Erik Olson

was born in Calgary in 1982, and graduated from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2007. The following years after university, Olson travelled extensively, studying painting at artist residencies in Canada, Italy and India. Olson self-curated his first solo show in an abandoned gas station in 2008.

Since then, his paintings have been recognized by curators and galleries which has led to exhibitions at the Glenbow Museum, MOCA Calgary, Art Gallery of Calgary and the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee Union Gallery.  In 2012, his painting, “The Skateboarder”, was included in the BP Portrait Award exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London, UK, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, UK.

In 2014 Olson moved to Düsseldorf, Germany to study at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf as Peter Doig’s guest student. He currently lives and maintains a studio in Dusseldorf, Germany.

His artwork is in the permanent collections of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Richard Ivey School of Business, RBC and TD Bank.

 

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born 1982 in Calgary

Education

2014/2015 – Kunstakademie, Dusseldorf, Germany, Guest Student of Professor Peter Doig
2007 – Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Bachelor’s Degree

Solo Exhibitions

2018 – Hold the Line, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
– In the Trees, VivianeArt, Calgary, AB

2017 – L.A. Paintings, Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, California, USA
-New Paintings, The Cabin LA, Los Angeles, California, USA

2016 – Portraits, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
-Untitled Miami Beach, Presented by BravinLee Programs, New York, USA
– Erik Olson, Barbara Edwards Contemporary, Calgary, AB

2015 – Düsseldorfer, BravinLee Programs, New York
– The Painter’s Studio, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON

2014 – The Mountains, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
– Figures, Douglas Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB

2013 – New Portraits, BravinLee Programs, New York
– The Dance, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
– Architecture of the Face, Douglas Udell Gallery, Vancouver

2012 – Space, Skew Gallery, Calgary, Canada

2011 – Out of India, Skew Gallery, Calgary, Canada

2008 – IDEAL Art Space, Calgary, Canada

Selected Group Exhibitions

2018 – Cosmos: Gathie Falk, Margaret Nazon and Erik Olson, Glenbow Museum, Calgary, AB

2017 – Art Toronto, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON & Luis De Jesus Los Angeles, California
O Canada, Beers Contemporary, London, UK
Paper Works, 2 Person Exhibition, Viviane Art Gallery, Calgary, Canada
Papier, Presented by Viviane Art Gallery, Montreal, Canada
Contemporary Visions VII, Beers Contemporary, London, UK
Text, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, Canada

2016 – Art Toronto, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
-Papier 16, Barbara Edwards Contemporary, Montreal, QC
-Introspective, BravinLee Programs, New York, NY
-Launchpad, Viviane Art Gallery, Calgary, AB

2015 – Art Toronto, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
– Sought After, Jarvis Hall Gallery, Calgary, AB
– King Kong Crisis, Contemporary Pop Ups, Dusseldorf, Germany
– Art with Heart Auction, Toronto, ON
– Rundgang, Class of Peter Doig, Kunstakademie Dusseldorf, Germany

2014 – Voted Most Likely, Curated by Kim Dorland, Contemporary Gallery, Calgary, AB
– Hey Stranger, Plug Projects, Kansas City, USA
– The White Room, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
– Art Toronto, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
– Fall, Douglas Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB
– Portraiture, Whyte Museum, Banff, AB
– Spring, group exhibition at Douglas Udell Gallery, Edmonton, AB
– Art and Value II, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON

2013 – Art Toronto, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
– Winter, Douglas Udell Gallery, Edmonton
– Fall, Douglas Udell Gallery, Edmonton
– Olympian Heights, group exhibition at MOCA Calgary, Alberta
– Floater, BravinLee Programs, New York, New York
– Faces, Douglas Udell Gallery, Vancouver, BC
– Garage Montage, Art Gallery of Calgary, Calgary, AB
– Collecting from the Michael Gibson Gallery, Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, ON
– BP Portrait Award 2012, at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, UK
– Art & Value, Michael Gibson Gallery, London, ON
– Made in Alberta, MOCA, Calgary, AB (curated by Jeffrey Spalding)
– BP Portrait Award 2012, at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland

2012 – Art Toronto, Michael Gibson Gallery, Toronto, Canada
– BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
– Art Park, Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Canada

2011 – Askew: New Directions in Painting (curated by Andrea Avery), Union Gallery, University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee, USA
– Calgary Collects (curated by Jeffrey Spalding) Art Gallery of Calgary, Calgary, AB
– The Cheaper Show (curated by Jessica Delorme), Vancouver, BC
– NEXT, Chicago’s Invitational Art Fair, Chicago, IL

2010 – Fresh Paint, Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition, Canada

2009 – Merge, Skew Gallery, Calgary, AB
– Fresh Paint, Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travelling Exhibition

2008 – Redshift: Witnessing Landscape Change, Two person show, Art Gallery of Calgary, Calgary, AB

Residences

2018 – La Brea Artist Residency, Los Angeles, California
2017 – La Brea Artist Residency, Los Angeles, California
2010 – Sanskriti Artist Residency, New Delhi, India
2009 – Emma Lake Artist Residency, Northern Saskatchewan, Canada
2007 – The Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada

Awards

2015 – Canada Council for the Arts Travel Grant
2014 – Alberta Foundation for the Arts Project Grant
2013 – Canada Council for the Arts Travel Grant
2013 – Alberta Foundation for the Arts Visual Arts Project Grant
2012 – Alberta Foundation for the Arts Travel Grant
2009 – Alberta Foundation for the Arts Visual Arts Project Grant
2006 – Alberta Foundation for the Arts Visual Arts Project Grant
2003 – Friends of Emily Carr Scholarship
2003 – Bill Crosby Scholarship

Press

“Erik Olson experiments with vibrant non traditional portraiture”, Juxtapose, April 2017
“Erik Olson” Art Scene LA, June 2017″Previews: Erik Olson LA Paintings”, Arrested Motion, July 2017
“Erik Olson Paints his Peers”, by Charles Shafaieh, Blouin Art Info, March 2016
“Studio Visit: Erik Olson”, Need Supply Co. January 2016
“Erik Olson – The Painter’s Studio”, London Yodeller, October 2015
“Erik Olson”, Numero Magazine China, October 2015
“Following Curiosity with Erik Olson”, Style No Chaser, 2015
“Erik Olson”, FREQ Magazine, Dec 2014
“On the Landscape”, Canadian Interviews, July 2014
“Famed Artist puts distinctive touch on Rockies”, London Free Press, July 2014
“Erik Olson on Architecture of the Face”, Echo Canyon, 2014
“Slices of Moving Art”, Lancia, November 2013
“Interview with Erik Olson”, The Fox is Black, September 2013
“Notable Artist Profile”, Notable, October 2013
“A Talk with Erik Olson”, Sir Magazine, August 2013
OPCION Magazine (Mexico) November 2012
“Erik Olson”, by Maureen Latta, Galleries West Magazine, November 27, 2012
LOLA Magazine (Brazil), October 2012
JWRNL (Mexico), September 2012
“BP Portrait Award: in pictures”, London Telegraph
“An other-worldly perspective”, by Vanessa Gillard, The Reflector, February, 2012
“Calgary Collects”, by Jeffrey Spalding, Exhibition Catalogue, 2012
“Painting a New Era: the artwork of Min Hyung, Wil Murray & Erik Olson”, by Jason Altobelli, September 2011
“Wanderlust: Painter Erik Olson colours his world”, by Katie Addleman, Elle Canada, 2011
“Merging Artists”, by Andrea Williamson, Visual Arts, 2009
“How a ramshackle shack became IDEAL Artspace”, by Anthea Black, Visual Arts, 2008

Collections

Alberta Foundation for the Arts
McCarthy Tetrault LLP
Richard Ivey School of Business
TD Bank

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