Reid Arowood fuses elements of performance, sculpture, and new media to create multi-sensory experiences that push the boundaries of the hybrid body and queer identity. Their work has been exhibited internationally through various festivals, symposiums, and exhibitions. Recent highlights include Ancestral Echoes: A Decade of Bio Art, Ars Electronica Festival “Worlds in Progress”, the 6th International Exhibition on New Media Art , Art in Odd Places: NORMAL, and Future Bodies: 2022 New Media Caucus Symposium and Exhibition. They received their BFA from the University of Tennessee and are completing their MFA in Art and Technology Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Education
2023 Master of Fine Arts - Art and Technology Studies School of the Art Institute Chicago, Chicago Illinois
2021 Processing + Real-Time Interactive Systems Workshop Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Colorado
2019 Bachelor of Fine Arts - Sculpture
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee
2019 3D Printing Workshop
Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Colorado
2018 Contemporary Art + Fashion Training
Santa Reparata International School of Art, Florence Italy
2017 BioArt Residency
School of Visual Arts, New York New York
Professional Experience
2023 Art and Technology Studies Teaching Assistant School of the Art Institute, Chicago IL
2022-23 Art and Technology Studies Graduate Coordinator Assistant School of the Art Institute, Chicago IL
2019 Part-Time Art Handler
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 Summer Art Academy Educator
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Tennessee
2018-19 Student Ambassador
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee
Presentations
2022 Clone Clinic: Workshop
Future Bodies: New Media Caucus Symposium, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg Virginia
2021 BODY/EXCHANGE
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Illinois
2019 BODY/TECH
CICA Museum, Seoul South Korea
2019 Mid-South Sculpture Alliance ConFab Scholarship Talks Chattanooga State Community College, Chattanooga Tennessee
2018 Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 Mid-South Sculpture Alliance ConFab Scholarship Talks University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 Foundations: Sweet Rose
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee
Awards
2021 Anderson Ranch Artist Scholarship
Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Colorado
2019 The Diane Komminsk Scholarship for Outstanding Student Achievement Mid-South Sculpture Alliance
2019 Dorothy Dile Undergraduate Travel Award University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee
2019 Anderson Ranch Student Scholarship Workshop Anderson Ranch, Snowmass Colorado
2018 Mid-South Sculpture Alliance Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement Mid-South Sculpture Alliance
2017 Buck Ewing Scholarship
University of Tennessee, Knoxville Tennessee
2016 Best in Show: Performance
Handheld Festival, Knoxville Tennessee
Exhibitions
2023 Art in Odd Places: DRESS
W 14th Street, New York New York
2023 Ars Electronica Festival: Campus Edition Ars Electronica Festival, Linz Austria
2023 GUI/Gooey Plexus Projects
2022 Ars Electronica Festival: Campus Edition Ars Electronica Festival, Linz Austria
2022 Ancestral Echoes: A Decade of Bio Art
School of Visual Arts Gramercy Gallery, New York New York
2022 Pan-Tilt-Zoom
The Wrong Biennale, thewrong.org
2021 Art in Odd Places: NORMAL
W 14th Street, New York New York
2020 6th International Exhibition on New Media Art CICA Museum, Seoul South Korea
2019 Squares 2019
CICA Museum, Seoul South Korea
2019 WERQ: We’ve Been Doing This Our Whole Lives Cluster Gallery, Brooklyn New York
2019 SNIFFING GLUE: BFA Capstone Exhibition Ewing Gallery, Knoxville Tennessee
2019 72nd Annual Student Art Competition Ewing Gallery, Knoxville Tennessee
2019 A1 Lab Arts: Connections
The Emporium, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 Filmgate Interactive Media Festival
The Mana XR + Game Portal, Miami Florida
2018 Sweet Rose: Solo Exhibition Gallery 1010, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 Mid-South Sculpture Alliance Student Scholarship Show Gallery 1010, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 In the Belly of the Beast
Stephen Smith Gallery, Fairfield Alabama
2018 Arts in the Airport
McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 UTK Sculpture Club Group Exhibition Gallery 1010, Knoxville Tennessee 2018 Send Nudes: Sex Week Exhibition
The Birdhouse Gallery, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 Runaway Dreamhouse (Collaboration with Katie Gentner) Knoxville Center Mall, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 Culture Salon: Solo Exhibition Culture Studio, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 The Art of Recycling
Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville Tennessee
2018 71st Annual Student Art Competition Ewing Gallery, Knoxville Tennessee
2017 Path: Site Specific Installation
301 East Woodland Ave, Knoxville Tennessee
2017 Rend, Mend/Reject, Repeat
Current Matter, Knoxville Tennessee
2017 Biotransmutations
School of Visual Arts, New York New York
2017 UTK Sculpture Club Group Exhibition Gallery 1010, Knoxville Tennessee
2017 Fluid: Sex Week Exhibition Gallery 1010, Knoxville Tennessee
2017 The Art of Recycling
Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville Tennessee
2017 70th Annual Student Art Competition Ewing Gallery, Knoxville Tennessee
2016 Handheld Festival
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Tennessee
2015 Buried Memories: Solo Exhibition Holly’s 135, Knoxville Tennessee
2015 South Arkansas Juried Art Exhibition
South Arkansas Art Center, El Dorado Arkansas
2015 Arts in the Airport
McGhee Tyson Airport, Knoxville Tennessee
2015 Dogwood Arts Regional Fine Art Exhibition The Emporium, Knoxville Tennessee
2015 Dogwood Arts: Synergy
Clayton Center for the Arts, Knoxville Tennessee
2015 Knoxville Museum of Art’s Regional Student Exhibition Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville Tennessee
My interests as an artist are anchored in exploring the possibilities of the queer body when fused with technology and body modification. For example, what can a body mean if we have the power to physically change the body and modify the perception of it through filters and editing software? My desire to create comes from a place of obsession and a desire for control over my own body. Not only control of my own physical anatomy, but the expectations and perceptions of my body and identity. I also reflect on social media/pop culture’s influence on self perception, beauty, and gender. How does pop culture distort our perception, presentation, and instrumentation of self?
Flesh-covered mirrors, prosthetics, beauty products, and examination tables are stitched together with augmented reality face filters, virtual reality performance, and heavily edited images to blur the boundaries between our physical and digital presence. These components create a multi-sensory experience where viewers become specimens and are encouraged to interact, smell, and even ingest elements of the work. This creates a visceral and disorienting experience for the viewer, prompting them to question the perception of their own body and blur their distinction between the digital and the physical.