Molly Jo Shea is an interdisciplinary artist focusing mostly on performance, object making and creating interactive experiences. Growing up as a daughter of an opera singer and a special effects artist her work is a combination of decadence and horror dragged through a hall of mirrors. Interested in manipulating systems, Shea creates environments and characters that pervert the familiar and provide new experiences for community engagement. She has combined Pick-up artists and Trappers, defrosted Feminist cavewomen and hosted seminars on humiliation from a stockade in order to explore how we observe things like gender and power in a shifting world.
MOLLY JO SHEA
mollyjosheart(at)gmail.com
Education
2017-19
MFA at CalArts- Art + Integrated Media
2007- 2011
BFA from School for the Art Institute of Chicago, focus in Performance, Video and Installation
Select Performances and Exhibits
2020
·Hot Potato, Jan Weenix, Los Angeles, CA
2019
·Alraune, Horse and Pony Gallery, Berlin, Germany
·Seed Mother, CalArts, Valencia, CA
·I'll Stop the World and Melt With You, Monte VIsta Projects, Los Angeles. CA
2018
·Feel Nothing. Be Bored, Club Pro, Los Angeles, CA
·Vanitas by Veritas, Bozo Mag, Los Angeles, CA
·Superflexible, CalArts, Valencia, CA
·User Error, MOCA, Tucson, AZ
· Strap Your Hands Across my Engine, Tin Flats, Los Angeles, CA
·Multi Cult, Lyric Hyperion, Los Angeles, CA
·I'll Stop the World and Melt with You, CalArts, Valencia, CA
2017
· We Are All Unimportant, Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles,CA
·Town Hall, LTD, Los Angeles, CA
·Self- Reliance, Now Space LA, Los Angeles, CA
·Dedazo Art Residency – January 2017
·Blessed Be: A Night of Occult Performance, San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA
·Pity Party, Art and Exhibition Hall UIC, Chicago, IL
·Hot Fruit, Cash Machine, Los Angeles, CA
2016
·Felt Book Exhibition + IfNf Prod Shop, Los Angeles CA (video piece)
·Tales of Hoffman Performances: Part I: Olympia, Im Ersten, Vienna
·Tales of Hoffman Performances: Part II: Sandman, Im Ersten, Vienna
·SPF 666, SLOW Gallery, Chicago IL (2 person show)
·Last Supper, Turpentine Gallery, San Francisco CA
2015
· Hearst So Good part of the Arroyo Seco Gardend Golf Classic , Los Angeles, CA (installation)
· You Can't Cut Your Losses: Castrati Cocktail Hour, PAM Residency, Los Angeles (performance)
·SheWorkGala, Pieter Space, Los Angeles, CA (performance)
·Staking Claim, 50 Bucks Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (video screening)
·SmileyCyrus, Gibson's Space, Los Angeles, CA (performance)
·Gong Show, ESXLA, Los Angeles,CA (performance/presentor)
· Karaoke Nights, Demon's Mouth, Norway (video)
·LadyGirlyFemale, Hammock Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (group show)
·Proxima Altura, Los Angeles, CA (installation)
·Unconditional Love, Gal Palace, Los Angeles, CA (performance)
2014
·Psychiana Magazine Release Party Los Angeles Contemporary Archive, Los Angeles, CA (performance)
· Chaos Reigns: Perform Chinatown Good Luck Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (performance)
· Code X Eastside International, Los Angeles, CA (performance)
·Femmes on the Edge, Pehrspace, Los Angeles (performance)
2013
· Please Release Me, WEEKEND, Los Angeles,CA (solo show)
·Tête-à-Tête, RAID Projects, Los Angeles,CA (performance)
· How Many Feminist Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb, Antenna Gallery, Chicago, IL (video)
· Leg Room Projector Projects, Los Angeles,CA (video)
· Doing Pennants, Fifth Floor Gallery, Los Angeles, CA (group show)
2012
·The Subterraneans, Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles (group show)
· It’s My Party I Can Die If I Want To, Dutch Door, Los Angeles (performance)
2011
· Space Cases, Pop-up Loop Gallery , Chicago, IL (group show)
·NO FAIR part of Tender Exchange at NEXT Art Fair, Chicago, IL – Merchandise Mart (installation)
·Spring BFA Show 2011, Chicago, IL (group show)
·Simulationists Betty Rhymer Gallery , Chicago, IL (group show)
2010
·Helloween 15: Tales from the DEAD Air October 2010, Chicago,IL WLUW 88.7fm (audio broadcast)
· Garbage World November 2010, Mortville , Chicago, IL (performance)
· Mischief Night October 31st 2010, Hyde Park Art Center ,Chicago, IL (performance)
· Witch Night May 2010, Montague Arms , London, England (video)
Curation
2016
· Gong Show at Club Pro, Los Angeles featuring Gong Judges: Santi Vernetti, Shelley Holcomb and Jennifer Moon. More than 20 acts in one evening.
2015
· We Gave Our Best (...) to the Hope Chest: Los Angeles, traveling art exhibition
· Perform Chinatown: Rush Hour (annual performance festival)
·Gong Show Eastside International
· Shannon and Tracy Shea perform Love Letters Eastside International
2014
·Boats Against the Current, Eastside International
·Ex Nihlo, Eastside International
·Hiatus Series at Raid Projects/Eastside International:Pop-up shows, performances, book releases and social practice art projects during summer of 2014, averaging about 2-3 events per month.
Featuring:
-Corrie Siegel’s Star Tours pop-up truck installations, dining experience.
-Cindy Rehm’s Love Kills Valentines Day Party, video screening, and performance night. With artists: Josh Atlas, Agathe Bray-Bourret, Phoebe Collings-James, Willia Drew, Brittany Southworth-LaFlamme, Nina Lassila, Lilly McElroy, Cindy Rehm, Gabi Vru,Clare Kelly, Christy Roberts Berkowitz and Chelsea Rector
-Evans Vestal Ward’s Photography Show and Performance Gloryhole: Architecture of Desire
-Baumtest Issue #2 Launch and Exhibition featuring: Geoff Tuck,Anna Reutinger,Eva Seiler,Emi Kuriyama,Suzanna Zak,Christine Haroutounian,Rafa Esparza, and Iris Yirei Hu.
-Michael Vallera’s photography show USA Self.
-SAIC’s Peche Kucha Night featuring fast-paced art lectures from: Calvin Phelps, Charlie Schneider, David Prince,Jorge Mujica, Steve Daly and co-curator, Steven Frost.
-Dominic Quagliozzi’s intimate performance based on a necessary lung transplant need due to cystic fibrosis, Medical History (Part Two).
-Moves a night of dance and music performance featuring 1ers, JIZZY, Don Dripper, Alice Lang, Zack Kleyn and FEEL Collins.
-Mike McLain’s exhibition Spirits in the Material World featuring Shiva Aliabadi, Virginia Katz, Aragna Ker, Zach Kleyn,Constance Mallinson,Dan Taulapapa McMullin, Gina Stepaniuk and Zapf!
-<< >> How To an inter-continental collaboration between Los Angeles based artist, Sonya Masinovsky and French artists Elise Carron and Vincent Puricelli
-New Views: Landscape Becomes Us, fiber work and paintngs by Luke Forsyth and Morgan O’ Hara
2012
·Finished in LA Series at Dutch Door/Raid Projects- Over 6 weeks in a row of performance art about the end of the world ending in group show at RAID Projects featuring performances by: Sam Davis,Tiffany Smith,David Lucas Bell,Amy Day,Devin Kenny,Nathan Bockelman, Jay Erker, Ivette Soler and MUC.
· FLAPS- hosted and managed a feminist reading group
· Out of Retrograde performances by Tracy Abbott Szatan, Karen Adelman, and Carrie Mcilwain
PRESS:
Interviews:
http://artillerymag.com/molly-jo-shea-driven-fear/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/virginia-broersma/molly-jo-shea_b_4110742.html
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/gystradio/2014/03/05/gyst-radiogyst-do-it-with-molly-shea-of-hiatus
Heads-ups/Reviews
http://tempresidence.blogspot.com/2015/04/staking-claim-video-screening.html
http://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/blog/5-must-see-art-events-in-la-this-weekend-2
http://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/blog/5-must-see-art-events-in-la-this-weekend-1
http://hyperallergic.com/200480/artrx-la-40/
http://laimyours.com/33739/jay-erkers-the-humans-are-present/
Mentions:
http://hyperallergic.com/178944/blowing-up-normcore-at-the-la-art-book-fair/
http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/reviews/velez/art-los-angeles-contemporary-2012.asp