Kalup Linzy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Artist
Kalup Linzy
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| Born | July 23, 1977 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of South Florida |
Kalup Linzy (born July 23, 1977) is an American video and performance artist. He lives and works in Tulsa, OK. His art often uses simple technology. It explores themes like community, family, and social life.
Contents
About Kalup Linzy's Life
Kalup Linzy was born in Clermont, Florida. His father, Samuel Avant, Sr., was a farmer. His mother, Constance Linzy, faced health challenges.
Kalup grew up in Stuckey, Florida. He was raised in a close-knit country community. His grandmother, Georgianna Linzy, was a seamstress and was deaf. His aunt, Diane McMullen, and uncle, Isaiah McMullen, also helped raise him. His uncle was a minister.
Kalup spent weekends and summers with his father. His father lived a few miles away in Center Hill, Florida. Kalup has a sister, Athia, and several half-brothers and a step-sister. He also considers his aunt and uncle's six children as his siblings.
Growing up, Kalup's mother was often in hospitals for her health. His father also became paralyzed after a stroke. These events were tough for Kalup.
Kalup Linzy's Education
Kalup went to South Lake High School in Groveland, Florida. He was very active there. He ran track and was president of the Student Government. He also joined Future Homemakers of America and Future Business Leaders of America.
Kalup's creative talents grew in chorus, theater, and church choir. His family taught him to play the piano by ear. In his senior year, he was named a Walt Disney Dreamer and Doer. This was a special award for students in Central Florida.
After high school in 1995, he went to the University of South Florida. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 2000. While there, he studied art and started a community festival. He then earned his MFA from the same university in 2003.
Kalup Linzy's Art Career
Kalup Linzy says his childhood and hometown greatly influence his art. For example, he makes video series that are like soap operas. He says soap operas were a big part of his family's daily life. Shows like Guiding Light were very popular when he was young.
His soap opera videos often use simple technology. They show themes of community, family, and social life. Kalup explores ideas about identity and stereotypes in his art. He often dresses himself and others in different outfits for his videos. He also changes voices through editing.
Kalup creates detailed family trees and personalities for his characters. Sometimes, he uses friends who are not professional actors. Besides videos, Kalup also performs on stage. He writes songs and works with other artists.
In 2003, Kalup moved to New York City to become an artist. In 2005, his art was shown in two important galleries. This led to a review in The New York Times. The review said, "A star is born..."
Kalup has won many awards and grants since then. These include grants from The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. His art is in many important collections. These include The Museum of Modern Art and The Whitney Museum of American Art. He has also given talks at universities like New York University and Harvard University.
Kalup has worked with many famous artists and celebrities. Some of them are James Franco, Chloe Sevigny, and Michael Stipe. His work has been shown at major film festivals. These include the Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. His art has also been featured in many magazines.
In 2010, Kalup appeared on the TV show General Hospital. He played a character named Kalup Ishmael alongside James Franco. In 2011, he made a video for an opera called A Heavenly Act. This opera was shown at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. In 2012, he appeared in an art reality show.
Kalup's work was part of the 2016 Atlanta Biennial art show. In 2021, his film OK was chosen for two film festivals.
Art Exhibitions
Solo Shows
- Le Petit Versailles, East Village, NY (2004)
- Kalup Linzy and Charles Nelson, Romo Gallery, Atlanta, GA (2005)
- All My Churen, LAXART, Los Angeles, CA (2006)
- Kalup Linzy, P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City, New York (2006)
- Taxter & Spengemann, New York (2006)
Group Shows
- Sunday in the Arts, Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, Tampa, FL (2002)
- All Together Now, Rush Arts Gallery, New York, NY (2003)
- Faith, Champion Fine Art, Culver City, CA (2004)
- Mommy! I'm! Not! An! Animal!, Capsule Gallery, New York, NY (2004)
- African Queen, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (2005)
- Frequency, Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY (2005)
- Do You Think I'm Disco, Longwood Art Gallery, Bronx, NY (2006)
- Masquerade: Representation and the Self in Contemporary Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia (2006)
- Black Alphabet, Zacheta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw, Poland (2006)
- Empathetic, Temple Gallery, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA (2006)
- AFI FEST 2006, Los Angeles, CA
- Vocal Verbal, Studentski Center, Zegreb, Croatia (2007)
- Uncertain States of America - American Video Art in the 3rd Millennium, Moscow Biennial, Moscow, Russia (2007)
- Spotlight Film and Video Series, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, Wisconsin (2007)
- Prospect.1, New Orleans (2008)
- Project G.O.A.T., Tampa, FL (2021)
Videography
- Julietta Calls Ramone (2002)
- Ramone Calls Julietta Again: Booty Call (2002)
- Ride to da Club (2002)
- Conversations wit de Churen II: All My Churen (2005)
- Conversations wit de Churen III: Da Young & Da Mess (2005)
- Conversations wit de Churen IV: Play Wit De Churen (2005)
- KK Queens Survey (2005)
- Conversations wit de Churen V: As da Art World Might Turn (2006)
- Lollypop (2006)
- Melody Set Me Free (2007)
- Pursuit of Gay (Happyness) (2007)
- That's Wassup (2007)
- Keys to Our Heart (2008)
- SweetBerry Sonnet (Remixed) (2008)
- OK (2021)
Discography
- 2011: Turn It Up (feat. James Franco) - EP
- 2012: Labisha the Diva (Tracks from Melody Set Me Free On Rabbit.TV) - EP
- 2013: Romantic Loner EP - Single
- 2013: Romantic Loner - Full Album
- 2014: Art Jobs and Lullabies - Full Album
- 2017: Tangled Up - Full Album
