Evan Gruzis


Evan Gruzis is a contemporary artist born in 1979 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. He has lived and worked in Los Angeles and New York City, and, since 2012, has lived in Wisconsin with his partner, Nicole Rogers, and their child. Gruzis first became known for his vivid paintings, which have been described as "extremely flat sculptures." His work also includes elaborate installations as well as collaborations which blur the lines of curation and production. In addition to his artistic practice, Gruzis owns and operates The Heights, a collaborative restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin, and teaches painting and drawing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Gruzis earned his BFA in Painting from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2002 and his MFA in Combined Media from in 2008.

Artwork

Gruzis uses painting, drawing, video installations, and sculpture to explore the "push and pull of imagery that is absurd but also seductive." His artwork, while often described as meticulous and crafted, also cultivates an improvisational collaboration between the work, the viewer, and their contexts. Often created with a recognizable palette which intentionally rejects earth tones, Gruzis’ work utilizes the "transcendence of synthetic colors" to explore "the fundamentals of perception and how that relates to simple stuff, like color, like the color of the inside of your eyelids." The images within the work and the objects themselves have often been referred to as intermediaries to uncharitable, subjective spaces.
Gruzis most recent work continues to explore the nature of collaboration as he increasingly focuses on “public projects, curatorial projects, things that interface with the public on a greater frequency.”, a recent experimental exhibition co-curated with, featured the work of 38 artists within the Synchrotron, a decommissioned particle accelerator in rural Wisconsin.

Exhibitions

SOLO SHOWS
2019
2016
  • ,, Milwaukee, WI
2014
2012Alpha Wave, DUVE Berlin, Berlin, DE Paper View, The Green Gallery, Milwaukee, WI
2013Strictly Method, Galerie SAKS, Geneva
2011Exotic Beta, The Hole Gallery, New York, NY: Shadow Work, Nicole Klagsbrun, New York, NY
2010Rough Boy, Galerie SAKS, Geneva, CHDirty Black Summer Revisited, AMP Gallery, Athens, GR
2009Quazai, DUVE Berlin, Berlin, DETouch Of Grey, The Journal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2008Dark Systems, Deitch Projects, New York, NYThe Dusky Parlour, DUVE Berlin, Berlin, DE
GROUP SHOWS
2019',, Elmhurst IL
2017
2014',, New York, NY
2013A Study In Midwest Appropriation, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL Current Tendencies III,, Milwaukee, WI ',, New York, NY
2012Art On Paper 2012: The 42nd Exhibition,, Greensboro, NC
2011The Nightstands, Phillips De Pury and Company, New York, NY', Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, Russia
2010
  • ',, Brooklyn, NYThe Power of Selection Part 2,, Chicago, IL
2009New York Minute, Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Roma, Rome, ItalyThe Open, Deitch Projects, Long Island City, NYBlack Hole,, Mallorca, Spain',, New York, NY
2008Mail Order Monsters, Max Wigram Gallery, London, UKConceptual Figures, Deitch Projects, New York, NY
  • ', presented by the Milwaukee International,, New York, NY
2007Painted Objects, Harris Lieberman Gallery, New York, NYFamous Adults as Children, Famous Children as Adults,, New York, NY
  • Journal Drawings,, New York, NY
2006School Days, Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, NY
2004',, New York, NY
2002'Man Walks Into a Room'', Dumbo Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY

Selected Collections