Sara Cwynar (b. 1985, Vancouver, Canada) received her Bachelor of Design from York University, Toronto, Canada in 2010 and her MFA from Yale University, New Haven, USA in 2016. Her work involves a constant archiving and re-presentation of collected visual materials. She is interested in the way that images morph, accumulate, endure and change in meaning and value over time, and the effect this has on a collective worldview. Cwynar has exhibited internationally at COOPER COLE, Toronto, Canada; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; M+B Gallery, Los Angeles; Museum of Modern Art, Foxy Production, Andrea Rosen, Eleven Rivington, New York, USA; Foam Photography Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy. Her works can be found in the permanent collections of the Guggenheim Museum, MoMA Library, New York; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, USA; Fondazione Prada, Milan, Italy; Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany; amongst others. Cwynar currently lives and works in Brooklyn, USA.
CV
Born 1985, Vancouver, Canada
Lives and works in New York, USA
Education
2016
MFA Yale University, New Haven, USA
2010
BDES Honors Graphic Design, York University, Toronto, Canada
2006
English Literature, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Solo Exhibitions
2017
Soft Film, MMK Frankfurt am Main, Germany (forthcoming)
Sara Cwynar, Foxy Production, New York
2016
Three Hands, COOPER COLE, Toronto, Canada
Soft Film, Art Basel Statements with Foxy Production. Basel, Switzerland
2015
Presidential Index, Retrospective, Hudson, USA
2014
FLAT DEATH, Foxy Production, New York, USA
FLAT DEATH, Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, USA
2013
FLAT DEATH, COOPER COLE, Toronto, Canada
Everything in the Studio (Destroyed), Foam Photography Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2012
Accidental Archives, COOPER COLE, Toronto, Canada
Group Exhibitions
2017
Culture Industry, Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, CA, USA
Biennale für aktuelle Fotografie – Farewell Photography, Mannheim, Germany (forthcoming)
Le Mois de la Photo à Montréal, Montreal, Canada (forthcoming)
My curiosities are not your curios, Art Gallery of Guelph, Guelph, Canada (forthcoming)
99 Cents or Less, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, USA
2016
Tell Me What I Mean, To____Bridges____, Bronx, NY
L’Image Volee, curated by Thomas Demand, The Prada Foundation, Milan, Italy
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, MoMA PS1, New York, USA
Continuous Surfaces, Andrea Rosen, New York, USA
If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?, Hunter East Harlem Gallery, New York, USA
The Secret Life, Murray Guy, New York, USA
Under Construction: New Positions in American Photography, Foam Photography Museum at Pioneer Works, New York, USA
The Actual, Eleven Rivington, New York, USA
Surface (New Life), curated by Sara Dolfi Agostini, Fluxia Gallery, Milan, Italy
2014
Soft Target, organized by Phil Chang and Matthew Porter, M+B Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Never Enough: Recent Acquisitions in Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, USA
The New Beauty of Our Modern Life, curated by Kate Steciw, Higher Pictures, New York, USA
2013
Mode, Foxy Production, New York, USA
Aperture Benefit Auction, Aperture Foundation, New York, USA
MAD Library with Limited Time Only, ICI, New York, USA
What You Want, The Camera Club of New York, New York, USA
The Scenery Changes Three Times, Schema Projects, Brooklyn, USA
2012
Small Works, Humble Arts Foundation with Magenta Flash Forward Festival, Boston, USA
Great Point, Real Fine Arts, New York, USA
Pink Installation, Ed Varie, New York, USA
2011
New York Art Book Fair with Printed Matter, PS1, New York, USA
Talk to Me, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
This Place in Time, Show & Tell Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Neubacher Shor Contemporary, Toronto, Canada
Hunter & Cook Auction, Diaz Contemporary, Toronto, Canada
I’m Not Here, CONTACT Photography Festival, Toronto, Canada
Made in US, with Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, Creatures of Comfort Project Space, New York, USA
Open Books, Royal College of Art, London, UK
Made in US, with Tibi Tibi Neuspiel, 107 Shaw Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2010
The Fine Line, Openhouse Gallery, New York, USA
Where is Here: Canadian Exhibition, Magenta Flash Forward Festival, Toronto, Canada
Parts of a Hole, Xpace, Toronto, Canada
Stacked, Paul Petro Special Projects, Toronto, Canada
Search Prone, Butcher Gallery, Toronto, Canada
2009
No Theme Group Show, Canteen Gallery, Ottawa, Canada
Wayfaring, Gallery 1313, Toronto, Canada
Selected Press
2016
Ariela Gittlen, “Sara Cwynar: Between Photography and Design”, BlouinArtinfo (UK)
Blake Gopnik, “In ‘Greater New York’ at PS1, Sara Cwynar Touches the Art”, Artnet
2015
“The Top 15 Emerging Artists of 2015”, artsy.net
“10 Highlights at PS1’s ‘Greater New York’”, BlouinArtinfo
2014
Roberta Smith “Sara Cwynar: Flat Death”, The New York Times
Will Heinrich, “Sara Cwynar: ‘Flat Death’ at Foxy Production,” Gallerist NY
“Recoding Images: A Roundtable Interview curated by Lauren Cornell with Michele Abeles, Sara Cwynar, Jon Rafman and Travess Smalley”, Mousse
Nick Brown “Sara Cwynar”, Cura Magazine
2013
Britt Gallpen, “Bringing Flat Death to Life”, Canadian Art
2012
“Looking for Cancon at Miami Art Basel?” Mclean’s Magazine, Canada
“Talents to Be Seen”, Foam Magazine, The Netherlands
“Living the Dream” – Surreal Artists Portfolio, Bullett Magazine, New York, USA
The Water Issue, Capricious Magazine, New York, USA
2011
“Sara Cwynar” Behind the Zines: Self Publishing Culture, Gestalten
“Sara Cwynar: 20 Under 30 New Visual Artists”, Print Magazine
Selected Publications
2014
“Pictures of Pictures” Published by Printed Matter (recipient of Emerging Artist Publication Grant), New York, USA
“Kitsch Encyclopedia” Published by Blonde Art Books, New York, USA
2012
“Lost & Found” Published by The Camera Club of New York, New York, USA
Collections
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada
Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA
Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt
Fondazione Prada, Milan
Kadist Art Foundation, San Francisco, USA; Paris, France
Dallas Art Museum Collection, Dallas, USA
MoMA Library Collection, New York, USA
Foam Photography Museum Collection, Amsterdam, Netherlands
