Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
-based artist whose work focuses on women and
women's issues
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male poi ...
primarily in hand-woven hand dyed wool tapestries. Riley's work challenges society's comfort level by displaying shocking images including nudity, drugs, violence, self harm, sexuality, and menstruation.
Early life
As a middle child and an introvert, Riley spend much of her childhood alone doing hobbies like art and reading. One of her biggest inspirations is
Louise Bourgeois
Louise Joséphine Bourgeois (; 25 December 191131 May 2010) was a French-American artist. Although she is best known for her large-scale sculpture and installation art, Bourgeois was also a prolific painter and printmaker. She explored a varie ...
works and personal story, as well as Riley's own childhood and personal experiences.
She graduated with a BFA in fibers in 2007 from
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, branded as MassArt, is a public college of visual and applied art in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1873, it is one of the nation’s oldest art schools, the only publicly funded independent art school ...
Tyler School of Art
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture is based at Temple University, a large, urban, public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tyler currently enrolls about 1,350 undergraduate students and about 200 graduate students in a wid ...
.
Career
Riley first learned how to sew in a Home Economics class in high school. Her quickly honed skills and instant attraction to the craft prompted her to receive her first sewing machine on her next birthday, which she still owns. All of Riley's work Is created on a floor loom with wool hand dyed by Riley. She utilizes social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr, gathering pictures she compiles into different folders coupled with research to create art for her exhibitions. She uses these images as a reference to create her tapestries directly from the computer rather than sketching the design on paper before hand; however, she does takes notes for each piece in a journal and her phone's notes.
Her 2010 "Nudes" series appropriates images posted to social media, which Riley has recreated in her medium.
Her work was shown during the 2015 Art Basel Miami week at Miami Projects and the KITH Homage exhibit concurrently. In 2013, Erin M. Riley was among eight women artists featured in
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
-based Brian Ohno Gallery's exhibition entitled "Get Naked," which focused on works relating to the female body and sexuality.
Also in 2013, her work was shown at
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
's Paradigm Gallery and the Joseph Gross Gallery at the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory.
T ...
.
Artworks
Riley creates tapestries based on her memories, fears, and past traumas to show the struggle of finding ones own identity. One of Riley’s more popular tapestries is a work of art depicting a young woman sitting on the floor burning a photograph that appears to be her younger self surrounded by children's toys. The tapestry titled, ''Why Now?'', was created in 2021. Such graphics of her sudden expression, had Riley's mother question “why now?” which was the inspiration of this tapestry. ''Why Now?'' was displayed at a group exhibition show by Arsenal Contemporary Art
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
called "Material Knowledge".
Exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
* Art Basel Miami Beach: Meridians; P.P.O.W Gallery, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL, 2022
* The Consensual Reality of Healing Fantasies, P.P.O.W Gallery, New York, NY, 2021
* A Reminder of Being There, Jonathan Hopson Gallery, Houston, TX, 2020
* Used Tape, P.P.O.W Gallery, New York, NY, 2018
* Head On, Never Apart, Montreal, QC, Canada, 2017
* Simple, Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, CA, 2017
* 18/bi/f/ma, Brilliant Champions, Brooklyn, NY, 2016
* Anew, Hashimoto Contemporary, San Francisco, CA, 2016
* Darkness Lies Ahead, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY, 2015
* The Pain Comes in Waves, OGAARD Gallery, Oakland, CA, 2014
* Crimson Landslide, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA , 2014
* Undo, University of Wisconsin Gallery, Oshkosh, WI, 2013
* Show Me More, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA , 2013
* Crush, Extension Gallery, Boston, MA , 2012
* Forgotten in a File, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2012
* Erin M Riley, Fleisher Art Memorial, Philadelphia, PA, 2011
* Graphic, Central Utah Arts Center, Ephraim, UT, 2011
* Erin M Riley: New Works, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2010
* Daddy Issues, Helene Davis Gallery, Artspace, Richmond, VA, 2010
Awards
* Finalist, Burke Prize 2021, MAD Museum, New York, NY American Academy of Arts and Letters, Art Purchase Program United States Artists Fellowship, Craft, 2021
* NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, Crafts/Sculpture, 2020
* Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation Grant, New York, NY, 2012
* Vermont Studio Center Artist-in-Residence Full Fellowship, Johnson, VT, 2011
* Artist-in-Residence at the
McColl Center for Art + Innovation
McColl Center (formerly McColl Center for Art + Innovation) is an artist residency and contemporary art space located at 721 North Tryon Street in Charlotte, North Carolina.20 years of Artists-In-Residence McColl Center
* Kittredge Foundation Grant Recipient, Cambridge, MA, 2011
* Best in Show, Radius 250, Artspace, Richmond, VA, 2009
* Project Completion Grant, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA, 2009
* Graduate Academic Tuition Assistantship, Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA, 2008
* Graduate Academic Tuition Assistantship, Tyler School of Art, Elkins Park, PA, 2007
* Marilyn Pappas Award, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA, 2007
* Barbara L. Kuhlman Foundation, Inc. Fiber Scholarship, Willet, NY, 2006
* Barbara L. Kuhlman Foundation, Inc. Fiber Scholarship, Willet, NY, 2005