Brian Belott (born 1973 in East Orange, New Jersey) lives and works in New York. Belott was included in the Whitney Biennial 2019. He has exhibited internationally with solo gallery exhibitions including Morán Morán (Los Angeles), Loyal Gallery (Stockholm), Tanya Leighton (Berlin), Gavin Brown’s Enterprise (New York), CANADA Gallery (New York). Belott’s work has been exhibited at institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), COBRA Museum (Amstelveen), Yuz Museum (Shanghai), The Jewish Museum (New York), MoCAD (Detroit), The Aldrich Museum (Ridgefield), and Musee d’Art Moderne (Saint-Etienne).

Brian Belott’s work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and the Whitney Museum of American Art (New York). Belott has exhibited with LOYAL since 2005.

Combination, reconfiguration, confusion: each plays a vital role, for Belott is a great assembler of things. (“Everything is about fusion”, he noted in 2017.) Throughout his career, he has playfully situated dissimilar objects, ideas and found oddities alongside one another in order to see what they might create. Box fans and cotton balls; collections of children’s books; found calculators bejewelled with stones; cats with clocks for eyes: Belott’s is a dadaist campaign intent on making ordinary things as weird as they can be and, in doing so, create a new kind of (wholly illogical) logic. “Not being precious is something I feel I’ve carried throughout my life”, Belott once said, “purposely doing something stupid to see how it can rebalance.” Because the stupid is only stupid until it’s not stupid anymore, until it rebalances and starts to make a bizarre kind of sense. Rip it up, start again, see what you’ve got: a policy of endless revision that feels oddly familiar to the passing of people through life.

“The inevitability of its destruction creates more creativity”, Belott says, and there is surely a destructive, a punkish quality to this process of cut and paste and paint all over: a playful lack of respect for the intended uses of the objects that he turns his hand to. It is a roguish irreverence that informs, or is informed by, his derisory relationship with the conventions of art making itself, something exemplified by his tendency to eschew traditional presentation methods and damage his own work, and his frequent references to, and uses of, ‘techniques’ that are often associated with children. Belott’s petulant refusal to reject “primitive” forms of making chimes with his refusal to acknowledge the authority of the institution that is contemporary art. There is no hierarchy, here. There are simply things to be ripped up, reimagined and reassembled once again.

1995 BFA, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
1994 Cooper Union, New York, NY (thrown out)

Solo and two-person exhibitions

2022
Reassembler 3, CANADA, New York, NY

2021
The Reassembler, Cellar Contemporary, Trento, Italy
RHODASCOPE: Scribbles, Smears, and the Universal Language of Children According to Rhoda Kellogg, Verge Center for the Arts, Sacramento, CA

2020
The Reassembler, Loyal, Stockholm, Sweden
Circa Skippy, Tanya Leighton, Berlin, Germany
Finally Golden, with Bridget Caramagna, Mother Gallery, Beacon, NY

2019
Can Opener Door Stop, Morán Morán, Los Angeles, CA
Brian Belott’s RHODASCOPE: Scribbles, Smears, and the Universal Language of Children According to Rhoda Kellogg, San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, CA

2018
Brian Belott, Gavin Brown Enterprises, New York, NY

2017
Dr. Kid President Jr., Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York, NY

2016
Puuuuuuuffs, Moran Bondaroff, Los Angeles, CA

2015
Dr. Kid President Jr., 247365, New York, NY
Sweather: Brian Belott, Ross Simonini, Fredricks & Freiser, New York, NY

2014
Cat Food, Brian Belott and Joe Bradley, Retrospective, Hudson, NY

2013
Brian Belott, The Journal Gallery, New York, NY
Brian Belott and Michael Mahalchick, Ober Gallery, Kent, CT

2012
Portrait of a Generation — Brian Belott and Taylor McKimens, The Hole, New York, NY
A Goosh Noosh, Zürcher Studio, New York, NY

2011
Windshield Unexpected Wipers — Brian Belott and Jesse Greenberg, Loyal, Malmö, Sweden
Congo Guac, Galerie Zürcher, Paris, France

2010
The Joy of File, Zürcher Studio, New York, NY

2009
Jelly Harp, Galerie Zürcher, Paris, France

2008
Show #16: Ed Blackburn + Brian Belott. and/or gallery, Dallas, TX
Leyendecker Gallery, Tenerife, Canary Islands
Brian Belott Lost and Found Slide Show, Community Outreach Gallery, London, Canada

2007
Swirly Music, CANADA, New York, NY

2006
Deep Data, Freight and Volume, New York, NY
With Michael Mahalchick, Atelier Cardenas Bellanger, Paris, France

2005
Books, books, books, books, books, books and books, CANADA, New York, NY
Adult Soda, Stefan Stux, New York, NY

2004
What’s Going On, Kenny Schacter, New York, NY

2003
Touching Fantasy Through Color, CANADA, New York, NY

Group exhibitions

2023
Canada on Paper, CANADA, East Hampton, NY

2022
To Begin Again: Artists and Childhood, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA
Singing in Unison: Artists Need to Create on the Same Scale That Society Has the Capacity to Destroy, The Scully Tomasko Foundation, New York, NY
Lingua Franca, Kapp Kapp Gallery, New York, NY
Evidence, Mutual Art, Toronto, Canada

2020
The Hundreth Exhibition, Loyal, Stockholm, Sweden

2019
Whitney Biennial 2019, The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
White Columns Benefit Auction, White Columns, New York, NY
Pulled In Brooklyn, International Print Center, New York, NY
Horology, Jack Hanley Gallery, New York, NY
Just what is it that makes today so different, so appealing?, Gavin Brown’s enterprise at Galerie Patrick Seguin, Paris, France
Downtown Painting: Presented by Alex Katz, Peter Freeman Gallery, New York, NY

2018
The Artist is Present, curated by Maurizio Cattelan, The Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China
An Unstoppable Force, Cobra Museum, Amstelveen, The Netherlands
Objects Like Us, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT
Without God or Governance, Marino Gallery, New York, NY

2017
Performa 17, Performa, New York, NY
UNOBSTRUCTED VIEWS, The William Hawkins Ferry House, Michigan
99 Cents or Less, MoCAD, Detroit, MI
Call Me, Carl Kostyál, Stockholm, Sweden

2016
CDCDDCDCDCDD: Brian Belott, Ara Peterson, Constance Tenvik, Steina & Woody Vasulka, LOYAL, Stockholm, Sweden
Paper In Practice, Moran Bondaroff, Los Angeles, CA
Hill of Munch, Rachel Uffner Gallery, New York, NY
All Summer In A Day, Unclebrother, Hancock, NY

2015
Unorthodox, The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
Third Heat, CANADA, New York, NY
Call and response, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York, NY

2014
If You’re Accidentally Not Included, Don’t Worry About It, curated by Peter Saul, Zurcher, Paris, France
The New York Moment, Musée d’Art Moderne, Saint-Etienne, France
Surface Protection Plus, LOYAL, Stockholm, Sweden
Purple States, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
Brian Belott, Paul DeMuro, Amy Feldman, Galerie Zürcher, Paris, France
Sundays (Like the Brightest Light in the Theatre Shining on an Empty Stage): Ted Gahl, Dodge Gallery, New York, NY
The Age of Small Things, curated by Chuck Webster, Dodge Gallery, New York, NY

2013
Elements, Rudiments and Principles, Boston University Art Gallery, Boston, MA
Project Room (with Joe Bradley, Carroll Dunham and Michael Williams), The Journal Gallery, New York, NY
Elements, Rudiments and Principals, Boston University Art Gallery, Boston
Draw Gym, 247365, New York, NY
Brian Belott And Michael Mahalchick, Ober Gallery, Kent, CT
Deep Cuts, Anna Kustera Gallery, New York, NY

2012
Portrait of a Generation, The Hole, New York, NY
Back From L.A., Galerie Zürcher, New York, NY
This is How my Brain Works. Radiator Gallery, New York, NY

2011
Spaghetti and Beachballs, Studio Rafaelli, Trento, Italy
Facemaker, Curated by Kathy Grayson, Royal/t, Los Angeles, CA
Dadarhea, Curated by Jim Drain and Devin Flynn, CANADA, New York, NY
Paper A-Z, Sue Scott Gallery, New York, NY
Salon Zurcher, Zurcher Studio, New York, NY
Cutters/Cork : Contemporary Collage Exhibition. Curated by James Gallagher, West Cork Arts Centre, Cork, Ireland
POSTERMAT, The Hole, New York, NY
Underemployed, Galerie Zürcher, New York, NY
Go Figure, DODGE gallery, New York, NY
Summer Salt, Dinter Fine Art, New York, NY
Summer Salt, The Proposition, New York, NY
Dirt Don’t Hurt, Jolie Laide, Philadelphia, PA
So Zik!, Ober Gallery, Kent, CT

2010
Philadelphia Out of Phase, Curated by Justin Samson, Bodega, Philadelphia, PA
The NY Art Book Fair, MoMA PS1 in The Classroom, New York, NY
Consider the Oyster, Curated by Ingrid Dinter, James Graham and Sons, New York, NY
Salad Days, The Journal, Brooklyn, NY
De-Nature, Jolie Laide Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Out of Order, Curated by Scott Hug, Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York, NY
Kook Books, Bravinlee, New York, NY
Mutant Pop, Curated by Dearraindrop and Brandon Joyce, LOYAL, Malmö, Sweden
August Group Show, Co-curated by Eddie Martinez, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Lost Horizon/Head Shop, Curated by Billy Miller, Exile, Berlin, Germany
Don’t Jump Eyes Up, Curated by Julie Ryan, Galeire BIGGER, Vienna, Austria
SummerCamp, Exile, Berlin, Germany
Figurer le regard, Galerie Zürcher, Paris, France

2009
Wild Feature 2, Curated by Brian Belott, Galerie Zürcher, Paris, France
Relics From the Other Realms, Curated by Athena Llewellyn Barat, Barat Foundation, Newark, NJ
What’s Bin Did and What’s Bin Hid, Curated by Ryan Steadman, 106 Green, New York, NY
Cutters: An Exhibition of International Collage, Curated by James Gallagher, Cinders, Brooklyn, NY
New York Minute, Curated by Kathy Grayson, MACRO Future, Rome, Italy
Katharina Ziemke, Brian Belott, Gilles Saussier. Galerie Zürcher, Paris, France
Apartment Show, Curated by Denise Kupferschmidt and Joshua Smith, Envoy Gallery, New York, NY
The Living and the Dead, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York, NY
The Soho Art + Fashion Event at 7 For All Mankind, Curated by John Connelly, New York, NY
Wild Feature, Curated by Brian Belott, Zürcher Studio, New York, NY
Loving Overkill Via Satellite, Directed and choreographed by Larissa Velez, Dance Theater Workshop, New York, NY
No Sockpuppet, Curated by Michael J. G. Olsen, The Switch Building, New York, NY
Rare Editions: The Book As Art, c. by Susan Fleminger, Lehman College Art Gallery, Bronx, NY
Peanut Gallery, Curated by Joe Bradley, The Journal Gallery, New York, NY

2008
Book / Shelf, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
I Won’t Grow Up, Cheim & Read, New York, NY
The Ice Cream Show, LOYAL, Stockholm, Sweden
Sunshine, Ritter/Zamet at Rental Gallery, New York, NY

2007
What Glue Do You Use?, Atelier Cardenas Bellanger, Paris, France
Bits and Pieces: The Collage Impulse, Lehman College Gallery, Bronx, NY
Cabinet of Curiosities, The Journal Gallery, New York, NY
Overbite/Underbite, Ritter/Zamet, London, England
Space is a Place, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art - PICA, Portland, OR

2006
Collage Party, Zieher Smith, New York, NY
CANADA, Counter Gallery, London, England
Frisky Flaming Hot, Galleri Christina Wilson, Copenhagen, Denmark
(CANA)RICO?, Galeria Comercial, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Available, Curated by Angela Dufresne and Monya Rowe, Monya Rowe Gallery, New York, NY
Searching for Love and Fire, David Castillo Modern & Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
Welcome Home, LOYAL, Stockholm, Sweden
Personal Assistance, DNA Gallery, Provincetown, MA
You have to be almost gifted to do what I do, Alexander and Bonin, New York, NY

2005
Hanging by a Thread, The Moore Space, Miami, FL
WITH US AGAINST REALITY, OR AGAINST US!, Curated by Ida Ekblad and Anders Nordby, Oslo, Norway
Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, LOYAL, Stockholm, Sweden
Put it in Your Mouth…, Rivington Arms, New York, NY
Precious Moments, Joymore, Brooklyn, NY
In Deep Water, Dinter Fine Art, New York, NY
New York’s Finest, CANADA, New York, NY

2004
Where do we come from? What are we? Where Are we going?, Champion Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
California Earthquakes, Daniel Reich Gallery, New York, NY
Rowdy Remix, ATM Gallery, New York, NY
Majority Whip, White Box, New York, NY
Lost & Found, Dinter Fine Art, New York, NY
Word of Mouth, A Selection: Part I, Dinter Fine Art, New York, NY

2003
Art Band, Capitale, A Kenny Schacter/Rove Project, New York, NY
You Are My Sunshine/You Is My Sunshine, CANADA, New York, NY
Touching Color Through Fantasy, CANADA, New York, NY

2002
Black Out, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA

2000
Full Serve, A Kenny Schacter Project, New York, NY

1997
OY, A Kenny Schacter Project, New York, NY

1995
Performance with Lucio Pozzi, New York, NY

Publications

Mutant Pop, curated by Joe Grillo, Laura Grant, Brandon Joyce, published by LOYAL, Malmö, Sweden, 2010
Wipe That Clock Off Your Face, Picturebox and CANADA, New York, NY, 2007
Loyal and His Band, Loyal, Stockholm, Sweden, 2005

Selected Performances

2017
People Pie Pool, Performa 17, Abrons Art Center, New York
TTYL, 247365, New York

2016
Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York
Park Nights 2016, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
Private Time, White Columns, New York

2015
Artist Talk | Jamian Juliano-Villani with special performance by Brian Belott, Swiss Institute, New York

Public Collections
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

Bibliography
Saltz, Jerry, “See Rhoda Kellogg; It Sings,” New York Magazine, February, 2019
“9 Art Events to Attend in New York City This Week,” Art News, January, 2019
Whitney, Wallace, “On the Verge of Failure: Brian Belott at Gavin Brown,” artcritical, January, 2019
Nadel, Dan, “Brian Belott’s Time Pieces,” Hyperallergic, January, 2019
‘Maurizio Cattelan: The Artist Is Present’ at Yuz Museum, Shanghai, ArtNews, 2018
Fatima, Nishat, Is imitation a form or flattery or discovery? Gucci’s Shanghai Exhibition Has Some Answers, Elle India, 2018
Lallier, Ben, In Conversation with Brian Belott, Marfamily, 2017
Simonini, Ross, Brian Belott interviewed by Ross Simonini, Art Review, 2018
Indrisek, Scott, The Children’s Art pioneer You’ve Never heard of, The Artsy Editorial, 2017
Russeth, Andrew, ‘An Unstoppable Force’: Brian Belott on His Children’s Art Show at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, Art News, 2017
Indrisek, Scott, “Brian Belott Puts Puff In His Stuff,” BlouinArtinfo, January 2016
Creahan, D, “Los Angeles- Brian Belott: ‘Puuuuuuuuuuuuffs’ At Moran Bondaroff Through February 13, 2016,” Art Observed, February 2016
Johnson, Paddy, “Your Kid Did Do This: Brian Belott at 247365,” ArtFCity, June 2015
Smith, Roberta, Brian Belott: ‘Draw Gym’, The New York Times, 2013
Goodman, Jonathan, “Briant Belott, ‘A Goosh Noosh’,” The Brooklyn Rail, November 2012
Coates, Jennifer, “Brian Belott, ‘A Goosh Noosh’,” Time Out New York, October 2012
Greenberg, David, “Brian Belott,” Art in America, April 2010