Conor Backman (b.1988) earned BFAs in Sculpture and Painting from VCU in 2011. He currently lives and works in New York, NY.  He was co-owner of REFERENCE Art Gallery in Richmond, VA, from 2009-2012.  For more information on the gallery click [ here ].

To download CV click [ here ]


SELECTED EXHIBITIONS  (*denotes solo exhibition)


2013

(upcoming)*Diorama, Mixed Greens, New York, NY

*The Other Real, Nudashank, Baltimore, MD

F(re)e Play, Stadium, New York, NY

Welcome to the Real, {TEMP}/Nurture Art, New York, NY

2012

*Waiting room, (e)merge art fair, solo presentation with Mixed Greens, Washington D.C.

Brand Innovations for Ubiquitous Authorship, Higher Pictures, New York, NY

Almost Famous, Reynolds Gallery, Richmond, VA

VCU Police Presents: The Grand Closing of REFERENCE Art Gallery, REFERENCE, Richmond, VA

The Untouchables, Saamlung, Hong Kong

2011

Reduction or Something Less, Three person group exhibition, LVL3, Chicago, IL

*Works Around Building, Food, Corporate and Museum Frame Inc., Richmond, VA

Materialism of Encounter, Little Berlin, Philadelphia, PA

Chain Letter, Shoshanawayne Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

are you faux real?, soft-spot.net, online exhibition

Out of Practice, Art Blog Art Blog, curated by Nudashank, New York, NY

Almost Transparent Blue, Y Gallery, New York, NY

Forum, curated by 1708 Gallery, Richmond, VA

Brain Massage, Parse Gallery, New Orleans, LA

Reference at University of Georgia, Four person exhibition with members of Reference Gallery, Athens, GA

#*X!!! Digital, Four person exhibition with Ben Jurgensen, Duncan Malashock, and Shana Moulton, curated by Hannah Walsh, Richmond, VA

Tuesday, Mixed Greens Gallery, New York, NY

Reference at Nudashank, Nudashank Gallery, Baltimore, MD

2010

Too Weak Peak, Two person exhibition with Ross Iannatti, VCU Student Art Space, Richmond, VA

The Suspended Moment, Open Space Gallery, Baltimore, MD

View 2010, VCU FAB Gallery, Juried group exhibition
   
2009

Something Special, Plant Zero, Richmond VA

Some Watercolors, Two person exhibition with Edward Shenk, Corporate and Museum Frame Gallery, Richmond VA

*Variances, Gallery 222, Leesburg, VA

2008

Anderson Art Gallery Juried Student Exhibition, Richmond, VA

2007

*New Paintings, VCU Student Art Space, Richmond, VA


EDUCATION   

Virginia Commonwealth University, BFA, Double Major, Sculpture and Extended Media, Painting and Printmaking, 2011

HONORS

Andrew Gehr West Scholarship, VCU Painting Department Faculty Award, 2011
Dean's Scholarship, VCU School of the Arts, Spring 2010
Honors Painting, VCU Department of Painting and Printmaking, Fall 2009
Charles Renick Scholarship, VCU Sculpture Department, Spring 2009
Tyler Binsted Scholarship, VCU Sculpture Department, Spring 2008
VCU Provost Scholarship, 2007, Four-year full tuition scholarship



PRESS


Sculpture Center - Sculpture Center Tumblr April 2, 2013.
L Magazine - "8 Great Brooklyn Artists Under 30" March 13, 2013.
Chris Schreck - "STUDIO VISIT: Conor Backman" Dec. 30, 2012.
James Shaeffer - "Conor Backman: Exposing the Sublime in the Mundane" INDI Berlin Nov. 19, 2012.
Krison Capps - "Emerging at (e)merge: Conor Backman" Washington City Paper Oct. 6, 2012.
Robin Peckham - "Post Internet e Post Gallerie: Conor Backman e la Reference Gallery" Digimag 2012.
Alison McMenamin - "Thinking about materials, memory and process at Little Berlin" The Artblog 2011.
Vincent Uribe and Allison Kilberg - "Artist Of the Week." LVL3 2011.
Paddy Johnson - "In Our Masthead: Conor Backman." Art Fag City May 2010.
Alex Ebstein - "Extra Ordinary: Group show spotlights the everyday wallpaper of these restless times" Baltimore City Paper June 2010.