Alum Paul Chan Named a 2022 MacArthur Fellow

Paul Chan. Image courtesy of the MacArthur Foundation

Paul Chan. Image courtesy of the MacArthur Foundation

Interdisciplinary artist and School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) alum Paul Chan (BFA 1996) was awarded a 2022 MacArthur "genius" grant by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Every year, the foundation provides unrestricted grants of $800,000 to individuals completing ambitious, creative work across many different disciplines.

Chan’s practice incorporates a variety of mediums, such as charcoal drawings, inflatable sculptures, animated digital projections, and the written word. He is a political activist as well as an artist, and is dedicated to exploring what art is—its purpose and value to our modern existence.

According to the MacArthur Foundation, Chan “draws on a wealth of cultural touchstones—from classical philosophy to modern literature, critical theory, and hip-hop culture—to produce works that respond to our current political and social realities, making those realities more immediately available to the mind for contemplation and critical reflection.” A perfect encapsulation of this artistic ethos was Chan’s New Orleans staging of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Chan worked closely with Lower Ninth Ward residents on the production and directed financial support to local community organizations.

An installation view of *The 7 Lights*, a series of digital projections of silhouettes that ruminate on technology, religion, and societal upheavals. Image courtesy of the New Museum

An installation view of *The 7 Lights*, a series of digital projections of silhouettes that ruminate on technology, religion, and societal upheavals. Image courtesy of the New Museum

While at SAIC, Chan served as the editor of F Newsmagazine. In an interview with the magazine from 2010, Chan says of his time at SAIC, “I think in a way I came at a time when I needed a place that would give me a lot of freedom so I could learn on my own, and the Art Institute gave me that, so I got a lot out of it.”

His work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, among others. He is the founder and publisher of the experimental publishing house Badlands Unlimited, and he was previously the recipient of the 2014 Hugo Boss Prize, a biennial award that honors artists who have made visionary contributions to contemporary art.

Since 2001, seven SAIC alums and faculty members have received this prestigious honor. In addition to Chan, Associate Professor LaToya Ruby Frazier, Jeffrey Gibson (BFA 1995), Walter Hood (MFA 2013), Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle (MFA 1989), Trevor Paglen (MFA 2002), and Wu Tsang (BFA 2004) have all been recipients.

Visit MacArthur’s site for the complete list of 2022 fellows.