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Stephen Spiller: They #2

Stephen Spiller: They #2

SKU: 2021-00142.

Recently, I heard a 30ish Black woman say to a 50ish, white, male, police officer, in a strident voice: “From now on refer to me saying ‘they’”. I knew what she meant but it seemed he didn’t, or didn’t care. In a dismissive and sarcastic tone he called her a “lesbo dyke”. I’ve had many thoughts about that exchange. I want to raise here questions about what it means to be recognized, and referred to, as one wishes. That conversation stimulated my desire to “sort out” “identity” issues, especially involving gender confusion.

Category: ViewPoints2021. Tags: Black & White, digital, figurative, Photography.
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My work is based on social, cultural and political themes expressed through two dimensional, visual art. Basquiat and Banksy, for example, inspire me. My images are sourced from my own photographs as well as work I have recontextualized from other arenas, such as the internet, print publications, etc. Examples of general subjects I explore include: racial prejudice, economic disparity, the absence of universal healthcare, denying women control over their lives, the lack of affordable, quality education, gun violence, etc. Specifically I have made artworks dealing with fashion, prostitution, aging, gender, rape, misogyny, immigration, etc. I use text and digital manipulation, employing humor, satire, emotionally charged words, and other figurative language techniques to express my ideas. Central to my thinking is that most people don’t explore, and resolve, issues surrounding their identity. For that reason, I think, they often fail to understand why they behave as they do, and that failure carries long-term consequences. What I’d like my art to accomplish is to raise “mindfulness” on the subjects of identity and consequential behavior.

Resume:
Stephen Spiller srspiller@gmail.com . www.stephenspiller.com

Solo/2 Person Exhibitions
2017
• Carter Burden Gallery, New York, NY

Group Exhibitions
1993
• Longwood Gardens, West Chester, PA

2004
• Soho Photo Gallery, New York, NY
• Borders Books and Music, New York, NY
• Starving Artist Ball, New York, NY

2005
• Los Angeles Center For Digital Art, Los Angeles, CA
• Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers, New York, NY
• Art Basel Miami Beach, Miami Beach, FL***

2006
• LH Horton Jr. Gallery, Stockton, CA

2011
• Center for Art Photography Gallery, Fort Collins, CO,
• Old Court House Arts Center Gallery, Woodstock, IL
• LH Horton Jr Gallery, Stockton, CA

2012
• The Palais de Glace, Buenos Aires, Argentina*
• Photo L.A., Los Angeles, CA
• Silvia White Gallery, Ventura, CA
• The Cole Art Center, Nacogdoches, TX*
• The Kiernan Gallery, Lexington, VA*
• Robeson Gallery, University Park, PA*
• Attleboro Arts Museum, Attleboro, MA
• Galerie Huit, Arles, France**
• Tag Gallery, Bergamont Station, Los Angeles, CA*
• The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ

2013
• Center of Culture of Kriva Palanka, Republic of Macedonia
• Black Box Gallery, Portland, OR
• Providence Art Club Gallery, Providence, RI
• Robeson Gallery, University Park, PA*
• 1650 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA*
• Museum of Medimurje, Cakovec, Croatia*
• Silvia White Gallery, Ventura CA
• See | Exhibition Space, New York, NY***
• Tag Gallery, Bergamont Station, Los Angeles, CA*
• The Kiernan Gallery, Lexington, VA*
• Scope Miami Beach, Miami, FL***

2014
• Municipal Museum, Malaga, Spain*

2015
• National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, Thessaloniki, Greece
• Carter Burden Gallery, New York, NY (May)
• Carter Burden Gallery, New York, NY (July)
• Exhibition Hall of the Venue of Laneri, Venice, Italy
• Spectrum Miami Art Show, Miami, FL

2016
Atlantic Works Gallery, Boston, MA – the-biennial-project.com***
440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
The Palazzo Italia, Berlin, Germany
Newspace Center For Photography, Portland, OR
Spectrum-Miami Art Show, Miami, FL (The Artbox.Gallery, Zug, Switzerland)***
Aqua Hotel, Miami, FL (Projects Gallery, Miami, FL)

2017
Kelwood Contemporary Art, Baton Rouge, LA
Van Der Plas Gallery, New York, NY
1650 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Valid Foto Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
MAGMMA – Museum of Graphic Art of the Mediterranean Marchionni, Sardinia, Italy
Bologna Museo Cà La Ghironda, Bologna, IT
Urbino Palace of the Raffaello College, Urbino, IT
Czech China Contemporary Museum, Beijing, China
Providence Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI

2018
Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
Meadows Gallery, University of Texas,Tyler, Texas
PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
Valid Foto Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Los Angeles Center For Digital Art, Los Angeles, CA
Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
Studio Montclair Gallery, Montclair, NJ
Tag Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Space Nau Bostik, Barcelona, Spain
Venice Institute Of Contemporary Art, Venice, CA
Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA

2019
Webster Arts Center, St. Louis, MO
Unorthodox Gallery, New York***
Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
Space Nau Bostik, Barcelona, Spain
See.Me Exhibitions ***
Tag Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
ArtBox/Project: Swiss Art Expo, Zurich, Switzerland***
Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Hera Gallery, Wakefield, RI
Sol Mednick Gallery at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Carter Burden Gallery, New York
The National Art Center of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

2020
FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona, Spain

2021
Masur Museum, Monroe LA
FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Studio Montclair Gallery, Montclair, NJ
Dixon Gallery, Dayton, OH

* Exhibition accompanied by catalogue
** Participant in screen installation
*** Digital group show

Online Exhibitions
2013
International Emerging Artists Award (Dubai)

2020
Los Angeles Art Association – Petite Works
Los Angeles Art Association – Indistinct Chatter
Los Angeles Art Association – Field Of Vision
Los Angeles Art Association – Non Sequitur
Los Angeles Art Association – Words On Printed Page
The Photo Review – Special Web Exhibition
Los Angeles Art Association – Aurora

2021
Art Number 23 | Virtual Gallery – www.artnumber23.online
Los Angeles Art Association – Guild
Los Angeles Art Association – Ready Go

Juried Competitions/ Awards/Honors/Critiques
2004
• Soho Photo National Photography Competition: Finalist

2005
• International Photography Awards: Hon. Mention

2006
• International Photography Awards: Hon. Mention

2011
• ArtistsWanted.org: Selected: Top 100
• TheGalaAwards.net: Honorable Mention
• Photographer’s Forum, Best of Photography: Selected for publication
• International Photography Awards: Second Place (1); Hon. Mention (2)
• World Wide Photography Gala Awards: Selected for Exhibit (3); Hon. Mention (1)

2012
• Emerging Focus:Photo LA: Selected for exhibit
• Silvia White Gallery, Ventura, CA: Collector’s Choice Exhibit: Selected for exhibit
• 18th Annual TEXAS NAT. 2012 Competition: Dave Hickey, Juror: Selected for exhibit
• The Kiernan Gallery, Lexington, VA: Selected for exhibit
• Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts: Selected for exhibit
• Attleboro Arts Museum: On The Threshold: Selected for exhibit
• Photography Open Salon Arles: Selected for screen installation
• California Open Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA. Three works selected for exhibit. 2nd Place
• Artists Wanted: 3rd Annual ‘Self’ Competition: Selected for exhibit
• International Photography Awards; Selected for exhibit. Hon. Mention
• The Center for Contemporary Art: Selected for exhibit

2013
• International Emerging Artists Award (Dubai): Selected for online gallery exhibit
• 1st International exhibition of art photography SOUL 2013 (Macedonia): Selected for exhibit
• Providence Art Club Juried Exhibition: Selected for exhibit
• Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts: Selected for exhibit
• 1650 Gallery: I’ll Be Your Mirror:The Portrait: Selected for exhibit
• South Arkansas Arts Center: Selected for exhibit
• 3rd Photo Salon Čakovec, Croatia, Juried Show: Selected for exhibit
• 6th Annual Juried Show, Silvia White Gallery: Selected for exhibit
• See.Me, Exposure 2013, New York, NY: Selected for digital exhibit
• California Open Exhibition, Los Angeles, CA. Two works selected for exhibit.
• The Kiernan Gallery, Lexington, VA: Eye On The Street: Selected for exhibit
• The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards: 5th Edition Pollux Awards: Portraits: 2nd Place & Finalist
(4 images selected); People: 3rd Place, & Finalist (2 images selected)
• International Photo Salon Doboj, Juried International Competition: Accepted.

2014
• 2nd International exhibition of art photography SOUL 2014: Accepted (Macedonia)
• The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards: 6th Edition Pollux Awards: Fine Art: 1st Place
• The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards: Summer Awards: Fine Art: (2 images selected for exhibit)
• Urban.dotart.it 2014: portfolio included in final ranking
• Gala Awards: 2014 Best Photo Award: Winner

2015
• Athens, Greece Photo Festival 2015: Shortlisted
• The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards: 7th Edition, Pollux Awards: Fine Art: Runner Up
Gala Awards: 3rd Edition, Jacob Riis Award: Editorial: Finalist
• Venezia Open Art Collective Exhibition, Venice, Italy: Invited to exhibit
• Miami Photo Salon at Spectrum-Miami: Invited to exhibit
• London International Creative Competition: Short List
The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards: 8th Edition Pollux Awards: Fine Art: Finalist

2016
440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY: invited to exhibit: Sue Coe Curator
Newspace Center For Photography, Portland, OR: Invited to exhibit: Claartje van Dijk, juror
The Artbox Gallery, Zug, Switzerland: Invited, digital group show at Spectrum-Miami, Miami, FL
Projects Gallery, Miami, FL: Invited to exhibited at Square Foot Show, Aqua Art Miami, FL
The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards: 9th Edition Pollux Awards: Alternative Process: Finalist
The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards: 9th Edition Pollux Awards: Documentary: Finalist

2017
Kelwood Contemporary Art, Baton Rouge, LA, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit
2nd Charles Dodgson Black & White Award: Finalist: Street, Fine Art and Documentary Photography
1650 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA: Invited to Exhibit
Marchionni Prize (Italy): Top 30, selected to exhibit: MAGMMA – Museum of Graphic Art of the Mediterranean Marchionni, Sardinia, Italy (June 10th – August 31st, 2017). This exhibit will travel to: Milan Archives Lazzaro, Bologna Museum Cà La Ghironda and Urbino Raffaello College.
dotART Urban Photo Awards 8th Edition: Selected Photographer, Projects & Portfolios
The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards: 10th Edition Pollux Awards: Alternative Process: Honorable Mention
Songzhuang International Photo Biennale (Songzhuang Photo), Beijing, China: Invited to Exhibit four (4) works
Providence Center for Photographic Arts, Providence, RI, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit

2018
Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit.
Valid Foto Gallery, Barcelona, Spain, Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit.
Meadows Gallery, University of Texas,Tyler, Texas, Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit.
PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit
2nd Robert Cornelius Portrait Award, Juror Margarita Mavromichalis. Honorable Mention. Invited to exhibit 5th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography Barcelona, Spain
Studio Montclair Gallery, Montclair, NJ. Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit.
California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks. Open Call: Power, Juried Competition. Short-listed.
The Prix de la Photographie, Paris (P×3) 2018, Juried Competition, Bronze Placement
Ceres Gallery, New York, NY. Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit.
Tag Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit
Circle Foundation For The Arts, Lyon, France. Finalist
Venice Institute Of Contemporary Art, Venice, CA. Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit
Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit
Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA, Juries Competition. Invited to Exhibit

2019
Webster Arts Center, St. Louis, MO. Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit
Space Nau Bostik, Barcelona, Spain. Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit
Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit
Circle Foundation For The Arts, Lyon, France. Award of Excellence
Circle Foundation For The Arts, Lyon, France. Honorable Mention Award
ArtBox/Project: Swiss Art Expo, Zurich, Switzerland, Juried Competition. Invited to participate in digital display.
Reece Museum, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Invited To Exhibit
FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona, Spain, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit
The Photo Review 2019 Competition, Philadelphia, PA, Juried Competition, Second Prize, Invited to Exhibit
The 19th Japan International Art Exchange Exhibition & Competition. Invited to Exhibit
Tag Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Juried Competition, 2019 CA Open. Invited to Exhibit
Hera Gallery, Wakefield, RI, Juried Competition, Invited to Exhibit
FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona, Spain, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit

2020
Critique: Street Photography – https://opp-m.com/sites/45125/assets/Q7tmaAst8loqb0e4.pdf
FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona, Spain, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit
Tokyo International Foto Awards, Juried Competition, Honorable Mention

2021
Masur Museum, Monroe, LA, Juried Competition, Invited to Exhibit
FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona, Spain, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit
Studio Montclair Gallery, Montclair, NJ. Juried Competition. Invited to exhibit.
Dixon Gallery, Dayton, OH, Juried Competition. Invited to Exhibit.

Panel Discussions
2016
Personal Is Political Is Personal: 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Publications
2011
• Photographer’s Forum, Best of Photography
• International Photography Awards Competition Book
• Best Shots: Worldwide Photography Gala Awards

2012
• Musee Magazine, Issue # 2 – Fear

2014
• Musee Magazine, Issue # 9 – Temptation

2015
• Musee Magazine, Issue # 11 – Vanity
Musee Magazine, Issue # 12 – Controversy

2018
Musee Magazine, Issue # 19 – Power
Los Angeles Art Association Volume 2 catalog

2019
Los Angeles Art Association Volume 3 catalog

2020
PhotoNostrum Magazine, Issue #1 – Interview

Stephen Spiller


https://socialdocumentary.net/exhibit/Stephen_Spiller/5232

2021
PhotoNostrum Magazine, Issue #11 – Publisher’s Letter

Professional Associations
2017
Los Angeles Art Association – www.laaa.org

Collections
The Fl3tch3r Collection, Johnson City, TN
Collection of the 5th Barcelona Foto Biennale

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size

25×18.75

medium

archival pigment print

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  • Exhibits
    • 2025 Exhibits
      • Viewpoints 2025
      • Denis Orloff: A Journey through Painted Landscapes
      • Good Works
      • Strength and Resilience
      • Katie Truk: Macro vs Macro
    • 2024 Exhibits
      • Dwelling In Hope
      • Donna Grande: Evolving Origins & Liminal Perceptions
      • Inspired by Family & Community
      • State of the Art 2024
      • Text
      • Viewpoints 2024
      • Yvette Lucas: Second Nature
      • Black and White Imprint
      • Marsha Heller: Impressions from Nature
      • Across The Line
    • 2023 Exhibits
      • The Life and Culture of Modern Day Latinidad
      • Inspired by the Weight of an Object
      • I AM HERE
      • State of the Art 2023
      • Critique Group Showcase 2023
      • ViewPoints 2023
      • Local Materiality
      • Rhythm and Blues
    • 2022 Exhibits
      • On the SURFACE
      • Pages
      • Inspired by George Inness
      • It’s Academic
      • State of the Art 2022
      • Critique Group Showcase
      • ViewPoints 2022
      • Mujeres del 2021
    • 2021 Exhibits
      • Absolute Abstraction
      • Inspired by an Object
      • State of the Art 2021
      • ViewPoints 2021
      • Womyn’s Werq
      • Privilege, Power, and Everyday Life
    • 2020 Exhibitis
      • ViewPoints 2020
      • Inspired by Dance
      • State of the Art 2020
  • Cart
  • Main Website