Irena Jurek
Born in Krakow, Poland 1982
Lives and works in New York, New York
EDUCATION
2008
MFA, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, MI
2004
BFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022
Show me your kitties (forthcoming) JAG Projects, NY, NY
2017
Just A Phone Call Away, David Shelton Gallery, Houston, TX
Dirty Little Secret, Catbox Contemporary, Ridgewood, NY
2016
Teddies, Trenchcoats, and Tiaras, Romeo, NY, NY
2015
Smooth Jazz, Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson, NY
Les Cat Women, Zurcher, Paris, France
TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2016
Livin the dream, Cryin on the Inside, two-person show with Chelsea Seltzer, DCTV, NY, NY
2014
The Fury of Sunsets, two-person show with Michael Dotson, Zurcher, NY, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2021
NADA Art Fair, JAG Projects, Miami Beach, FL
Tom of Finland Art & Culture Festival, (forthcoming), Tom of Finland Foundation viewing room
Eric Hibit Presents, studioarchiveprojectm.com
Timely, curated by Tessa Krieg, 11 Newel Gallery, BK, NY
Sexology 101, curated by Brooke Wise, Artsy (Tom of Finland Foundation)
Ode to Green, curated by Eric Hibit, Ortega y Gasset Projects, BK, NY
2020
Wet Dreams, Satellite Art Club, Brooklyn, NY
2019
AXxoN N. A Collective Commentary on David Lynch’s Inland Empire, curated by Jonathan Ehrenberg and Sean McCarthy, RISD, Providence, RI
Don’t Tell Mama, George Gallery, BK, NY
Freddy’s World, curated by Joshua Abelow, Fisher Parrish Gallery, BK, NY
Flesh and Fantasy, curated by Kenneth Heyne, Marvin Gardens, Ridgewood, NY
Champ Chow, Macy Gallery, Columbia University, NY, NY
GIFC: ‘Velvet Ropes’ edition, Shrine, New York, NY
AXxoN N. A Collective Commentary on David Lynch’s Inland Empire, curated by Jonathan Ehrenberg and Sean McCarthy, Essex Flowers, NY, NY
2018
Skins, Greenpoint Terminal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Seven Samurai, Platform Project Space, Brooklyn, NY
Be Still Life, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
Ecophilia, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, MA
Alive With Pleasure, Asya Geisberg Gallery, New York, NY
Chromalicious, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
GIFC: ‘Velvet Ropes’ edition, New Art Dealers Alliance, New York, NY
Anonymous Was a Masterpiece, New York Studio School, New York, NY
2017
Crunch, curated by Matthew F. Fischer, The Breeder, Athens, Greece
Zing Zam Blunder, curated by Brian Scott Campbell, Harbinger Projects, Reykyavik, Iceland
Best Kept Secret, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
All My Life, curated by Jonathan DeDecker, YUI Gallery, NY, NY
Topographical Drift, curated by Andrew Rafacz and Nataliya Kotlova, Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL
Domestic Tranquility, curated by Charlie Roberts, 0-0LA, LA, CA
Hide And Go Chic, curated by Kenneth Heyne, Rover Gallery, Chicago, IL
The Dating Game, curated by Kenneth Heyne, Green Door, Chicago, IL
All Things Great and Small, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
Wild Animal Exhibition for City Wildlife, curated by Akemi Maegawa, City Wildlife, Washington D.C.
2016
UNTITLED Art Fair, Jeff Bailey Gallery, Miami Beach, FL
Tie His Hands Gently, curated by Aurel Schmidt, Romeo, NY, NY
Texas Contemporary Art Fair, David Shelton Gallery, Houston NY
How High, curated by Ryan Travis Christian, Left Field, San Luis Obispo, CA
Inaugural Exhibition, Romeo, NY, NY Squared, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
Super Sketchy, curated by Alleyoop Projects, DCTV, NY, NY
Body Talk, MASS Gallery, Austin, Texas
Mini Bar at Beverly’s at Material Art Fair, curated by Alison Kuo and Stina Puotinen, Mexico City, Mexico
Roasted, Lodge Gallery, NY, NY Something, Berry Campbell, NY, NY
Pretty Creepy, Booth Gallery, NY, NY
2015
It Follows, curated by Jordan Rathus and Jaime Schwartz, Torrance Shipman Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Ortega 100, Ortega y Gasset Projects, Brooklyn, NY
Generator, ADA Gallery, Richmond, VA
Sight/ Site/ Sight, Outlet, Brooklyn, NY
Please Excuse Our Appearance, curated by Jesse Greenberg and MacGregor Harp, 247365, NY, NY
Ducks LA, curated by Ryan Travis Christian, Minotaur Projects, Los Angeles, CA
If Not for You, curated by Sue Muskat and Phil Knoll, Geoffrey Young Gallery, Great Barrington, MA
Drops of Jupiter, Bannerette, Brooklyn, NY
Seducers, curated by Evie Falci, Greenpoint Terminal Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Left Field Inaugural Show, curated by Ryan Travis Christian, Left Field, San Luis Obispo, CA
2014
Share This! Appropriation After Cynicism, curated by Adam Parker Smith, Denny Gallery, NY, NY
Zurtopia, curated by Austin Thomas, Zurcher, New York, New York
Akibo Bird Festival, curated by Akemi Maegawa, Akibo, Japan
Broke Baroque, curated by Rachel Schmidhofer, Sanctuary, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Tossed, curated by Jennifer Coates and Rachel Schmidhofer , Jeff Bailey Gallery, Hudson, NY
If you’re accidentally not included, don’t worry about it, curated by Peter Saul, Zurcher, Paris, France
If you’re accidentally not included, don’t worry about it, curated by Peter Saul, Zurcher, NY, NY
I Gotta Go Show, organized by Mike Ballou and Laura Murray, Brooklyn, NY
The Last Brucennial, NY, NY Art F City Roast, Postmasters Gallery, NY, NY
2013
Beverly’s, curated by Leah Dixon, UNTITLED Art Fair, Miami Beach, FL
Draw Gym, curated by Brian Belott, Know More Games and 247365, Brooklyn, NY
Trapp(her) Keeper, Knock, Knock, Northampton, MA
Thanks, curated by Adam Parker Smith, Lu Magnus, New York, NY
2012
Sunday Paintings for a Rainy Day, curated by Hein Koh, Field Projects, Chelsea, New York
It’s a small, small world, curated by “Hennessy Youngman,” Family Business, Chelsea, NY
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2018
Alive With Pleasure, Asya Geisberg Gallery, New York, NY
2015
Ornamenting Crime, Zurcher, New York, NY
2014
Shrink It, Pink It, Cathouse FUNeral, Brooklyn, NY
Dream Within A Dream, exhibition fundraiser for ProjectArt, The New Century Artists, NY, NY
2013
GeoMetron, co-curated with Talia Shulze, Mulherin+Pollard, New York, NY
Shhhhh… Just let it happen, Beverly’s, New York, NY
Persona, 7 Dunham, Williamsburg, New York
It’s Really Normaling, Greenwich House, New York, New York
2012
Finite Infinity, Greenwich House, New York, New York
If You Think I’m Sexy, Gallery 461, New York, New Yor
2011
Half Empty, Vaudeville Park, Brooklyn, NY
In Between the Sheets, Harlem Workspace, New York, New York
AWARDS
2000
The Art Institute of Southern California Merit Scholarship
BOOKS
2021
Ecouter La Musique, (Zine), Nieves Books, Zurich, Switzerland
2015
Irena Jurek, Zurcher Paris/ New York
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Woolbright, Andrew. “Scene and Sensoria,” twocoatsofpaint.com, August 13, 2021
Cascone, Sarah. “A Group of Brooklyn Artists is Opening a Neighborhood Dive Bar and Art Gallery to Revive Community in the Isolation Era,” artnet.com, November 27, 2020
Walsh, Brienne. “The Satellite Art Club Brings Cool Back To a Ravaged New York,” Forbes, November 19, 2020
Richard, Hillary. “David Hasselhoff and Cheetos: Pandemic Art Goes ‘80s,” The New York Times, October 9, 2020
The Quarterless Review #09, The Quarterless Review, Issue 09 Indrisek, Scott. “9 Things To Know before Doing a Studio Visit with an Artist,” Artsy.net November 21st, 2019
Artist of the week: Irena Jurek, lvl3official.com, October 16, 2019
Goldstein, Caroline. “Editors’ Picks: 19 Things Not to Miss in New York’s Art World This Week,” artnet.com, July 15, 2019
Vogel, Maria. “Irena Jurek Creates Bold Expressions,” artofchoice.com, February 9, 2019
Let’s Panic, Let’s Panic, Issue 4 Kerschen, Tex. “Irena Jurek: Just a Phone Call Away,” houstonpress.com, April 27, 2017
Goldstein, M. Andrew. “Jeff Bailey on How Hudson, New York, Became a Viable Base for an Ambitious Art Gallery,” artspace.com, August 31, 2016
Keegan, Alessandro. “IRENA JUREK,” nyc.ephemera-art.com, August 16, 2016
Rathus, Jordan. “Irena Jurek: Teddies, Trenchcoats, and Tiaras,”arcadeprojectzine.com, August 2016
Stevens, Charlene. “Livin’ the Dream (Crying on the Inside),” arcadeprojectzine.com, May 2016
Frank, Priscilla. “Step Into This Feminist Artist’s X-Rated Zootopia,” huffingtonpost.com, March 14th, 2016
Brenner, Wayne Alan. “Johnston Foster, Irena Jurek, Jared Theis: Body Talk.” austinchronicle.com, March 18, 2016
Lambert, Audra. “A Panoply of Somethings,” artefuse.com, January 13th, 2016
Shaw, Michael. “Ep. 117: Irena Jurek- artist, curator, and provocateur of Puritans,” theconversationpod.com, November 2015
Johnson, Paddy and Farley, Michael Anthony. “This Week’s Must See Events: Suggested Double Dates.”artfcity.com, December 14, 2015
Farley, Michael Anthony. “Is Site Specificity Relevent To A Generation of Nomads? Not Really.”artfcity.com, August 28, 2015
DeYoung, Johannes. “In Conversation: Irena Jurek,” staringatthewall.com, August 2nd, 2015
Isaacs, John. “Art and About: From the profane to the Sublime,” IMBY.com, July 13th, 2015
Indrisek, Scott. “July/August Preview,” Modern Painters, July 2015
Gigantic Magazine: Women’s Issue, thegiganticmag.com, Summer, 2015
Boudier, Laurent. “Irena Jurek,” Telerama, March, 2015
De Santis, Sophie. “L’Insolent Peter Saul,” Le Figaroscope, November 18th, 2014
Gigantic #6: Gigantic Ha-Ha, Gigantic Magazine, Issue 6 Indrisek, Scott. “5 Must-See Gallery Shows,” blouinartinfo.com, September 11th, 2014
Indrisek, Scott. “Studio Tracks: Irena Jurek’s Sex Kitten Playlist,” blouinartinfo.com, August, 26th, 2014
Matranga, Quintessa. “Interview with Irena Jurek,” missioncomicsandartgallery.tumbler.com, Summer, 2014
Cholnoky, Kari. “Irena Jurek,” rageschool.wordpress.com, June 18, 2014
Russeth, Andrew. “’If you’re accidentally not included, don’t worry about it,’ at Zurcher Studio” observer.com, April, 23rd , 2014
Indrisek, Scott. “90 Artists Think In Pink at Cathouse FUNeral,” bbook.com, January, 17th, 2014
Kirsch, Corinna and Kimball, Whitney.“This Week’s Must-See Art Events: Let’s Get Real,” artfcity.com. January, 13th, 2014
Smith, Roberta. “Brian Belott: ‘Draw Gym,” The New York Times, September 26th, 2013