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Deborah Grant (artist)

Deborah Grant (born 1968) is a Canadian-born African-American artist noted for her work in painting and collage, particularly for her series "Random Select".^[1] She lives and works in Harlem,^[2] New York.

Grant was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1968, and spent the first four years of her life in Canada. She was raised Catholic^[1] and on occasion created Catholic shrines in the abandoned lots of Brooklyn with her brother.^[3] Grant received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in painting from Columbia College Chicago in 1996. She received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Tyler School of Art in 1999.^[4] After completing her MFA, Grant completed a summer residency at Skowhegan School of Painting and SculptureinMadison, Maine.^[5] From 2002-2003, she was an artist-in-residence at the Studio Museum in Harlem.^[5]

Grant's works feature fabulist narratives^[1] in painting and drawing. Amalgamating images from a variety of sources, ranging from comics to art historical reference books,^[6] she creates imagistic stories that investigate cultural identity, race and politics.^[6] Ranging from explosive flurries of color and collage to simpler compositions that address singular concepts, Grant explores within her work: "...[T]he idea of constant information bombardment or the chaos in the back of our minds juxtaposed with what is happening physically in front of us."^[7]

Deborah Grant was awarded the William H. Johnson Prize in 2011.^[8]

Grant's work has been featured in exhibitions at numerous galleries and institutions including:^[9]

• The Drawing Center, New York, USA Christ You Know it Ain't Easy!! (2014)^[5]
• Institute for Research in Art at the University of South Florida, Florida, USA Making Sense (2014)^[10]
• Berkeley Art Museum, Berkeley, USA Deborah Grant: Bacon, Egg, Toast in Lard (2009)^[11]
• Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, USA The Old Weird America (2008)^[12]
• P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, USA Emergency Room Show (2007)
• Alexandre Pollazzon Ltd, London, United Kingdom Welcome To My World (2007)
• Esso Gallery, New York, USA Arte Povera Now and Then (2007)
• University of Arkansas, Little Rock, USA Taking Possession (2007)
• Roebling Hall, New York, USA a gin cure (2006)
• Steve Turner Gallery, Beverly Hills, USA a gin cure (2006)
• The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, USA Freestyle (2001)
• Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, USA Freestyle (2001)

Grant's work is held in permanent collections including:

• In the Land of the Blind the Blue Eye Man is King, 2007, Nasher Museum of Art, Durham, USA^[13]

• Deborah Grant at Steve Turner