Born in Chicago, Karen Finley received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. Working in a variety of mediums such as installation, video, performance, public art, visual art, entertainment, television and film, memorials, music, and literature, she has presented her work worldwide in various venues such asThe Bobino in Paris, The ICA in London and Lincoln Center in NYC. Finley lectures and gives workshop at universities and museums internationally. Her work is in collections such as the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Pompidou. She has published nine books, her latestGrabbingPussy( OR Books 2018) and the 25th anniversary edition of Shock Treatment ( City Lights 2015 ),RealityShows,(Feminist Press 2011), and George and Martha( Verso 2008). Her recent work includes, ArtistAnonymous–a social practice self-help open meeting for those addicted to art presented at Museum ofArt and Design (2014) ,andWritten in Sand, a performance of her writings on AIDS, and Open Heart, a Holocaust memorial at Camp Gusen, Austria. Recent performances includeUnicorn, Gratitude, Mystery(2018)Finley embodies the trauma and sexual politics of the 2018 US election. InVenus in RetrogradeFinley speaks out on feminist politics and the struggle of empowerment amidst anAmerican history of injustice against montaged film sequences of floral uprisings and subways movements.Finley was the named plaintiff in a suit with the Supreme Court-1998( with John Fleck, Holly Hughes and Tim Miller)where they were denied public funding based on indecency,Finley vs. NEA. Atthe New Museum NYC and worldwide–Coagula Curatorial, Miami, Melbourne, Belgrade, Zagreb and Maccarone in LA-SextME if You Can, where Finley creates commissioned portraits inspired by “sexts” received from the public. Finley creates interactive walks such as Mandala: Reimaging Columbus Circle Columbia Graduate school of Architecture and Elastic City. She is included in the exhibitTheater of Operations:The GulfWars of 1991-2011 at MOMA PS1 inFall 2019-2020.A recipient of many awards and grants including aGuggenheim Fellowship, NYSCA and NEA fellowships. In 2015 she was awarded the Richard J MasseyFoundation Arts and Humanities award.She is an arts professor at Tisch, New York University.
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