Born 1985, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, USA
Education
2016
Master of Fine Arts, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
2010
Bachelor of Design, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
2006
Program in English Literature, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Solo Exhibitions
2021
Sara Cwynar, Foxy Production, New York, NY (forthcoming)
Source, Remai Modern, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
2020
Marilyn, The Approach, London, UK
2019
Gilded Age, organized by Amy Smith-Stewart, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT, USA (cat.)
Image Model Muse, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI, USA (touring)
Gilded Age II, curated by Jenn Jackson, The Polygon Gallery, North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Good Life, curated by Sara Dolfi Agostini, Blitz, Valleta, Malta (cat.)
2018
Image Model Muse, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN (touring)
Rose Gol, The approach, London, UK
Tracy, Oakville Galleries, Oakville, ON
2017
Soft Film, MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany
Tracy, Carl Kostyal, London, UK
Rose Gold, Foxy Production, New York, NY
2016
Three Hands. Cooper Cole, Toronto, ON
Soft Film, Art Basel Statements with Foxy Production, Basel, Switzerland
2015
Presidential Index, Retrospective, Hudson, NY
2014
Flat Death, Foxy Production, New York, NY
Flat Death, Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2013
Flat Death, Cooper Cole, Toronto, ON
Everything in the Studio (Destroyed), Foam Photography Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2012
All The Greens, Printed Matter, New York, NY
Accidental Archives, Cooper Cole, Toronto, ON
Group Exhibitions
2020
Objects of Desire: Photography and the Language of Advertising, LACMA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
New Visions: The Henie Onstad Triennial for Photography and New Media, Henie Onstad Kunstsenter, Høvikodden, Norway
American Women, curated by Marie Maertens, La Patinoire Royale, Brussels, Belgium (cat.)
PHOTO 2020, International Festival of Photography, Melbourne, Australia
2019
Le Dandy des Gadoues, curated by Marc Bembekoff, Centre d’art Contemporain de Noisy- le-Sec, France (cat.)
Don’t! Photography and the Art of Mistakes, SFMOMA, San Francisco, CA, USA
Glenn O’Brien: Center Stage, Off Paradise, New York, NY, USA
Age of You, curated by Shumon Basar, Douglas Coupland, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto, Canada
Last Night I Wore A Costume, LX, New York, NY, USA
2018
You Are Looking at Something That Never Occurred: From The Zabludowicz Collection. Curated by Paul Luckraft, MAMM: Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, Russia
To Our Parents, curated by Alejandro Cesarco, 33rd Bienal de São Paulo, Brazil
Mademoiselle, curated by Tara Londi. Centre Régional d’Art Contemporain d’Occitane, Sète, France
La Complainte du progrès, Commissarit: Sandra Patron. Musée régional d’art contemporain Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée, Sérignan, France
Screenscapes, curated by Vik Muniz, Barney Kulok and Lucas Blalock, Galeria Nara Roesler São Paulo, Brazil
MAST Foundation for Photography Grant on Industry and Work, curated by Urs Stahel, Mast Foundation, Bologna, Italy
2017
Strange Attractors: The Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Art: Vol. 1 Life on Earth, organized by Bob Nickas, Redling Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie – Farewell Photography, Mannheim, Germany.
Culture Industry, curated by Suzanne L’Heureux, Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, CA
My curiosities are not your curios, Art Gallery of Guelph, Guelph, ON
Through the Lens – Platform for Photography, Deweer Gallery, Otegem, Belgium
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal, curated by Ami Barak, Montreal, QC
Hard to Picture: A Tribute to Ad Reinhardt. Curated by Diana Baldon and Marie-Noëlle Farcy, Mudam, Luxembourg
Subjektiv. Curated by the editorial board of OBJEKTIV – consisting of Lucas Blalock, Ida Kierulf, Brian Sholis, Susanne Ø. Sæther and editor Nina Strand. Kunstnernes Hus (KH), Oslo, Norway
Screen Memory. Simon Lee Gallery, London, UK
AS IF FROM WERE SOME PITCHER. Fourteen30 Contemporary, Portland, OR
You Are Looking at Something That Never Occurred. Curated by Paul Luckraft, Zabludowicz Collection, London, UK (cat.)
99 Cents or Less. Curated by Jens Hoffmann and Susanne Feld, Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit, MI (cat.)
In Some Far Place. Curated by Mirielle Eagan, The Rooms, St John, NL
I am the Organizer of My Own Objects. Curated by cheyanne turions, Dazibao, Montréal, QC
Looking Back / The 11th White Columns Annual. Selected by Anne Doran, White Columns, New York, NY
2016
Tell Me What I Mean. To____Bridges____, Bronx, NY
We are the Center for Curatorial Studies (The Departmental Core.) Curated by Paul O’Neill, CCS Bard Hessel Museum, Bard, NY
L’Image Volée. Curated by Thomas Demand, Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy (cat.)
For Pete’s Sake. Carl Kostyál, Stockholm, Sweden
We are the Center for Curatorial Studies. CCS Bard Hessel Museum, Hudson, NY
Arles 2016: Les Rencontres de la Photographie. Arles, France
2015
Greater New York. PS1 MoMA, New York, NY
If You Leave Me Can I Come Too? Curated by Arden Sherman, Hunter East Harlem Gallery, New York, NY
Continuous Surfaces. Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, NY
The Secret Life. Co-curated by Leidy Churchman, Murray Guy, New York, NY
Under Construction – New Positions in American Photography. Organized by Foam Fotografie museum, Pioneer Works, Brooklyn, NY
2014
The Actual. Eleven Rivington, New York, NY
Surface (New Life). Curated by Sara Dolfi Agostini. Fluxia, Milan, Italy
The Thing Itself. Yancey Richardson, New York, NY
Soft Target. Organized by Phil Chang and Matthew Porter, M+B Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Big Pictures: Public Art Project. Billboards across Greater Cincinnati. Organized by Brian Sholis, Cincinnati Art Museum, OH
The New Beauty of Our Modern Life. Curated by Kate Steciw, Higher Pictures, New York, NY
2013
MODE. Foxy Production, New York, NY
MAD Library with Limited Time Only. Independent Curators International, New York, NY
What You Want. The Camera Club of New York, New York, NY
The Scenery Changes Three Times. Schema Projects, Brooklyn, NY
2012
She’s Crafty with Ed Varie. New Museum Store, New York, NY
Small Works. Flash Forward Festival. Organized by the Magenta Foundation, Boston, MA
2011
Talk To Me; Design and the Communication Between People and Objects. MoMA, New York, NY. Group project.
I’m Not Here. Contact Photography Festival, Toronto, ON
Open Books. Royal College of Art, London, UK
This Place in Time. Show & Tell Gallery, Toronto, ON Neubacher Shor Contemporary, Toronto, ON
Hunter & Cook Auction. Diaz Contemporary, Toronto, ON
2010
The Fine Line. Openhouse Gallery, New York, NY
Where is Here: Canadian Exhibition. Flash Forward Festival. Organized by Magenta Foundation, Toronto, ON
Parts of a Hole. Xpace, Toronto, ON
Stacked. Paul Petro Special Projects, Toronto, ON Search Prone. Butcher Gallery, Toronto, ON
2009
No Theme Group Show. Canteen Art Shop and Gallery, Ottawa, ON
Wayfaring. Gallery 1313, Toronto, ON
Commissions
2021
Public Art and Amenities Framework, Metrolinx, Toronto, ON, Canada
2019
Modern Art in Your Life commissioned by MoMA and streamed on the Museum’s website and social media platforms
Projects
2012
Great Point. Back Yard Projects Benefit, Real Fine Arts, Brooklyn, NY
2011
Made in US (with Tibi Tibi Neuspiel). Creatures of Comfort Projects Space, New York, NY; and 107 Shaw Gallery, Toronto, ON
Selected Screenings
2019
Red Film, IV Moscow International Experimental Film Festival, Russia
Red Film, Edinburgh Film Festival Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Red Film, International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2018
Rose Gold and Soft Film, International Film Festival Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2017
Rose Gold, Toronto International Film Festival, ON, Canada
Monographs
2019
Cwynar, Sara and Amy Smith-Stewart. Sara Cwynar: Gilded Age. Ridgefield: The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 2019.
Dolfi Agostini, Sara. Good Life, Sara Cwynar. Valletta: Blitz, 2019.
2014
Cwynar, Sara. Kitsch Encyclopedia. New York: Blonde Art Books, 2014.
Artist Publications
2016
Cwynar, Sara. Frieze No 81 Sept 2016 (cover image)
Cwynar, Sara. Canadian Art Fall 2016: 134-9
2014
Cwynar, Sara. Pictures of Pictures. New York: Printed Matter, 2014.
Fulford, Jason, and Gregory Halpern, eds. The Photographer’s Playbook. New York: Aperture Foundation, 2014. Contributing Artist.
Cwynar, Sara. Kitsch Encyclopedia. New York: Blonde Art Books, 2014.
2012
Cwynar, Sara. Lost and Found. New York: The Camera Club of New York, 2012.
Rosler, Martha. Meta-Monumental Newspaper. New York: MoMA, 2012. Contributing Artist.
2011
Cwynar, Sara. “Noise Map.” The New City Reader. New York: New Museum, 2011.
Cwynar, Sara. One Wall Zine. Toronto, ON: Self-published, edition of 20, for Art History, 2011.
Cwynar, Sara. Simulated Landscapes. Toronto, ON: Self-published, 2011.
Cwynar, Sara. “ An Atlas.” 01 Magazine. 2011.
Awards
2019
Kodak Film Prize, IV Moscow International Experimental Film Festival
2018
MAST Foundation for Photography Grant on Industry and Work
International Film Festival Rotterdam, Ammodo Tiger Short Prize
2016
The Baloise Art Prize, Statements, Art Basel 47
2013
Printed Matter Emerging Artist Publication Series Grant
2012
The Camera Club of New York, Darkroom Residency, Runner-up Award
2011
Print Magazine, 20 Under 30 New Visual Artist Award
Art Director’s Club Young Guns Award
2009
Kondor Fine Arts Award
2008-2009
Dean’s Prize for Excellence, Faculty of Fine Arts, York University
Collections
Museum of Modern Art, New York
The Museum of Modern Art, New York Guggenheim Museum, New York
MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt
SFMOMA, San Francisco
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Dallas Museum of Art
Milwaukee Art Museum
Zabludowicz Collection, London
Baloise Art Collection, Basel, Switzerland
Fondazione Prada, Milan
Kadist Art Foundation, San Francisco
Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City
FOAM Photography Museum, Amsterdam
Soho House, Toronto
TD Bank Canada Collection, Toronto
