Julia Tcharfas (born 1982 Donetsk, Ukraine) is an artist based in Los Angeles. Her research draws on materials from modern scientific and technological folklore and takes the form of archives and exhibits. A profile about her practice has been featured in the Swiss Institute’s SI: Visions video series. Tcharfas is the founder of Before Present project space in Pasadena and has recently exhibited work in the Swiss Institute, New York; Project 1049, Gstaad; Transformation Marathon, Serpentine Gallery, London; and Fluent Gallery, Santander.
EDUCATION
2011 MFA with Distinction, Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, London, UK
2005 BFA, The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS & COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
2018 Science of Rehearsal, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Swiss Institute, New York, NY
No. 3, Magic Hour, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Twentynine Palms, CA
710, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Before Present, Pasadena, CA
2017 Operations Theater, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Before Present, Pasadena, CA
T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I. in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Before Present, Pasadena, CA
2015 A Space Base for Instance, Family Day, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
2014 Work Structures, Art/ Work Association, London, UK
Man on a Mission, Cinema6, Arcadia Missa, London, UK
2013 Experiences in Groups, Recent Work by Artists public program, Auto Italia, London, UK
Recent Work by Artists, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Rachel Pimm, Auto Italia, London, UK
Systems Thinking from the Inside, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Chisenhale Gallery, London, UK
Render, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Hilary Crisp Gallery, London UK
2012 Echo-System, Helsinki World Design Capital, British Council
2011 Artissima 18, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Hilary Crisp booth, Turin, Italy
Metropotamia, in collaboration with Tim Ivison, Hilary Crisp Gallery, London, UK
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2017 Yes I’ve Had a Facelift but Who Hasn’t, curated by 301(c)3 Foundation, Rudolph Schindler Church, Los Angeles, CA
Into pore spaces, curated by Alex Alonso, fluent, Santander, SP
2015 Interspecies Communication, in Transformation Marathon Radio, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Serpentine Gallery, London, UK
Mountain Medicine, in Project 1049, curated by Raphael Hefti, Luma Foundation, Gstaad, Switzerland
Do We Need To Grow Up? The Newbridge Project, Newcastle, UK
O, curated by Rachel Pimm, Hales Gallery, London, UK
2014 Llocs Comuns, curated by Sabel Gavaldon, Can Felipa, Barcelona, Spain
2013 Acting Truthfully Under the Circumstances, curated by Borbala Soos, Tenderpixel Gallery, London, UK
Institute Bianche, curated by Harry Burke, Library Plus, London, UK
Fresh Air Collection, curated by Paul Pieroni, [Space] Gallery London, UK
Total Vitality, curated by Laura McLean-Ferris, Bold Tendencies, London, UK
2012 Really Wild Show, curated by James Previt, White Building, [Space], London, UK
Summer School, curated by Alex Ross, Gerald Moore Gallery, Mottingham UK
A Field for All Action, ROCRO curated by Graham Hudson, Museum of Contemporary Art Rome, Rome Italy
Open File, curated by Open File, Milton Keynes Gallery, Milton Keynes UK
2011 Anti-Library, curated by Paul Pieroni, [Space] Gallery London, UK
Auto Italia Live, Auto Italia, London, UK
For Inclusion in the Syllabi, Pigeon Wing, London UK
Rules of Engagement, Angus-Hughes, London, UK
Architecture In Words Only, Hilary Crisp, London, UK
Surplus to Requirements? Slade Research Center, London, UK
2010 Another Romance, Wight Biennial, UCLA New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Counter Constructs, Auto-Italia South East, London, UK
Utopia Project, Athens School of Fine Art, Athens, Greece
X Artworks in a Straight Line (Seeking the Perfect Sphere), Hilary Crisp, London, UK
RESIDENCIES & AWARDS
Summer Room 2022, Treignac Projet, Treignac, France
Summer Room 2021, Treignac Projet, Treignac, France
Project 1049, 2015, Luma Foundation, Gstaad, Switzerland
Arts de Signs – Signalling Art as A Social Design, 2012, Helsinki International Artist Programme
Back of the Envelope – Cultural Relations and Design award, 2012, British Council
Utopia Project, 2009, Athens School of Fine Art
PUBLICATIONS
Julia Tcharfas (upcoming 2020) “Science Fiction”, “Technology”, and “Westerns” in the Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Film and Television Costume Design, edited by Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Bloomsbury Press.
Julia Tcharfas (2023) “Pasta con la Sarde, or ways of screaming” in Anna Wittenberg & Inès Kivimäki’s “Dummy” at Phase Gallery.
Julia Tcharfas (2023) “Basements and Things” in X-TRA Magazine.
Julia Tcharfas (2022) “Donetsk Through the Museum, the Monument, and the Diary” in Topical Cream.
Julia Tcharfas and Tim Ivison (2019) “No. 3” in The Magic Hour No 1/2/3/4, Golden Spike Press.
Tim Ivison, Julia Tcharfas, and Simon Sadler (2019) “Experimental Life” in Laboratory Lifestyles: The Construction of Scientific Fictions, The MIT Press.
Julia Tcharfas and Arseny Zhilyaev in conversation with Ben Vickers (2015) “A Fresh Start in Space” in Flash Art International, Issue 305, Nov-Dec.
Julia Tcharfas (2015) “Through the Lens of a Space Tourist.” Science Museum Group Journal, Issue 4.
Julia Tcharfas (2015) “Science of Rehearsal.” Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age, Scala Arts Publishers, Inc.
Julia Tcharfas (2015) “The Contest.” New Lands: Beyond the Fields We Know, Living in the Future Magazine, Issue 3.
Julia Tcharfas (translation 2014) A Year Inside A Spaceship on Earth / by Andrey Bozshko and Violeta Gorodinskaia, Auto Italia.
Julia Tcharfas and Tim Ivison (2013) Abbau (Unbuilding) IV: Image, Orientation, Word, Action. Design by Houman Momtazian.
Julia Tcharfas (2013) ‘Summary Results from the Modified Tech-House First Year Live-in by Ezra Folkman.’ On the Upgrade — WYSIWYG, Or-bits.
Julia Tcharfas and Tim Ivison (2012) “A Field for All Action.” Monaco magazine, Issue 6.
LECTURES
2019 “Space Tourists,” Planetary Urbanism course, Art Center College of Design, Pasadena
2018 “Symposium: Science of Rehearsal,” Swiss Institute, New York, NY
“Closed-system Compositions,” The New Normal, Strelka Institute, Moscow, RU
“Performance and Complexity inside Biosphere 2,” NAVEL, Los Angeles, CA
2016 “How Many Miles?” Panel discussion with Clare Pelly, Justin Ross Lee, and Julia Tcharfas, moderated by Sean Monahan, Swiss Institute, New York, NY
2014 “AAActions,” Architectural Association, London, UK
“Beyond Zero,” Calvert 22 Gallery, London, UK
“The Commons,” Lunch Bytes, panel discussion with Stephan Dillemuth, Metahaven, Eleanor Saitta, and Julia Tcharfas, moderated by Helen Kaplinsky, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, UK
“Art as Spatial Practice,” Friday Salon, panel discussion with Nicholas Brooks, Tom Emerson, Tim Ivison and Julia Tcharfas, Institute of Contemporary Art, London, UK
PRESS
Interview with A Martinez, “An exhibit on the ongoing battle surrounding the 710” on Take Two, 89.3 KPCC, July 16, 2018.
Liz Ohanesian, “Pasadena’s 710 Exhibition Shows How Neighborhoods Won the Fight Against Freeway Displacement in LA” in L.A. Taco, June 21, 2018.
Travis Diehl, “Relishing the Madness of a Museum Blocking a Freeway in L.A.” in Garage, June 13, 2018.
Interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist, John Allen, and Kathelin Gray, “The Search for a Unique, Non-repeatable Experience” in Mousse Magazine, Issue 57, 2017.
SI: Visions, “On Artificial Natures” Swiss Institute, New York, NY, 2016.
Rob La Frenais, “Space Race” in Art Monthly, Issue 392: Dec-Jan 15-16, 2016.
Jay Joplin, “Systems Thinking from the Inside at Chisenhale Gallery reviewed”, in AQNB, October 7, 2013.
Harry Burke, “Love Letters” in Rhizome, August 20, 2012.