Leslie Hirst is a visual artist who works across media to consider the material and linguistic propositions that separate substance from language. Her recent projects employ traditional techniques as varied as lacemaking and cyanotype photography, and extend from installation to artist's books.
Hirst's solo exhibitions include Il Filo dei Messaggi at Museo del Merletto for the 56th International Venice Biennale (Italy); Skywriting at Kunstverein Baden (Austria); Objectively Speaking at The Center for Visual Research/Cedar Crest College (PA/USA); and fourmations at Pavel Zoubok Gallery (NY/USA). Group exhibitions include: Museu Do Douro, Peso Da Régua (Portugal); Temple University Art Gallery, Rome (Italy); Weatherspoon Art Museum (NC/USA); Hunterdon Art Museum (NJ/USA); VI Biennale di Soncino a Marco in Soncino (Italy); Pavel Zoubok Gallery (NY/USA); Maryland Art Place/m.a.p. (MD/USA); Delaware Center for Contemporary Art (DE/USA); and Kala Art Institute (CA/USA) among others. Honors and awards include the Rhode Island Foundation's MacColl Johnson Fellowship, an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at the RISD Musuem, and a Fellowship in Printmaking and Drawing from the Rhode Island Council on the Arts. International artist residency appointments include AIR Krems (Austria), The Emily Harvey Foundation/Venice (Italy), Centre d'Art Marnay Art Center (France); and she has received USA residency awards at Yaddo (NY), Blue Mountain Center (NY), Ucross Foundation (WY), Djerassi Resident Artists Program (CA), and Hall Farm Center for Artists and Educators (VT).
Hirst is Associate Professor of Experimental + Foundation Studies at the Rhode Island School of Design, and served as Chief Critic of RISD's European Honors Program in Rome, Italy during 2017/18. She lectures and leads workshops across the US and internationally.
headshot courtesy of Allen Frame
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