Steven Cottingham
Steven Cottingham
Summer, 2018
Steven Cottingham is an artist and curator based in Vancouver. His recent work investigates the spectral qualities of material culture and labour relations under capitalism, with particular attention to real estate markets and unceded territory.
He holds a BFA from the Alberta College of Art and Design and an MFA from the University of British Columbia. His work has been included in exhibitions across the US and Canada, as well as several locations in Europe and Cuba. Recent exhibitions include What Is Pressure? What Is Temperature? (2017) at Wil Aballe Art Projects, Vancouver; The Museum of Capitalism, curated by Fictilis (2017), Oakland, CA; and Art Education in the Age of Metrics, curated by Emma Braso (2017), Herbert Read Gallery, Cambridge, UK. Solo exhibitions include The first night after the sun burns out (2016), Neon Heater, Findlay, OH; and The world turns but nothing changes (2015), ZK/U, Berlin.
Cottingham has participated in artist residencies at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Madison, ME; Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik, Berlin; and the New York Studio Residency Program, NY.
In addition to his artistic practice, Cottingham has curated several projects. He is the founder of the Calgary Biennial, an artist-run exhibition of contemporary art in public spaces. The most recent program, titled Atlas Sighed, endeavoured to appropriate commercial vernaculars of the urban landscape, such as billboards and bus shelters, in order to contend with conservative status quos. Other curatorial projects include United Congress: Reconvenience and The Travelling Light at The New Gallery, Calgary. In 2016, Cottingham was curator-in-residence at Fogo Island Arts, Fogo Island, NL.
His writing has been published in Canadian Art, Akimbo, Temporary Art Review, and various exhibition catalogues. Cottingham’s professional roles have included Programming Coordinator for The New Gallery, Calgary, and currently Communications and Archive at Catriona Jeffries, Vancouver.
