Em Kettner
Bio & Selected works
Exhibitions
CV
Instagram
b. 1988 in Philadelphia, PA
Lives and works in Richmond, CA
Education
2014 M.F.A., School of the Art Institute Chicago, Chicago, IL
2011 B.F.A., The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Solo and Two-persons Exhibitions
2025: “The Mortal Coil: Ekin Balcıoğlu + Em Kettner.” Form & Concept, Santa Fe, NM
2024: “Caterpillar: Emma CC Cook + Em Kettner.” Outer Space, Concord, NH
2024: “Homebound.” Solo Exhibition, François Ghebaly, New York, NY
2022 “Sick Joke.” Solo Exhibition, Chapter, New York, NY
2022: “Stepping Stones.” Solo Exhibition, Specialist, Seattle, WA
2022: “The Understudies.” Solo Exhibition, François Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021: “Slow Poke.” Solo Exhibition, François Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020: “Play the Fool.” Solo Exhibition, Goldfinch Gallery, Chicago, IL
2019: “Corporeal Forms” with Claire Ashley, Rare Visions, Boulder, CO
2019: “Twisted Sister: Maria Guzman-Capron + Em Kettner.” Massman Gallery, Oakland, CA
2018: “The Eternal Worm.” Solo Exhibition, HARPY, Rutherford, NJ
2017: “Phantom Limb.” Solo Exhibition, NIAD Art Center, Richmond, CA2016: “Talisman: Em Kettner + Jessie Mott.” Fernwey Gallery, Chicago, IL
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025: “Mother Me Meanly.” Chez Max et Dorothea, Los Angeles, CA
2025: “Domestic 1: A Shaggy Dog.” Laurel Gitlen, Brooklyn, NY
2025: “Master Class.” Secrist | Beach, Chicago, IL
2025: “Flesh Vessels.” NIAD Art Center, Richmond, CA
2025: Frieze Los Angeles, François Ghebaly
2024: “Give Me an Inch.” Pipeline Contemporary, London, UK
2024: Online Group Show, Platform by David Zwirner
2024: Art Basel Miami, François Ghebaly
2024: “Double Threshold.” Winter Street Gallery, Edgartown, MA
2023: “Landline.” Personal Space, Vallejo, CA
2023: “Tender Loving Care: Contemporary Art from the Collection.” Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
2023: “Deep! Down! Inside!” curated by Sarah Faux, Hales Gallery, New York, NY
2023: “Fortune’s Moving.” Troost Gardens, Kansas City, MO
2022: “Power Tools.” Candice Madey, New York, NY
2022: “Familiars.” Et al., San Francisco, CA
2022: “Barely Fair.” with Goldfinch Gallery, Color Club, Chicago, IL
2021: “Tender to the Bone.” curated by Elizabeth Lalley, Goldfinch Gallery, Chicago, IL
2020: “Artists Run Chicago.” with Julius Caesar Gallery, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL
2020: “Through My Eyes.” NIAD Art Center, Richmond, CA
2020: “The Rim of Morning.” Open Windows, San Francisco, CA
2019: “RAD Craft + Design.” Dream Farm Commons, Oakland, CA
2019: “Right Here, Right Now.” Richmond Art Center, Richmond, CA
2019: “Animal Idealism.” HARPY, Rutherford, NJ
2019: “Siblings.” Siblings, Chicago, IL
2019: “No Place Like.” Field Projects Gallery, New York, NY
2018: “LTE: Templates for Public Art Vol. 1” organized by Kate Conlon + Boyang Hou. Compound Yellow, Oak Park, IL
2018: “Greenpoint Group Show.” with Harpy Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2018: “Up like a sun, down like a pancake.” organized by Kelly Lloyd, ICA Baltimore, MD
2018: “Pocket Object.” Traveling Exhibition: Elephant Gallery, Nashville, TN; Tusk, Chicago, IL; JuiceBox Gallery, Kansas City, MO; Kamihara, Philadelphia, PA
2018: “One Last One.” Fernwey Gallery, Chicago, IL
2017: “Welcome Blanket.” Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
2017: “Figured Out! Bodily Form in Contemporary Ceramics.” Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL
2017: “LTD Wear 2.” LVL 3 Gallery, Chicago, IL
2017: “World Town.” Prairie Production, Chicago, IL
2017: “Close to Me.” Roots & Culture, Chicago, IL
2017: “–on the bank of what river?” drawings by five artists, Roman Susan Gallery, Chicago, IL
2016: “Em Kettner, Ryan Travis Christian, Kyle Breitenbach.” HARPY, Rutherford, NJ
2016: “Neutral Mask: Em Kettner, Andy Moore, Oriana Weich.” Western Exhibitions, Chicago, IL
2016: “Object Puzzles.” Tusk, Chicago, IL
2016: “Pliocene Park.” Site Red, Chicago, IL
2016: “How High.” Left Field SLO, San Luis Obispo, CA
2016: “DisFigure.” Turpentine Gallery, Oakland, CA
2016: “Analog RAM: the Return of Active Memory.” The Research House for Asian Art, Chicago, IL
2014: “Talking to the Animals.” MFA Thesis Exhibition, Sullivan Galleries, Chicago, IL
2014: “Sexy Can I: 8 Failed and Successful Romances.” curated by Third Object, 2FR, Chicago, IL
Public Collections
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Ohana Center, Monterey, CA
The DePaul Art Museum, Chicago, IL
The Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection, Chicago, IL
Selected Press
2024 – Faux, Sarah. “How a Doctor’s Unsolicited Advice About Artist Em Kettner’s Disability Inspired Her Latest Exhibition,” Cultured Magazine, January 30, 2024
2023 – Stabler, Albert. “Em Kettner: Sickbeds, Stragglers, and Supplicants.” Institutional Model
2022 – Murtha, Chris. “Em Kettner, New York Chapter NY,” Sculpture Magazine
2022 – Sakelaris, Isabelle. “5 Artists On Our Radar in May 2022,” Artsy
2021 – Watlington, Kettner, Em , “Em Kettner on Sculpting Disability, Dependency, and Court Jesters,” Art in America
2021 – Gerwin, Daniel, “ArtForum Critics’ Picks: Los Angeles – Em Kettner at François Ghebaly,” ArtForum International
2021 – Stromberg, Matt + Elisa Wouk Almino, “Your Concise Los Angeles Art Guide for July 2021 – Em Kettner: Slow Poke,” Hyperallergic
2021 – Zappas, Lindsay Preston, “June Editor’s Picks: Em Kettner at François Ghebaly,” Contemporary Art Review LA
2020 – Dee, Amanda, “Review: Em Kettner’s Play the Fool, at Goldfinch,” Sixty Inches From Center, Chicago
2020 – Lane, S.Nicole, “Em Kettner creates elaborate casings for her sacred sculptures,” Chicago Reader, November 18th
2020 – Lalley, Elizabeth, “Play the Fool: Em Kettner interviewed by Assistant Director Elizabeth Lalley.” Goldfinch, October
2017 – Mothes, Kate, “Interview with Em Kettner.” Young-Space, February 22nd
2016 – Campbell, Jessica, “Talisman: on the work of Em Kettner and Jessie Mott,” Fernwey Gallery
2014 – Bennet, Denise, “In Conversation with Em Kettner and Denise Bennett” SAIC MFA 2014 website
