Education
BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 2009
About The Artist
A one-woman cult of personality, the LA/New York-based artist/satirist Casey Jane Ellison has achieved notoriety as a deadpan guide to media consumption, from reality TV to art. Ellison debuted in 2013 as a vacuous fashion tipster in her reality TV webseries “What the F*shion?” for VFiles, and a misanthropic host of a gender-binary-fixated-all-
Ellison founded the roaming animation and video exhibition Aboveground Animation in 2008, a platform for off-kilter experimentation by artists like Barry Doupé and Cody Critcheloe. She began experimenting with stand-up comedy after graduating from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago arts with a degree in film, video, and animation in 2009. In 2012, Aboveground Animation had an online exhibition at the New Museum, and Ellison’s animation “It’s So Important to Seem Wonderful”– a CGI animation of herself doing standup– appeared on MoCA TV. As a writer, she has contributed to publications and outlets such as Vice Magazine, Gawker, Dazed and GQ.
Ellison’s practices were shown in tandem at the 2015 New Museum Triennial, where she exhibited “It’s So Important to Seem Wonderful,” as well as held live tapings of “Touching the Art.” Panelists like Kembra Pfahler, K8 Hardy, Lauren Cornell, and Juliana Huxtable were interrogated on subjects ranging from career tips, terrorism, and criticism.
Ellison works outside the traditional gallery system, finding its role as a luxury product seller problematic. Fans can, however, purchase screenprinted T-shirts with Casey’s portrait at her web store, which comes with a video stylized like a promo for an Olsen Twins lookbook.
Work
Exhibitions
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Anything for a Laugh: Humor in Contemporary Art
The works for this exhibition range from works that address serious concerns with humorous affect to others whose intent is more purely comedic. Together, they provide an intriguing snapshot of the manner in which comic strategies manifest themselves in contemporary art.
News
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Legacies: A Screening of Cross-Generational Video Art by Five Women Artists
June 2, 2016
Thursday, June 166:30 – 8:30pm -
Highlights from Miami Art Week 2015
December 9, 2015
Mira Dancy at No Man’s Land: Women Artists from the Rubell Family Collection Firelei Báez: Bloodlines, Pérez Art Museum Miami Listen to our interview with María Elena Ortiz, Curator at PAMM Nina Chanel Abney at the Kravets | Wehby Gallery booth at Untitled Listen to our interview with the artist as part of our highlights … Continue reading Highlights from Miami Art Week 2015
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Screening ‘Casey Jane Ellison Personal Trimmer Internal Promo’
December 2, 2015
We are delighted to present a screening of ‘Casey Jane Ellison Personal Trimmer Internal Promo’ and Q+A with the artist at NADAWAVE during NADA Miami Beach Thursday, December 3 9pm Beaches 4299 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL The screening will take place in the private backroom of Beaches bar at 9pm sharp. Please arrive by … Continue reading Screening ‘Casey Jane Ellison Personal Trimmer Internal Promo’
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Casey Jane Ellison in ARTnews
November 10, 2015
Read Casey Jane Ellison’s interview with Hannah Ghorashi in ARTnews.
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Casey Jane Ellison in Nylon
October 15, 2015
Read the full article about Casey Jane Ellison in Nylon and watch the series here. “Casey Jane Ellison is something of an Internet superstar. Her work with VFILES captured the life and times of the Tumblr generation before the phrase “Tumblr generation” even existed. Her commentary on youth and its consumption of culture is tongue-in-cheek, … Continue reading Casey Jane Ellison in Nylon
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Casey Jane Ellison in BOMB Magazine
September 29, 2015
Read Casey Jane Ellison’s interview with Brienne Walsh in full in BOMB magazine.