April Bey | VIELMETTER LOS ANGELES

1987: Bahamian/American, Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA

2014: MFA, California State University Northridge, CA
2009: BFA, Ball State University, Muncie, IN

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2026: Solo, Vielmetter Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (forthcoming)
2024: "I See All The Way Back to Where I’m Supposed to See," Tern Gallery, Nassau, Bahamas
: "We Insist Upon Ourselves, In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe," Two Person Show with Kim Dacres, UTA, Atlanta, GA
: "I Know All About What You Want to Know All About," Vielmetter Los Angeles, CA
: "Atlantican Opulencscapes Part II," Pasadena City College, Los Angeles, CA
: "Atlantican Opulencscapes," Glendale Community College, Los Angeles, CA
2023: "Atlantica: The Gilda Region," Nevada Museum of Art, Reno NV
2022: "I Believe in Why I’m Here," Simon Lee Gallery, London, UK
: "Colonial Swag," Tern Gallery, Nassau, Bahamas
: "When You’re on Another Planet and They Just Fly," Gavlak Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
: "The Opulent Blerd," Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, CA
: "Intersections: Where Art & Activism Meet," Scalehouse Gallery, Bend, OR
2021: "April Bey: Atlantica, The Gilda Region," The California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
2020: "April Bey, UNTITLED ART ONLINE," UPFOR Gallery, Portland, OR
: "Welcome to Atlantica," Fullerton College Art Gallery, Fullerton, CA
2018: "Made in Space," Band of Vices Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017: "COMPLY," Coagula Curatorial, Los Angeles, CA
2014: "Picky Head," Liquid Courage Art Gallery, New Providence, Nassau, Bahamas

Selected Group Exhibitions

2026: "National Gallery of Victoria Triennial 2026," National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
: "Material Prophecies: Craft as Divination," The Armory Center for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
2025: "In the Life: Black Queerness — Looking Back, Moving Forward," Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Cambridge, MA
: "To Be Seen," Jonathan Carver Moore, San Francisco, CA
: “Unravaled,” Curated by Jayla Slate, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
: "Dress Up, Speak Up: Regalia and Resistance," 21C Museum Hotel, Bentonville, AR
2024: "Green x Gold: Kingston Biennial 2024," National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston, Jamaica
: "Crafting The Future/The Shape Of Water," Visual Arts Center of Richmond, Richmond, VA
: "REALMS," Carl Freedman Gallery, London, United Kingdom
: "I’d Love To See You," Juxtapoz 30th Anniversary Show at Rusha & Co, Los Angeles, CA
: "The Golden Thread," BravinLee Programs, New York, NY
: "Poly/Graphic Triennial," Institute de Cultura Puertorriqueña, San Juan, Puerto Rico
: "Backstage Engelberg," Engelberg, Switzerland
: "Surrealism and Us: Caribbean African Diasporic Artists Since 1950," The Modern Forth Worth, Fort Worth, TX
2023: "UNTITLED," TERN Gallery, Nassau, Bahamas
: “The Threads We Follow,” The Southwestern Center for Contemporary Art, NC
: “(En)gendered Agency”, LH Horton Jr. Gallery, Stockton, CA
: “The Speed of Grace,” Simões de Assis Gallery, São Paulo, Brazil
: “ROOTED,” Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center, Anaheim, CA
: “WITNESS,” WACO Theater Center, Los Angeles, CA
: “We Are Enough,” 193 Gallery, Paris, France
: “Queer Threads,” San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, San Jose, CA
: “Weaving Data,” Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Portland State University, Portland, OR
: “A Love Letter to LA,” PHILLIPS, Los Angeles, CA
: “A Room Full of Mirrors”, Fragment Gallery, New York, NY
2022: “TEXT MESSAGES,” Grace Ross Shanley Gallery, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
: “New Pop Stars,” 21C Museum Hotel Chicago, Chicago, IL
: “HAIRTAGE: Continuum,” Cypress College Art Gallery, Cypress, CA
: “Common Ground: Artists Reimaging Community,” California Lutheran University Art Gallery, Thousand Oaks, CA
: “Portraits of Metro Riders,” LA Metro, Los Angeles, CA
: “Adornment Artifact,” The Getty, Los Angeles, CA
: “Louder Now,” Fragment Gallery, Moscow, Russia (online)
: “Salt to Catch Ghosts,” Slash Arts, San Francisco, CA
: “Language in the Times of Miscommunication,” Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, AZ
: “Cantos of the Sibylline Sisterhood,” Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
: “Terms of Endearment”, Hilger Gallery, Vienna, Austria
2021: “She Says: Women, Words, and Power in Art,” Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, VA
: “HAIRTAGE: Tangled,” Twisted & Black, Cypress College Art Gallery, Cypress, CA
: “TEXTURES: The History and Art of Black Hair,” Kent State Museum, Kent, OH
: “Floating Rib,” The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas
2020: “Show Me the Signs," Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
: “INVOCATION DEMOCRACY: A Political and Mystical Virtual Exhibition,” Presented by Pro Arts Commons
: “Nasty Women,” Gavlak Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
: “SPACELAND IV WAR,” Bermudez Projects, Los Angeles, CA
: “Access,” Reflect Space Gallery, Glendale, CA
: “Sanctuary,” California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
: “Breathe/Breath,” Seer Virtual Gallery curated by: The Association of Hysteric Curators
2019: “Welcome to the AfroFuture,” New Orleans African American Museum, New Orleans, LA
: “Dear Lucy,” UPFOR Gallery, Portland, OR
: “Black, Brown and Beige,” Self-Help Graphics, Los Angeles, CA
: “From the Head to the Heart,” The Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
: “Atlantica,” Chimento Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
: “LA Painting Survey,” Museum of Art History, Lancaster, CA
: “BLACK HISTORY 365,” University of La Verne College of Law, Ontario, CA
: “AMERICAN,” Golden West College Art Gallery, Huntington Beach, CA
: “Black on Black III,” Raleigh Arts, Raleigh, NC
: “NE9: The Fruit and the Seed,” The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas
2018: Shika Shika Art Fair, Brazil House Gallery, Accra, Ghana
: Visual Resistance, Fullerton College Art Gallery, Fullerton, CA
: Glendale Community College Faculty Exhibition, Glendale, CA
: “Back to Black,” Avenue 50 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
: “Eye Forward,” Curating Our Narratives, Fresno State University, Fresno, CA
: “Dis…Miss,” Freewaves Los Angeles, CA
: “Eyes Forward,” LA Art Show, Los Angeles, CA
: “MANIFESTO: A Moderate Proposal,” Pitzer College Art Gallery, Claremont, CA
2017: “The Fabulous 7,” Feral Projects, Los Angeles, CA
: “Dis…Miss,” Freewaves, Los Angeles, CA
: "CHALE WOTE," Jamestown, Ghana
: "ICONIC: Black Panther," Gregorio Escalante Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2016: "NE8," The National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas
: "Shift and Fade," BLAM Projects, Los Angeles, CA
: "Dis…Miss," Freewaves, Los, Angeles, CA
: "Reflections on the Self: Selections from the Permanent Collection," California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
: "SKIN," Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015: "Colored Girls," Autonomie Projects, Los Angeles, CA
: "Hard Edged: Geometric Abstraction and Beyond," The California Africa American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
: "CA 101," Redondo Beach Power Plant, Redondo Beach, CA
: "Out of Nothing," Glen Echo Park Gallery, Washington DC
: "We Choose Art: A Feminist Perspective," Los Angeles, CA
: "50 Years and I Still Can’t Breathe," Watts Towers Arts Center, Watts, Los Angeles, CA
: "Pulse of LA," Southern California Women’s Caucus of Art, Los Angeles, CA
2014: "Fresh," South Bay Contemporary, Southbay, CA
: "Antillean: An Ecology (NE7)," National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas
: "GLAMFA," California State University, Long Beach, CA
: "#Whodoyouworship?," Graduate Thesis Show, California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA

Bibliography

2025: Rinaldi, Ray Mark. "In a culture of fear, every art show feels like a dangerous act," The Denver Post, September 22
: Frank, Annalise. "Frame Work: Past and future Black queer perspectives," Axios Detroit, August 27
: ArtNet Gallery Staff. "4 Art Advisors Weigh In on Who to Watch at Untitled Art, Houston’s Inaugural Fair," August 25
: Bosselman, Haley. "L.A. Weekend Guide: Black Business Scavenger Hunt, Some Like It Hot at the Pantages, Butter Art Fair," LA Magazine, July 31
: Bravo, Tony. "In a year of erasure, queer art reminds us we exist," San Francisco Chronicle, June 24 (Link)
: Morici, Abigail. "Dream Weavers," Memphis Flyer, June 11 (Link)
: Jones Okla. "“To Be Seen” Is A Powerful Portrait Of Black Queer Visibility," Essence Magazine, June 6 (Link)
: Blue, Max. "Six art shows San Franciscans need to see this summer," The San Francisco Examiner, June 2 (Link)
: Keenan, Annabel. "Don’t miss these seven artists at Frieze Los Angeles," Wallpaper*, February 6
2024: Frieze Los Angeles Staff. "Eight Standout Solo Shows at Frieze Los Angeles 2025," Frieze, December (Link)
: Baker, Cheona. "Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practices of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers," The Brooklyn Rail, December (Link)
: Orozco, Jonathan. "April Bey Asks Us “Will you watch me win?”," WhiteHot Magazine, October 28 (Link)
: Boucher, Brian. "Why Fiber Art Is (Still) Having a Moment as Prices and Recognition Continue to Climb," Artnet, June 18 (Link)
: Valentine, Victoria L., "Latest News in Black Art: April Bey and Paul Anthony Smith Join New Galleries, Nigel Freeman Heading Fine Art at Swann Auctions, Inaugural Artnoir Fellow & More," CultureType, May 18
: Carlo, Pier. "April Bey," Thomas S. Kenan Institute For The Arts, March 18 (Link)
: Novoa, Gabriel. "April Bey’s ‘Atlantica’: An alien planet with a human story," PCC Courier, March 18 (Link)
: Pasadena Now Staff. "PCC Galleries Unveils Dazzling Exploration Of Afrofuturism By Bahamian Artist," The Pasadena Now, March 10
2023: Modern Luxury Dallas Magazine Staff. "State Of The Arts: 9 Visual Artists Leading The Cultural Conversation Right Now," Modern Luxury Dallas Magazine, November 15 (Link)
: Morrison, Alexander. "In pictures: focus on Caribbean artists," The Art Newspaper, December 8 (Link)
: "Wide-Eyed and Dreaming—A Season of Seeing in Four Acts," e-flux, October 28
: "TERN Gallery at The Armory Show 2023," Artsy, September 8
: "Wide-Eyed And Dreaming: A Season of Seeing at the Nevada Museum of Art," Nevada Today, August 29
: Bean, Jason. "Artist April Bey talks about fantasy and undercover aliens in "Atlantica, The Gilda Region"," Reno Gazette Journal, August 28
: Holmes, Brent. "Q+A with April Bey," Double Scoop, August 21 (Link)
: Evan Pricco & Doug Gillen. "April Bey," Juxtapoz Magazine, March
2022: Bochicchio, Sarah. "Thriving on Atlantica: April Bey & her Speculative Futurism," Art&Object, September 15
: Eddy Frankel. "April Bey: ‘I Believe in Why I’m Here," Time Out, September 8
: Donoghue, Katy. "April Bey Brings the Story of Atlantica to The Bahamas and Beyond," Whitewall, August 3
2023: Jackson, Leigh-Ann. "‘Few people ask us what we think about ourselves’: This L.A. art show elevates Black women and nonbinary artists," The LA Times, May 8
2022: Orozco, Jonathan. "On Atlantica: April Bey’s Utopian Planet," Whitehot Magazine, May
: Lawrence, Gabrielle. "Brimming with Lush Texture, Mixed-Media Tapestries by April Bey Envision an Afrofuturist World," Colossal, May 5
: Stromber, Matt and Elisa Wouk Almino. "Your Concise Los Angeles Art Guide for March 2022," February 28
: Piejko, Jennifer. "Los Angeles: seven must-see shows on view now," Art Basel, Feb
2021: Ortiz, Maria Elena. "Colonial Swag Fashion: A Conversation between April Bey and María Elena Ortiz" Pérez Art Museum Miami, Caribbean Cultural Institute
: Dexter, Henry. "April Bey Is an Emissary for the Unseen," Cultured Magazine, November 23

Teaching Experience

2015 – Present: Tenured Professor, Glendale Community College, Glendale, CA
2015-2016: Inglewood Cultural Arts Instructor, Inglewood, CA
2014-2015: Adjunct Professor, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, CA
: Instructor, artworxla, Los Angeles, CA
: Ryman Teaching Artist, Fullerton, CA
2012-2014: Adjunct Professor California, State University Northridge, CA

Exhibition Catalogues and Publications

2024: Barnett, Malene. "Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practices of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers," Hatchett Book Group, New York, NY (2024)
2023: Minnis, Jodi. "April Bey: The Opulent Blerd," The Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH), Lancaster, CA (2023)

Visiting Artist/Lectures

2022: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA
: Chadwick School, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA
: Kent State University, Kent, OH
: Cypress College, Cypress, CA
2021: Cypress College, Cypress, CA
: Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA
: Pomona College, Pomona, CA
: Glendale Hoover High, Glendale, CA
2020: University of the Bahamas, Nassau, The Bahamas
: Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
: Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA
: Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
: California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
: Fullerton College, Fullerton, CA
: Women Painter’s West, Laguna Beach, CA
2019: Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
: University of Alaska, Anchorage, Anchorage, AK
: Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, CA
: Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles, CA
: Chapman University, Orange, CA
2018: Art+Practice, Los Angeles, CA
: The MAIN Museum, Los Angeles, CA
: California African American Museum (CAAM), Los Angeles, CA

Residencies, Scholarships, & Prizes

2024: "UNION Fellowship," The Union for Contemporary Art, Omaha, NE
2020: Self-Help Graphics, Los Angeles, CA
: Fullerton College Artist in Residency, Fullerton, CA
2019: Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Artist in Residence, Norwalk, CT
: Nkyinkyim za, Ada, Ghana
2018: The Current, Nassau, Bahamas
: In-Flux Artist Residency, Ghana, West Africa
2017: In-Flux Artist Residency, Bali, Dubai, Senegal, Morocco, Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana
: CHALE WOTE, Jamestown, Ghana
2012: Can Serrat Artist in Residence, El Bruc, Spain

Selected Awards & Grants

2020: Center for Cultural Innovation Artist Grant
2019: GCC Foundation Grant
: Student Equity Grant
2017: Rema Hort Mann Foundation Grant Nominee
2015: Melvin Best Award
2014: CSUN Arts Council Award

Public Art Projects

2022: For Freedoms, Inglewood Mural
2021: Fringe Projects MiamiDesign District
: Glendale Library Arts and Culture
2020: Destination Crenshaw Outdoor Museum Finalist
: Census Campaign East LA: Make It Count!
: LA METRO Willowbrook Through the Artist’s Eyes

Public Collections

: 21C Museum Hotels
: California African American Museum, Los Angeles, CA
: Center for Contemporary Printmaking, Norwalk, CT
: The Current Bahamas Tradewinds, Marsh Harbour, Bahamas
: Escalette Collection, Chapman University, Orange, CA
: Fenix Museum, Rotterdam, Netherlands
: Floating Museum, Alameda, CA
: Fullerton College Art Gallery, Fullerton, CA
: Inter-American Development Bank, Los Angeles, CA
: Kistefos Museum, Oslo, Norway
: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, CA
: METRO Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
: Museum of Art and History, Lancaster, CA
: National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas
: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
: Newfelds Indianapolis Art Museum, Indianapolis, IN
: Self-Help Graphics, Boyle Heights, CA