William Graef
I work with aggregated found materials to subvert their cultural meanings and transform their objecthood. The debasing of quotidian commodities challenge conventual anxieties about social issues like consumerism, waste, value and individuality. This deep dive into the trenches of popular culture is a study of fetish.
Selected Exhibitions
2023 "Test Flights" Curated by Jenny Wu. LESP, New York, NY
2022 “Make Art Not War: Pierogi for Peace” Pierogi Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
"Noir" The Royal Society of American Art, Brooklyn, NY
2021 Penhart 2021, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2020 "Friends With Benefits" High Noon Gallery Online, New York, NY
2019 "Red & Reds" New York School of the Arts, New York, NY
"The Beach" Curated by Scott Bluedorn. Amagansett Station, Amagansett, NY
"Painting Space Alum" PS122 Gallery, New York, NY
2018 "Desire in the Bangles" Steele Gallery, East Hampton, NY
2016 "Engineering Brick Art" Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ
2015 "Minimax" Bullet Space, New York, NY
"Four Walls Slide and Film Club Candy Sampler" Fisher Landau, Queens, NY
"There Will Be Art Here" The Clemente, New York, NY
2014 "Cliffhanger" The Royal Society of American Art, Brooklyn, NY
"The Clemente Open Studios" Abrazo Interno Gallery, New York, NY
2013 "Unhinged" Pierogi, Brooklyn, NY
"Vann Nath Memories" Bophana Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia (catalog)
2012 "Toying With Art" Morris Museum, Morristown, NJ
"Unreliable Narrator" Teapot Gallery, Cologne, Germany
"Road Trip" New Jersey Artist Guild, Rahway, NJ (catalog)
2011 "Castaway" PS122 Gallery, New York, NY
"Flag Day" Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY (catalog)
2010 "Know-It-All" Java Gallery, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
"Tread" Humanities Gallery, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY
2009 "Hope-A-Holic" Newhouse Center For Contemporary Art, Snug Harbor, NY
2008 "Fatal Heap" Meta House, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
2007 "Walk-Ins Welcome" Umbrella Arts, New York, NY
2006 "The Tax Form Show" Cynthia Broan Gallery, New York, NY
2005 "Ephemera" Morean Arts, St. Petersburg, FL
2004 "Dumbo Art Under The Bridge" Brooklyn, NY.
2003 "Missing: A City in Mourning" The New-York Historical Society, New York, NY
2002 "The LP Show" Exit Art, New York, NY
2001 "A View of MacDowell' The Botolph Club, Boston, MA
2000 "Photic 2" Eyewash, Brooklyn, NY
1999 "Hiding In Plain Sight" 450 Gallery, New York, NY
1998 "Art-O-Mat" The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
1997 "Pernod Liquid Art" 420 West Broadway, New York, NY (catalog)
1996 "Decaying Humanity" Knickerbocker Gallery, New York, NY
"Small Works" 80 Washington Square Galleries, New York, NY
1995 "Art/Music Convergence" Germans Van Eck Gallery, New York, NY
1994 "Timepieces" Amelie A. Wallace Gallery, Old Westbury, NY (catalog)
Awards / Fellowships / Collections
2010 PS122 Studio Program
2009 ART In Embassies Program
2000 City of New York Artist Certification
1997 The MacDowell Colony
1996 Pernod Liquid Art Awards Program
1995 Printed Matter
Bibliography
Foster, Alice, "Collages and More ..." The Cambodia Daily, vol. 47 Issue 59, January 8, 2011
Hamburger, Susan, "Bed, An Exhibition" WaterfrontWeek, vol. 11.8, April 19, 2001
Schmerier, Sarah, "Yes, ma'am" Time Out, Issue no. 284, March 1-8, 2001
Kalm, James, "Photic ll@ Eyewash" NY Arts, vol. 4 no. 11, November 11, 1999
Angel, Karen, "In store 'The Crest Hardware Show'" The Village Voice, June 23, 1999
Skenazy, Lenore, "The Little Mermaids" The Daily News, June 22, 1999
Harrison, Helen A., "Messages Communicated by the Detritus" The New York Times, Oct. 30, 1994
Education
Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY BFA
University of Michigan School of Engineering, Ann Arbor, MI