About Alexa Meade

Artist Alexa Meade paints on the human body and three-dimensional spaces, creating the illusion that our reality is a two-dimensional painting. As The New York Times describes Alexa’s artwork, “Think of it as a Van Gogh — that is, if one of his paintings were brought to life as a performative protest."

Alexa’s art has been exhibited around the world at the Grand Palais in Paris, the Saatchi Gallery in London, the United Nations in New York, Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, and the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. Her artwork has also been exhibited in space, orbiting the Earth on the history-making SpaceX Inspiration4 mission. 

She has created interactive installations at Coachella, Cannes Lions, and Art Basel. Alexa painted on the body of Ariana Grande for her iconic “God is a Woman” music video, which has 350 million views. Her solo show on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills was attended by forty-thousand people. With profound pop cultural relevance, Alexa’s art has been upvoted to the #1 position on the Front Page of Reddit. She has been commissioned by Apple, BMW, and Sony. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Alexa teamed up with LEGO as a Master Builder for their “Rebuild the World” campaign.

Collaborating with spacetime researchers, Alexa was the first ever Artist-in-Residence at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. She has also been Artist-in-Residence at Google, where she worked alongside the engineers advancing Light Field imaging technology.

Alexa and her groundbreaking work have been honored with the "Disruptive Innovation Award" from the Tribeca Film Festival. Respected for her thought leadership and non-traditional career path, Alexa has lectured at TED, Stanford, and Princeton. Alexa accepted an invitation to the White House under President Obama. Google Arts & Cul­ture selec­ted Alexa as the face of their “Faces of Frida” cam­paign, cele­brating the legacy of Frida Kahlo and the female artists who are carrying it forward today. InStyle has named Alexa among their "Badass Women."

@alexameadeart

 

Exhibitions

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2020

Rebuild the World, LEGO, Los Angeles, CA

Immersed in Wonderland, 111 W 32nd St. New York, NY

Hidden Risks, Oculus World Trade Center, New York, NY

2019

Today, Apple Fifth Avenue, New YorK, NY

Painting in the Light Field, Google, Los Angeles, CA

BMW, V1 International Racetrack, Tianjin, China

Adidas Sport Club, Zenyara Estate, Coachella, CA

WPP, Dreamforce Conference, San Francisco, CA

Beloved, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

2018

Proyecto Frida, Museo Dolores Omedo, Mexico City, Mexico

“Euphoria” SoundBox, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco, CA

The Art of Transformation BASF, Kulturhaus, Schwarzheide, Germany

Summer Session, Union Station, Los Angeles, CA

Bold, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, CA

SkySpace, U.S. Bank Tower, Los Angeles, CA

Color of Reality, Vérone, Saint-Denis, France

Self-Portraits, Galleria Sagittaria, Pordenone, Italy

A Life in Colors (Solo), Ingo Seufert Gallery for Contemporary Photography, Munich, Germany

Become the Masterpiece, 29Rooms, Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA

2017

The Art of VR, Sotheby’s, New York, NY

Step into the Frame, Instagram, Pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo, São Paulo, Brazil

Wander and Wonder, Instagram, Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Cannes, France

Maurice Lacroix, Baselworld, Basel, Switzerland

Color of Reality, Galerie Tem, Goviller, France

Color of Reality, Aspen Ideas Festival, Aspen, CO

Green Earth, Brookfield Arts, Los Angeles, CA

Become the Masterpiece, Refinery29, 29Rooms Brooklyn, NY Los Angeles, CA

2016

The Fader, Boom Basel, Miami, FL

Premiéres (Solo), Ingo Seufert Gallery for Contemporary Photography, Munich, Germany

Freedom Awards Ceremony, National Civil Rights Museum, Nashville, TN

Dance on Camera, Lincoln Center, New York, NY

Flux Series, The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA

Meade Museum (Solo), Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach, FL

Satellite Spirit, Espace Marais Marais, Paris, France

Pasteur Institut, United Nations Building, New York, NY

Self-Reflection, The Untitled Space Gallery, New York, NY

Color of Reality, Summit at Sea, Miami, FL

Whow, PopTech, Camden, ME

Palacio de Hierro, Mexico City, Mexico

Art Munich Art Fair, Munich, Germany

Stroke Art Fair, Munich, Germany

2015

Le Pressionnisme 1970 – 1990, les chefs-d’œuvre du graffiti sur toile de Basquiat à Bando, Pinacothèque de Paris, Paris, France

After Dark Illusions, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA

Alexa Meade: A Colloquium Exploring the Dimensions of Space, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Waterloo, Canada

Alexa Meade: Your Body Is My Canvas (Solo), Galerie Sisso, Paris, France

Art Paris Art Fair, Grand Palais, Paris France

Alexa Meade: Living Colors (Solo), Ingo Seufert Gallery for Contemporary Photography, Luxembourg

12.6.15-12.6.14, Ingo Seufert Gallery for Contemporary Photography, Munich, Germany

Mathematics, Music, Art, Architecture, Culture, The Bridges Organization, Baltimore, MD

2014

Alexa Meade: Surfaces & Depths (Solo), Ingo Seufert Gallery for Contemporary Photography, Munich, Germany

Project Warehouse, Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply Santa Monica, CA Madrid, Spain Toronto, Canada

2013

NOT NORMAL, MINI Cooper, Shibuya 109, Tokyo, Japan

Intro15, Ingo Seufert Gallery for Contemporary Photography, Munich, Germany

Alexa Meade + Sheila Vand: MILK,Bijou Theater Artisphere, Arlington, VA

2012

Camera-Ready Color, Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC

Performing the Body, Galerie Ivo Kamm, Zürich, Switzerland

2011

Kunst 11, Galerie Ivo Kamm, Zürich, Switzerland

You Are Here, Dorian Grey Gallery, New York, NY

Artist Tribute Exhibition 2,Irvine Contemporary, Washington, DC

Saturnalia, Irvine Contemporary, Washington, DC

2010

The Art of Giving, Saatchi Gallery, London

Picture Planes (Two-person exhibition), Irvine Contemporary, DC

Mirror, Mirror, Postmasters Gallery, New York, NY

Press

SELECTED PRESS

2019

"This Body-Paint Artist Transforms People," New York Magazine

"Body Art Fever: Dimensional Expression," pp.76-83, Harper's Bazaar Art (Hong Kon)

"Alexa Meade: Game of Shadows, Light, and Color" pp. 48-51, Grazia (Croatia)

"4 Artists Share Their Social Media Strategies," Artsy

2018

"Meet the artist who submerged Ariana Grande in a pool of paint," TED

“Google Unveils Frida Kahlo Retrospective With Never-Before-Seen Artifacts,” by Veronica Villafañe, Forbes Magazine

“Ariana Grande’s ‘God Is a Woman’ Video Is Packed With Feminist Imagery,” by Alyssa Bailey, Elle Magazine

“Ariana Grande smashes the patriarchy in new video for ‘God Is a Woman,” by Christie D’Zurilla, Los Angeles Times

“This psychedelic, Instagram-worthy art exhibit was co-designed by Hollywood royalty — take a look inside,” by Katie Canales, Business Insider

“Color of Reality”: Jon Boogz, Lil Buck, and Black Lives in Livid Color,” by Constance Valis Hill, LA Review of Books

2017

“The good news: Refinery 29’s popular 29 Rooms hits DTLA Thursday. The bad news: It’s sold out,” by Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times

“Turning the page with artist innovator Alexa Meade,” by Robin Rootenberg, 24 Life

“29Rooms Is What Happens When the Museum of Ice Cream Moves to Brooklyn and Enrolls in Art School,” by Brittany Martin, Los Angeles Magazine

“29Rooms Is a Creative Playhouse for the Instagram Set,” by Melena Ryzik, New York Times

“Peek Inside 29Rooms, Refinery29’s Kaleidoscopic Experience,” by Alysia Gray Painter, NBC

“How Activism Can Advocate for Art,” by Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic

“This Artist Transforms Real-Life People into Paintings,” Elle Decor

“Meet the Body Painting Artist Disrupting Portraiture,” by Kara Weisenstein, VICE

2016

“Mixing Paint and Dance to Comment on Justice and Art,” by Gia Kourlas, printed on C5, The New York Times

“Alexa Meade Art Makes Photography Magic,” CNN

“Understanding the Hidden Dimensions of Modern Physics Through the Arts,” The Wire

“Painting Reality on Top of Reality Makes You Question Reality,” by Diana Shi, VICE

“The Peace and Security Implications of Quantum Innovation,” SPSS Review

“Quantum Leap,” by Taylor Owen, Foreign Affairs

The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, by Chris Anderson, TED

“Living Portraits – Or When Art Imitates Life,” by Helene Laub, Porsche

“These Women Artists Are Their Own Damn Muses,” by Priscilla Frank, Huffington Post

“Watch Artist Alexa Meade Literally Bring Art To Life” by Laura Delarato, Refinery 29

“This Artist Transforms Humans Into Paintings,” New York Magazine

“The 50 Best TED Talks Ever Given,” WNYC

“Incredible Paintings That Actually Breathe,” CNN

“And the winner of this year’s Dance Your Ph.D. contest is …” Science Magazine

“Daily Planet: Alexa Meade,” Discovery Channel

“Nowness Picks,” Nowness

Funhouse House:

“Artist Alexa Meade’s House is Giving Us Hardcore Apartment Goals” by Laura Delarato, Refinery 29

“A Couple Turned Their Echo Park Home Into a Funhouse” by Peter Holderness, LA Weekly

“Astronauts Wanted Launches Transmedia Incubator” by Natalie Jarvey, The Hollywood Reporter

“An artist and a hacker turned their home into this trippy funhouse” by Chris Weller, Tech Insider

“LA Couple Turns Their Home Into The Funhouse House” by Lourdes Linares, WGSN

“Enter the Funhouse,” Atlas Obscura

2015

“This Artist Painted Physicists Into a 3D Living Chalkboard,” by Jennifer Ouellette, Gizmodo

“The Living Chalkboard,” by Colin Hunter, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

“Artist Alexa Meade Uses People as Canvas,” by Jaimie Wax, CBS This Morning

“This Artist Makes Humans Look Like Wall Art,” by Charles Clark, Business Insider

“Artist Shows Off Her Talents by Painting on People,” SF Globe

“Illusions in Progress: The Paintings of Alexa Meade,” Time Out San Francisco

“Alexa Meade,” by Tina Essmaker, The Great Discontent

“2D-Künstlerin Alexa Meade,” by Anna-Lena Roth, Spiegel (Germany)

“Optishe Täushung Deluxe,” Taff ProSieben (Germany)

“Los Trazos de la Moda,” El Mundo (Spain)

“L’Illusion D’Optique à Bas Coût,” Arte TV (France)

“Meet Alexa Meade, she will turn you into a painting” by Mihika Jindal, The Sunday Guardian (India)

2014

“Alexa Meade, la auténtica artista tridimensional,” Esquire (Spain)

“People-painter turns tables on illusion,” by Natalie Angley, CNN

“Mind-Warping Photos Turn Subjects Into 2-D Paintings,” by Doug Bierend, WIRED

“Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren x Alexa Meade: Art Meets Fashion,” Nylon Magazine

“Arte y Moda: La retratista Alexa Meade y Ralph Lauren revolucionan las calles,” p. 258, Vogue (Spain)

“Alexa Meade: Entre El Arte y la moda,” pp. 166-169, Glamour Magazine (Spain)

“We Painted a Bunch of Models for Our Fall Fashion Story…” pp. 206-213, Details

“Painter,” pp. 32, 326-333, GQ (Korea)

“Off the Wall – Alexa Meade,” JAY Z’s Life & Times

2013

“TED Talk: Alexa Meade: Your body is my canvas,” TED.com

“TEDweekends: Art Beyond the canvas,” Huffington Post

“Watch Alexa Meade,” by Liat Clark, WIRED

“Alexa Meade Highlight,” Last Call with Carson Daly

“Alexa Meade’s living paintings,” London Telegraph

2012

“Picture of the Day,” by David Sim, London Telegraph

“Alexa Meade and Sheila Vand’s Milk: what will you make of me?” Juxtapoz Magazine

“Why artist Alexa Meade submerged her human subjects in milk,” by Liat Clark, WIRED Magazine

“Alexa Meade’s Incredible Painted Photographs,” by Priscilla Frank, The Huffington Post

“The Artist in Action,” p. A19, by Nell Alk, The Wall Street Journal

“Paintings In (Really) Living Color,” by Adam Cole, NPR

“Alexa Meade @ The National Portrait Gallery Museum,” Juxtapoz.com

“Wie gemalt: Alexa Meade Verwandelt Objekte in Malerei,” Vogue Magazine (Germany)

2011

“Alexa Meade: Photos Imitate Paintings,” Yahoo! News

“You’ve Got Alexa Meade,” AOL.com

“Her Art Asks: Can You Believe Your Eyes?” MSNBC.com

“Alexa Meade’s Living Paintings,” The Guardian (UK)

“…More Must-Read Art News,” ArtInfo.com

“Art Renews Itself by Innovation,” Times of India

“Die Künstlerin und ihr Werk,” Spiegel (Germany)

“L’uomo-Quadro,” Corriere Della Sera (Italy)

“Ritratti Viventi di Alexa Meade,” Repubblica (Italy)

“How’d they Do That? A Painting That Walks,” MSN.com

“Alexa Meade’s Human Canvases,” Slate.com

“Lebende Gemälde,” Galileo ProSieben (Germany)

“El Vivo Retrato,” pp. 210-215, ELLE (Mexico)

“Models are Both Subject and Painting Surface,” PBS NewsHour

Doppelganger: Images of the Human Being, Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag, 2011.

“Living Art: Alexa Meade,” pp. 102-103, NY Arts Magazine

2010

“Alexa Meade” pp. 38-39, American Contemporary Art Magazine

“Ritratti Viventi,” pp. 341-344, ELLE Magazine (Italy)

“See Alexa Meade Create,” NYMag Vulture

“He’s No Oil Painting,” p. 55, WIRED Magazine

“Alexa Meade,” pp. 24-25, Juxtapoz Magazine

“Alexa Meade: Acrylic On People,” USAToday.com

“A Portrait of a Portrait of a Portrait,” ArtSlant.com

“Los ‘Cuadros Vivientes’ de Alexa Meade,” El Mundo (Spain)

“Canvas with Personality: Artist Paints Using People,” Today Show

“Flesh Perspective: Alexa Meade” pp. C1, C10, The Washington Post

“The artist who turns people into paintings,” CNN

Lectures

SELECTED LECTURES

TEDGlobal, Edinburgh, UK

Q Symposium: Peace and Security in a Quantum Age, University of Sydney, AUS

Apple, Cupertino, CA

Google X, Mountain View, CA

Adobe, San Francisco, CA

Facebook at Cannes Lions, Cannes, FR

The Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA

Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

National Cathedral School, Washington, DC

California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA

University of California – Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

New York University, New York, NY

National Geographic, London, UK

WIRED 2012 Conference, London, UK

TEDxLondonBusinessSchool, London, UK

PopTech, Camden, ME

Social Innovation Summit, Silicon Valley, CA

Honors

SELECTED HONORS

Tribeca Film Festival, Disruptive Innovation Award

CNN Great Big Story, Art as Impact Award

Neural Correlate Society, Judge, Best Optical Illusion of the Year

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Artist-in-Residence

Summit Series, Artist-in-Residence

South by South Lawn, Invitation to the Obama White House

Toronto International Film Festival, Best Experimental Short Film

 
 

 About the Team

I feel incredibly lucky to work with a such dedicated team of passionate and creative visionaries. I’m extremely proud of everything we’ve accomplished together. Additionally, the art they’ve created outside of my studio is gorgeous, inspiring, and I hope that all the world can see it! Please, take your time getting to know the personal artwork of all the members of my team.

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Kerry Barber

Director of Operations

After spending nearly a decade working in art production and business management, I joined the Alexa Meade team in 2018 and have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside such a talented crew of people! I believe that the first step in removing the im- from impossible is creating a strong and sustainable base in which to grow from. 

I enjoy hugging trees, doodling, sun salutations, taking my dog to the beach, and eating anything in dip form.

kerrydidthat.com / @ohbicycle

Mike Monaghan

Mike Monaghan

Director of Digital Content

I’m a photographer and digital artist. I grew up with a huge love for dinosaurs and nerdy things, like Godzilla. When I first picked up the camera as a teenager, I taught myself how to use it by photographing my toys I still had from my childhood. By trying to make Godzilla and his friends look like the movies they were from, I learned how to use a camera, light, understand composition and much more. I took those principles and started implementing them into portraiture, allowing me to find an experimental and creative style I’m proud to call my own.

My portraits and toy photography are colorful, energetic, and unconventional with little photoshop work. I still photograph my toys today to teach myself new tricks, and I show my process on YouTube.

mikemonaghanphoto.com / @mike_monaghan

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Scarlett Dare

Lead Production

@scardare

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Ashley Snively

Production Manager

My background is varied but deeply grounded in fine art and production work. I joined the Alexa Meade team in 2016 during the filming of the short film, Color of Reality. It’s been an incredible journey ever since, growing with the business from Painting Assistant to Production Manager.

I have a passion for textiles and all things analog. That passion comes to life in my personal work. From building my own cameras to hand stitching gardens in full bloom onto clothing, I’m always looking to push what can be done with materials. My motto is “Always Be Learning.”

@glitter.bloom / @flannelflossstudio

Kara-Olson

Kara Olson

Executive Assistant

@karaolson.art

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Scotty Zaletel

Lead Preparator

@scottyzaletel

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Chris Stewart

Studio Director

I’m an oil painter that spends most of his time struggling to think of what to paint next. I joined the Alexa Meade team in 2018 and love that I get to work with such a great team that pushes me to be better every day. I try to challenge myself to learn something new as often as possible.

My biggest fear is boredom. I enjoy painting, running, driving, and buying cool t-shirts. If I’m not doing any of those things I’m probably sitting in my car or on my couch listening to the Velvet Underground.

chrisstewartart.com / @_stewartchris

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Paul Juno

Studio Lead

I am a multimedia artist who thoroughly enjoys the act of mural creation. Large scale painting is highly rewarding, especially when it enters the public sphere and lives on the streets.  My artwork stems from an exploration of peripheral stimuli, collaging personal experiences, daydreams, art history, color theory and pop culture through many mediums in my home and art studio in downtown Los Angeles. I make it a point to paint something everyday, it’s a great mood stabilizer and a healthy habit to have.   

pauljunoart.com / @pauljunoart


 Former Contributors

Over the years, the Alexa Meade Art team has included a broad array of talented individuals.