Amie Cunat
She/her
amiecunat (at) gmail (dot) com
Amie Kana Cunat (b. 1986, McHenry, IL) is a Japanese American artist influenced by the legacy of Pop Abstraction and surrealist biomorphism. Her inquiries within painting are prompted by discourse that addresses comedy, the spiritual and horror within visual culture to create form for something that cannot be named. She has been looking at Karl Blossfeldt photos of botanical imagery, monster movies (The Thing, Alien, The Blob, Them!..), Shaker gift drawings, historical catalogs of Japanese fireworks, and Art Deco/Nouveau embellishments. These influences come together to form abstractions that are comprised of repetitive variations on organic, decorative, and geometric elements that are chromatically charged and optically insistent.
Cunat earned an MFA from Cornell University, Post-Baccalaureate in Painting and Drawing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a dual BA in Visual Arts and Art History from Fordham University. She has exhibited at Dinner Gallery (NY), Peep Projects (PA), DIMIN (NY), Eric Firestone Gallery (NY), Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon, Knockdown Center (NY), Sunroom Project Space at Wave Hill (NY), ArtYard (NJ), and DC Moore Gallery (NY) among others. She is the recipient of a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Work and a 2019 Regional Economic Development Council Grant by NYSCA in collaboration with Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon. Her work has been featured by The New York Times, Metal Magazine, ARTnews, Artsy, Artnet News, Title Magazine, Vogue Italia, ArtMaze Mag, and Two Coats of Paint. She teaches at Fordham University and The Cooper Union. Cunat lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and is a 2023 resident at Yaddo.
Education
2010-2012
2009-2010
2004-2008
MFA, College of Architecture, Art and Planning, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Post-Baccalaureate, Painting and Drawing, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, IL
BA Visual Arts and Art History, Fordham University, New York, NY
Solo Exhibitions
2022
2021
2019
2018
2017
2016
2014
2012
Lightwell Gallery, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, Plot, Vein, Crescent, Eye
Dinner Gallery, New York, NY, Petal Signals
Peep Projects, Philadelphia, PA, Checkerbloom
Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon, New Lebanon, NY, Granary
Victori + Mo, Brooklyn, NY, Meetinghouse
Knockdown Center, Queens, NY, The Clock is Taking a Nap.
This Friday or Next Friday, Brooklyn, NY, Curtains
Sunroom Project Space, Wave Hill, Bronx, NY, Hideout
Outside, North Adams, MA, Moon Nets, Alphabet Letters
Foley Gallery - Window Installation, New York, NY, Clue, Cue
Court Tree Collective, Brooklyn, NY, Parenthetical Bounce
The Cooper Union, New York, NY, Octopi Kōen
AIRY Gallery, Kofu, Japan, Marks
Milstein Gallery, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, Cadmium Panoply
Select Group Exhibitions
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2014
2012
2011
2010
2009
Hungry Reaper Farm, Morris, CT, Bad Lighting, Organized by Jillian Verzino (forthcoming)
DIMIN, New York, NY, Surface Level
Hexum Gallery, Montpelier, VT, Wild Things
Eric Firestone Gallery, New York, NY, Psychedelic Landscape, Curated by Julie Reiter and Jennifer Samet
Peep Projects, Philadelphia, PA, Not Always What They Seem, Curated by Libby Rosa
TOA Presents, Minneapolis, MN, Horror Vacui, Curated by Amir Fallah and Mark Schoening
Providence College Galleries, Providence, RI, Art History Selects
Studio Archive Project, Digital exhibition, Use Your Words, Curated by JJ Manford
Soil Gallery, Seattle, WA, Mineral Dive: Colleen RJC Bratton, Amie Cunat, Drew Miller
The Royal Society of American Art, Brooklyn, NY, Such fleas, ere they approach the eye, Curated by Chris Lucius
Underdonk, Brooklyn, NY, Fur Cup, Curated by Elisa Soliven
DC Moore Gallery, New York, NY, The Unusual Suspects: A View of Abstraction, Curated by Richard Kalina
The Ekru Project, Brooklyn, NY, Beautiful Makers, Curated by Kevin Umana
Albany International Airport Gallery, Albany, NY, Everyday Perfection, Curated by Kathy Greenwood
Crush Curatorial, New York, NY, Surreality
Geary Contemporary, New York, NY, Softer but Louder, Curated by Poppy DeltaDawn
Arts + Leisure, New York, NY Field Days: Zach Seeger and Amie Cunat
ArtYard, Frenchtown, NJ, The Unlikely Whole, Curated by Lucinda Warchol
Freight + Volume, New York, NY, Summer of Love
The Center for Contemporary Art, Bedminster, NJ, Keepers of the Chroma: An Exhibition Regarding Color
Selena Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, Tangled Bliss and Beautiful Soup, Curated by Olivia Swider
Lipani Gallery, Fordham University, New York, NY, Flew the Coop: Amie Cunat and Vincent Stracquadanio
SPRING/BREAK Art Show, New York, NY, C+C: Kat Chamberlin and Amie Cunat, Curated by Nicholas Cueva
Glyndor Gallery, Wave Hill, Bronx, NY, Call and Response, Curated by Gabriel de Guzman
Mountain, Brooklyn, NY, Along a River of Sapphire Pools
Sine Gallery at tête, Berlin, Germany, Sine Gallery: Berlin, Curated by Patricia Brace and Katie Hector
MW Projects, New York, NY, Chaos/Control, Curated by Melinda Wang
No Place Gallery, Columbus, OH, Western Decoy, Curated by James McDevitt-Stredney
Sine Gallery, Newark, NJ, Surreal Surrender, Curated by Patricia Brace and Katie Hector
215 Orleans, Beaumont, TX, Compilation 1: Introduction, Curated by Teresa Baker
Guttenberg Arts, Guttenberg, NJ, Made Here
Mountain, Brooklyn, NY, Blood and Sand, Curated by Michael Fleming
Ventana 244, Brooklyn, NY, Oysters With Lemon, Curated by Andrew Huston and Michael Zahn
Court Tree Collective, Brooklyn, NY, Year End Review
White Box Gallery, New York, NY, Suggestions Toward Future Conversations
Experimental Gallery, Ithaca, NY, Midnight Party
Tjaden and Experimental Galleries, Ithaca, NY, YEAH
Dumbo Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY, Meditations in an Emergency, Curated by Christopher Lew
Project space at Winkelman Gallery, New York, NY, Signs on the Road
Olive Tjaden Gallery, Ithaca, NY, Is This Making Sense?
The Center Gallery, Fordham University, New York, NY, Local Color: Four Fordham Alumnae, Curated by James Vanderberg
Zrobili Gallery, Chicago, IL, New Works by Samantha Bittman and Amie Cunat
Sullivan Galleries, Chicago, IL, SAIC MFA Thesis Exhibition
The Dirty Dirty, Brooklyn, NY, Group Exhibition, Organized by Martha Clippinger
Awards & Residencies
2023
2022
2021
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2012
2011
Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY
IFPDA Blackburn Scholarship, Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, New York, NY
NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Interdisciplinary Work, Kings, NY
Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon Artist Residency, New Lebanon, NY
The New York State Council on the Arts & Regional Economic Development Council Grant with Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon
Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant Nomination
Studios at MASS MoCA + Assets for Artists, Artist Residency, North Adams, MA
Facebook AIR Program, New York, NY
Guttenberg Arts, Space & Time Artist Residency and Fellowship, Guttenberg, NJ
Wave Hill Sunroom Project Space Fellowship, Bronx, NY
Groundwork II Residency, Vernon Township, NJ
Artist-Teacher Residency, The Cooper Union, New York, NY
AIRY- Artist in Residence Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan
The Charles Baskerville Painting Award, Cornell University
Parsons Paris Artist Residency, Paris, France
Select Press
Gallaro, Elisa. Cornell AAP Alumni Archive, "A Bold, Bouyant View of Color", September 2023
Laster, Paul. Galerie, "9 Emerging Artists to Discover at NADA Miami 2021", November 30, 2021
Stanner, Trevor. Metal Magazine, "Biotic Barbed Impressions", October 7, 2021
Ghassemitari, Shawn. Hypebeast, "Amie Cunat’s Floral Motifs Carry Dark Undertones in Her New Body of Work", August 24, 2021
Levenson, Joey. It's Nice That, "Artist Amie Cunat on “pulling a viewer in like a homing beacon” in her new solo exhibition", August 21, 2021
Alfred, Brian. Sound & Vision, Episode 278, August 12, 2021
Arao, Paolo. The Coastal Post, "Amie Cunat Visited by Paolo Arao", April 21, 2021
Stong, Todd. Title Magazine, "Corpus Cute and Creeping: Amie Cunat at Peep Projects", February 11, 2021
Cascone, Sarah. Artnet News, "My Practice Looks Very Different Today’: 15 Artist-Mothers on Balancing Work and Family After a Year Like No Other", January 4, 2021
ArtMaze Mag, Curated Selection by Scott Ogden, Shrine Gallery, Winter Issue 16, 2020
Barcio, Phillip. Ideel Art, "Richard Kalina Curates an Abstract Art Show at DC Moore Gallery", July 3, 2019
Urban, Jason. Art in Print Journal, New Editions Issue, "New Editions A-Z: Amie Cunat", March - April, 2019, pp.8-9
Casadio, Di Mariuccua. Vogue Italia, "Una questione di sfumature", December 14, 2018, pp. 84
Corkery, Elizabeth. Print Club Ltd. Journal,"Touring the Shaker Museum with Artist Amie Cunat, October 11, 2018
Boone-McCreesh, Amy. Inertia Studio Visits, "Exhibition visit with Amie Cunat at Victori + Mo gallery in Brooklyn, New York", May 25, 2018
Selvin, Claire. ARTnews, "Amie Cunat Imbues Shaker Craftsmanship with Political Import at Victori+Mo", May 21, 2018
Steinhauer, Jillian. The New York Times, "What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week", May 10, 2018
Cohen, Alina. Artsy, "How the Shakers Influenced Generations of Artists and Designers", May 3, 2018
Sculpture56, "Sculpture 56: The Interviews, Amie Cunat", May 3, 2018
Shen, Danni. Two Coats of Paint,“Interview: Amie Cunat at Wave Hill”, August 2016
Lectures & Panels
Artist Lecture, University of Oklahoma, School of Art, Norman, OK, February 2022
Artist Talk, Fordham Art History Society, Fordham University, New York, NY, 2020
Abstract Painting: Wrong Questions, Right Answers?, Panel Discussion with Paolo Arao, Amie Cunat, Carrie Moyer, and Odili Donald Odita, Moderated by Richard Kalina, DC Moore Gallery, New York, NY, June 2019
Artist Talk and Workshop, New Lebanon Library, New Lebanon, NY, June 2019
Artist Lecture and Workshop, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, February 2019
Artist Conversation with Anne Wu about her installation Detour, New York Public Library, New York, NY, December 2016
Amie Cunat: W for Wave, Visiting Artist Lecture, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, October 2015
Faculty & Critic Positions
Assistant Clinical Professor, Visual Arts Department, Fordham University, New York, NY, 2022-Present
Visiting Artist, Foundation: Color, The Cooper Union, New York, NY, 2023
Guest Critic, SUNY Purchase College, Purchase, NY, October 2022
Visiting Artist, Painting, School of Art, The Cooper Union, New York, NY, 2021-2022
Visiting Assistant Professor, Visual Arts Department, Fordham University, New York, NY, 2019-2022
Visiting Artist, Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY, 2022
Guest Lecturer and Critic, NYC Crit Club, March 2022
Guest Visitors Program, Residency Unlimited, Brooklyn, NY, 2019
Adjunct Professor, Painting & Drawing, Visual Arts Department, Fordham University, New York, NY, 2013-2019
Curatorial Projects
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2011
2010
Ildiko Butler Gallery, Fordham University New York, NY, Fanfare
Public Address, Brooklyn, NY, Welcome Back
Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon, New Lebanon, NY, Quiet March to a Warring Song
Public Address, Brooklyn, NY, Park
Public Address, Brooklyn, NY, Hand in Glove
Public Address, Brooklyn, NY, Nightcall
Outside, North Adams, MA, Angle, Pitch
Ildiko Butler Gallery, Fordham University, New York, NY, Co-curator, What This Journey Breeds (Visual Arts and The Refugee and Immigrant Fund)
NYC Creative Salon at Fordham University, New York, NY, Responsibility
Public Address, Brooklyn, NY, Balustrade
Lipani Gallery, Fordham University, New York, NY, Pretty Eyes Electric Bills
Tjaden Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, AND…
Experimental Gallery, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, Listen and Repeat: New Work by Martha Clippinger and Daniel Schmid
1366 Space, Chicago, IL, Co-curator Midnite Snacks: Chicago