. 14
Coraggio, Jack, “Steep Rock Arts Program”, Litchfield County Times, August 2.
Douglas, Britt, “Assessing our bounty”, The Houston Chronicle, August 1.
Douglas, Britt, “Artists Open Doors To Cosmos At Exhibits”, The Houston Chronicle, March 26.

2007
Ewing, John, “Demetrius Oliver”, Art Lies, Winter, p.114
Richard, Frances, “Midnight’s Daydream: Titus Kaphar, Wardell Milan II, Demetrius Oliver” Artforum,November.
Roberts, Frank Leon, “Nina, Meet Jesus” Village Voice, September 12.
“Studio Museum in Harlem”, The New Yorker, August 27.
Maine, Stephen,“The Dark Side of the Brain” New York Sun, August 23.
Schwendener, Martha, “Three Contemporaries, Each with a Different Way to View the Past” The New York Times, August 11.
Gordon, Amanda, “Out & About”, New York Sun, July 20.
Stillman, Nick, “Introducing Demetrius Oliver” Modern Painters, July.
Terranova, Charissa, “View from the artists” Dallas Morning News, June 21.
Bishop, Philip E., “Exhibit Explores, History, Hipness”, Orlando Sentinel, April 19.
McClintock, Dinah, “Matt Evans & Demetrius Oliver”, Art Papers, January.

2006
Smith, Nick, “This Is Our Youth”, Charleston City Paper, November 8.
Moore, Katie, “Gibbes Museum Gets Funky”, George Street Observer, October 28.
Sharbaugh, Patrick, “Now! And Then”, Charleston City Paper, October 11.
Lim, Joseph. “Demetrius Oliver: Extracts” ArtLies, Spring, p. 117.
Klaasmeyer, Kelly, “Demetrius Oliver: Extracts” Houston Press, March 9, Pg. 47.
Schwendener, Martha, “Color-Field : The Studio Museum in Harlem. surveys the state of young “post black” art”, Time Out New York, February 23.
Stillman, Nick, “Frequency, Studio Museum in Harlem”, The Brooklyn Rail, February, 23.
Cortez, Iggy, “Tuning Our Dials to a Network of Varying Voices”, Columbia Spectator,February 21.
Carson, Tavonne S., “Frequency”, Impact 210 The Magazine, February.
Brockington, Horace. “Wavelength”, NY Arts, January.
“Frequency”, The Week, January.
Kastner, Jeffrey, “Frequency, Studio Museum in Harlem”, Artforum, January,p. 217

2005
Smith, Roberta,“Where Issues of Black Identity Meet the Concerns of Every Artist”, New York Times, November 18, 2005, p.B35.
Gardner, James, “Art Attack” New York Post, July 23, p.27.
Cotter, Holland, “Fanciful to figurative to wryly inscrutable”, New York Times, July 8, 2005, p. 29.

Public Collections

Blanton Museum of Art
Birmingham Museum of Art
Cleveland Clinic
Henry Art Gallery
International Center of Photography
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
RISD Museum of Art
Tang Museum
Studio Museum in Harlem
Dean Valentine