Robyn Day is a San Francisco-based photographer and former arts critic at Photograph, Art New England and The ARTery at WBUR, Boston's NPR news station. In 2017, she graduated from the photography MFA program at Columbia College Chicago, where she received the Graduate Merit Award and the Stuart Abelson Graduate Research Fellowship. Day's work examines the queerness of identity categories, including the fluidity of gender, sexuality, and sex, through conceptual and documentary photography. Whether working within a typological framework—if only to subvert it—or through ethnographic immersion, Day's practice is research-driven and informed by queer theory. She is interested in global queer identities, cultures, and communities, and makes art reflective of those interests as a kind of “political portraiture” that calls into question heteronormative and gender-normative assumptions.
solo & two-person exhibitions
#1 Family Attraction: Ileana Doble Hernandez + Robyn Day, Fountain Street Fine Art, 460C Harrison Ave., Boston, Mar-Apr 2023, juried by Marie Craig, Director
Nobody Knows, Queer Festival Heidelberg, Karlstorbahnhof Heidelberg, Nov. 2021, curated by Dominic Hauser and Martin J.V. Müller, Co-Founders
Nobody Knows, Elizabeth Houston Gallery, New York, NY, Apr. 28 - Jul. 9, 2021, curated by Elizabeth Houston, Director
Robyn Day + Lisa Lindvay, Schneider Gallery, Chicago, IL, Sep. 7 - Oct. 20, 2018, curated by Martha Schneider, Director
Politicollage, Center on Halsted, Chicago, IL, Mar. 2 - Apr. 10, 2018, curated by David Joseph, Exhibitions Curator
select group exhibitions
Der Greif: 15th Anniversary, Contextualise, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, June 2023 Instant Gratification, Float Photo Magazine, online exhibition from Dec. 2022, juried by Vann Powell, contributing writer
FOCUS PHOTO LA, 3118 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, Sep. 17-19, 2021, juried in 2020 by Elizabeth Houston, Owner and Director, Elizabeth Houston Gallery; Eve Schillo, Assistant Curator, Wallis Annenberg Photography Department, LACMA; Scarlet Cheng, Arts Writer and Educator
PHOTO LONDON, Elizabeth Houston Gallery, Sep. 9-12, 2021
Queer Artists Invitational, Cornel Henry Art, San Diego, CA, Jan. 18-Feb. 28, 2021, curated by co-directors C. Fodoreanu and Henry T.
Yakushima Photography Festival, Yakushima, Japan, Nov. 2020, curated by Enrico Stefanelli, founder and artistic director, Photolux Festival; Tom White, photographer; Charmaine Poh, artist; Hasnoor Hussain, photojournalist; Kong Yen Lin, curator
Fragments, Arc Gallery, San Francisco, CA, online exhibition, Nov. 21-Dec. 19, 2020, juried by Jen Tough, owner and director, Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe
FOCUS PHOTO LA, Virtual Collect + Connect, PHOTO LA, June 27-28, 2020, juried by Elizabeth Houston, Owner and Director, Elizabeth Houston Gallery; Eve Schillo, Assistant Curator, Wallis Annenberg Photography Department, LACMA; Scarlet Cheng, Arts Writer and Educator
14th Julia Margaret Cameron Award Exhibition, Honorable Mention, Gallery FotoNostrum, Barcelona, Spain, Mar. 4-28, 2020, juried by Elizabeth Avedon, curator; Rebecca Richardson, Editor PDN; Analy Werbin, Curator, Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography
PHOTO LA, Round Hole Square Peg 4, Barker Hangar – Santa Monica, CA, Jan. 30-Feb. 2, 2020 and Plummer Park Gallery, West Hollywood, Feb. 8-Mar. 4, 2020, juried by Claudia Bartlett, Director, Photo LA; Paul Bridgewater, Director, Smart Clothes Gallery, New York; Ruben Esparza, Director, Queer Biennial; Bert Green, Director, Bert Green Fine Art, Chicago; and Phil Tarley, Director, Round Hole Square Peg PULSE Art Fair, Indian Beach Park, Miami Beach, FL, Dec. 5-8, 2019
Photolux Festival, Lucca, Italy, Nov. 16 - Dec. 8, 2019, curated by Enrico Stefanelli, founder and artistic director, Photolux Festival; Tom White, photographer; Charmaine Poh, artist; Hasnoor Hussain, photojournalist; Kong Yen Lin, curator
Kuala Lumpur International Photo Awards, Portrait Photography Prize, ILHAM Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Sep. 2019, curated by Enrico Stefanelli, founder and artistic director, Photolux Festival; Tom White, photographer; Charmaine Poh, artist; Hasnoor Hussain, photojournalist; Kong Yen Lin, curator
SUWON International Photo Festival, Suwon, South Korea, Sep. 2019, curated by Enrico Stefanelli, founder and artistic director, Photolux Festival; Tom White, photographer; Charmaine Poh, artist; Hasnoor Hussain, photojournalist; Kong Yen Lin, curator
Mt. Rokko International Photography Festival, Mirage Gallery, Kobe, Japan, Aug. 28 - Sep. 1, 2019, curated by Enrico Stefanelli, founder and artistic director, Photolux Festival; Tom White, photographer; Charmaine Poh, artist; Hasnoor Hussain, photojournalist; Kong Yen Lin, curator
CRIMINALIZE THIS!: The Social Policing of Gender and the Criminalization of Queerness, Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, upcoming Jul. 11-27, 2019, curated by Lorenzo Triburgo, multimedia artist
Auckland Festival of Photography, Jun. 1-10, 2019, Ellen Melville Centre, Auckland, New Zealand, curated by Enrico Stefanelli, founder and artistic director, Photolux Festival; Tom White, photographer; Charmaine Poh, artist; Hasnoor Hussain, photojournalist; Kong Yen Lin, curator
European Month of Photography Emerging Photographers, BERLIN BLUE art, Berlin, Oct. 26 - Nov. 3, 2018, curated by gallery founders Renata Kudlacek, Nele Ouwens, and Kama Jackowska
Art for Life Chicago, DIFFA Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, Venue West, Oct. 18, 2018, curated by Jef Borgeau, Director, Museum of New Art; Jessica Hopkins, Chief Curator, Museum of New Art; Bert Green, Owner, Bert Green Fine Art; Laura-Caroline Johnson, Collection and Exhibition Manager, DePaul Art Museum; Amy King, Curator, King Art Collective; Aron Packer, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers; Derek Roberts, Design Manager, Smithsonian Institution; Richard Bentham, Exhibit Manager, Smithsonian Institution; Jeremy Rothschild, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs; Catherine Shotick, Curator, Driehaus Museum; Doug Van Tress, President, Golden Triangle
On the Street (Fabrik Magazine), Photo Independent Art Fair, Los Angeles, Oct. 5 - 7, 2018, curated by Paul Bridgewater, Curator; Francis Coiro, Director, Iconix Art Group; Bert Green, Owner, Bert Green Fine Art; Sarah Lee, Curator; and Phil Tarley, Critic and Curator
Andy Warhol: Icon & Influence, Lubeznik Center for the Arts, Michigan City, IN, Jun. 9 - Oct. 13, 2018, curated by CarolAnn Brown, Exhibitions Curator
Bringing Sexy Back, Jackson Junge Gallery, Chicago, IL, May 11 - Jul. 1, 2018, curated by Chris Jackson, Gallery Director, and Kaitlyn Miller, Assistant Gallery Director
Premio Carlo Bonatto Minella Edition IV, Czech Centres, Prague, Mar. 29 - Apr. 20, 2018, curated by Karin Reisovà, President, Areacreativa42, and Petr Hayek, Director, Chemistry Gallery LA Art Show, Round Hole Square Peg 3, Bert Green Fine Arts booth, Los Angeles, CA, Jan. 10-14, 2018 and Long Hall in Plummer Park, West Hollywood, CA, Feb. 3- Mar. 17, 2018, juried by Laura Aguilar, Artist; Paul Bridgewater, Curator; Zackary Drucker, Artist; Bert Green, Curator; Robert Summers, Curator; and Phil Tarley, Curator
Premio Carlo Bonatto Minella Edition IV, Città di Torino, Artissima, Turin, Italy, Nov. 2017, juried by Karin Reisovà, President, Areacreativa42; Antonio D'Amico, Art Critic; Alberto Mattia Martini, Director, Accademia Laba; Blanca Soto, Director, Galeria Blanca Soto; Sarah Monk, Director, London Art Fair; Federico Pazzagli, Financial Director, Exibart; Pavel Kubesa, Curator and Director, NoD Gallery
The Curated Fridge, FlashPoint, Gallery Kayafas, Boston, MA, Oct. 18-27, 2017, juried by Brian Paul Clamp, Director, ClampArt Emerging Artists Auction, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, New York City, NY, July 21 - Aug. 4, 2017
Art Olympia 2017, Toshima Center Square, Tokyo, Japan, June 17 - 25, 2017, juried by Brett Littman, Executive Director, The Drawing Center; Kara Vander Weg, Director, Gagosian Gallery, NYC; Chu Teh-I, Founder and Director, Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts; Florence Derieux, Curator of American Art, Centre Pompidou Foundation; Simon Njami, independent curator and Co-Founder of Revue Noire
Gendered: An Inclusive Art Show, The Mint Museum Uptown, Charlotte, NC, June 16 - July 21, 2017, juried by photographers Kelli Connell, Ryan James Caruthers, and John Edmonds, and Carla Hanzal, Vice President of Public Art, Arts and Science Council
Strength & Beauty: The Women's Show, South x Southeast Photo Gallery, Molena, GA, May 5 - June 30, 2017, juried by Molly Roberts, Senior Photography Editor, National Geographic Magazine
Arte Laguna Prize 16.17, Nappe Arsenale Nord, Venice, Mar. 25 - Apr. 9, 2017, juried by Igor Zanti, Chief Curator, Arte Laguna, Flavio Arensi, Art Critic, Salvador Nadales, Curator of Photography, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Tamara Chalabi, Chair and Co-Founder of the Ruya Foundation, Paolo Colombo, Art Advisor, Istanbul Museum of Modern Art, Suad Garayeva, Curatorial Director, Yarat Contemporary Art Centre, Ilaria Gianni, Curator and Art Critic, Nav Haq, Senior Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Antwerp, Emanuele Montibeller, Artistic Director, Arte Sella, Fatos Ustek, Independent Curator, UK, and Alma Zevi, Curator and Art Critic.
Art for Life Chicago, DIFFA Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, Chicago, IL, Mar. 22, 2017, juried by Jerry Saltz, Senior Art Critic, New York Magazine; Carolann Brown, Exhibitions Curator, Lubeznik Center for the Arts; Tony Karman, President/Director, EXPO Chicago; Derek Roberts, Design Manager at the Smithsonian Institution; Richard Bentham, Design Manager at the Smithsonian Institution; Jessica Hopkins, Chief Curator, Museum of New Art; Jef Bourgeau, Director, Museum of New Art, and others.
Seduction, Jackson Junge Gallery, Chicago, IL, Jan. 27 - Mar. 5, 2017, juried by Chris Jackson and Laura Junge, Directors
Feminine/Masculine, PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, Jan. 12 - Feb. 7, 2017, juried by Zsolt Bátori, Director The GALA Awards, International Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography, Palazzo Italia, Berlin, Oct. 6-30, 2016 (European Month of Photography), juried by Laura Noble, Founder and Director, LA Noble Gallery, London, and Julio Hirsch-Hardy, Director and Chief Curator of the Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography and the Berlin Foto Biennale
FRESH! 2016: The Modern Portrait, JanKossen Contemporary, New York, NY, Jul. 7 - Aug. 13, 2016, juried by Jasmin Kossenjans, Director
Hannah Bacol Busch Gallery, Novus Conceptum, Apr. 9 - Sep. 30, 2016, as part of Houston Foto Fest 2016: Sixteenth International Biennial of Photography & Photo Related Art
Moscow International Foto Awards 2016, Honorable Mention, Na Kashirke Gallery, Moscow, July 20 - Aug. 7, 2016, juried by Tina Schelhorn, Curator, Galerie Lichtblick, Chris Davis, Art Director, Fabrik Magazine, Christophe Loviny, Artistic Director, Yangon Photo Festival, Hossein Farmani, Founder, Curator, The Lucie Awards, Robert Berman, Director, Berman Gallery, Michael Pritchard, Director-General, The Royal Photographic Society, Susan Spiritus, Director, Susan Spiritus Gallery, Tatiana Kurtanova, Director, FotoLoft, and others
Arte Laguna Prize 15.16, Arsenale of Venice, Italy, Mar. 19 - Apr. 3, 2016, juried by Igor Zanti, Chief Curator, Arte Laguna; Miguel Amado, Senior Curator, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art; Anna Bernardini, Director, Museum at Villa and Collezione Panza; Denis Curti, Director, Casa Dei Tre Oci and Capri Photography Festival; Vasili Tsereteli, Director, Moscow Museum of Modern Art; Sabrina Van Der Ley, Director, Contemporary Art, Nasjonalmuseet in Oslo, and others
Photographic Resource Center, Instantly Yours/Off the Fridge, Boston, MA, Jan. 21 - Feb. 21, 2016, juried by Bruce Myren, Photographer, and Yorgos Efthymiadis, Founder, The Curated Fridge
Boston LGBTQIA Artist Alliance, Makeover, Samson Projects, Boston, MA, Oct. 2 - Nov. 30, 2015, juried by Dylan Hurwitz, Director, BLAA, and Committee Members
Hannah Bacol Busch Gallery, The Art of Money, hosted by JP Morgan Chase, August 29, 2015
Boston Biennial 2015, Atlantic Works Gallery, Jul.-Aug., 2015, juried by the Biennial Project
Expressions Exhibition, Longford Art Photography, Cruthú Arts Festival, Ireland, July 23-26, 2015, juried by Shelley Corcoran, Program Director, Longford Arts Incubarte 7 International Art Festival, June 18-July 21, 2015, Valencia, Spain, juried by Javier Marisco, Festival Director
Photo Annual Awards, Teplice, Czech Republic, opening ceremony May 30, 2015, juried by Tomáš Pospiszyl, Former Curator, The National Gallery in Prague, Jiří Jaskmanický, Director, Czech Center of Photography, and Radek Burda, Editor-in-Chief, Art Photo Magazine ArtVenice 3, Via Garibaldi, Italy, May 4, 2015, Opening Week of The Venice Biennale 56, juried by the Biennial Project
Photo Annual Awards, Teplice, Czech Republic, opening ceremony May 31, 2014, juried by Tomáš Pospiszyl, Former Curator, The National Gallery in Prague, Jiří Jaskmanický, Director, Czech Center of Photography, and Radek Burda, Editor-in-Chief, Art Photo Magazine
Biennial Roadshow Marfa, El Cosmico, April 4, 2014, juried by the Biennial Project
Hannah Bacol Busch Gallery, Americana Vigor, as part of Houston Foto Fest 2014: Fifteenth International Biennial of Photography & Photo Related Art, Mar. - Oct. 2014
Photo Nights Boston, Photorama, Boston Center for the Arts, October 3, 2013, juried by Robert Klein, Director, Robert Klein Gallery
Panopticon Gallery, What I Did On My Summer Vacation, Sep. 2013 - Jan. 2014, juried by Jim Fitts, Founder, PhotoWeenie.com, and Anne DeVito, Co-Owner, Panopticon Gallery
The Bascom, American Art Today: Figures, Sep. 2013 - Jan. 2014, juried by Jonathan Stuhlman, Curator of American Art, Mint Museum of Art
Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Post-, Thesis Exhibition, May 2013
New York Photo Festival, SANDY: Devastation, Document, Drive, The POWERHOUSE Arena, Arena, Brooklyn, NY, Feb. - Mar. 2013 Arsenal Center for the Arts, 30 Under 30 Juried Exhibition, Sep. - Oct. 2012, juried by Kathy Halamka and Natacha Sochat, Directors and Co-Founders, NK Gallery, Boston Vermont Center for Photography, Street Exhibition, March 2012, juried by Joshua Farr, Gallery Director, Vermont Center for Photography
NK Gallery, Boston, MA, National Juried Exhibition, January 2012, juried by Kathy Halamka and Natacha Sochat, Directors and Co-Founders, NK Gallery
Kiernan Gallery, Lexington, VA, Street Stories Exhibition, Nov. - Dec. 2011, juried by Kat Kiernan, Founder and Director, Kiernan Gallery and Don't Take Pictures
Vermont Center for Photography, Low Tech / No Tech, Nov. - Dec. 2011, juried by Joshua Farr, Gallery Director, Vermont Center for Photography
Zullo Gallery, A Second Look: Selected Artists from the Juried Exhibition, Nov. 2011 - Jan. 2012, juried by William F. Pope, Executive Director, Zullo Gallery
Zullo Gallery, 17th Annual Juried Exhibition, Sep. - Nov. 2011, juried by William F. Pope, Executive Director, Zullo Gallery
Photographic Resource Center, Boston, MA, Silent Auction, October 15, 2011, juried by George Slade, Curator, Photographic Resource Center
Lincoln Arts Project Gallery, Fuck Yeah, America, July 2011, juried by Pat Falco and Elliot Anderson, Directors, Lincoln Arts Project
awards, fellowships, scholarships
2016 Stuart Abelson Graduate Research Fellowship Finalist, Athens Photo Festival 2015-2018 Finalist, Julia Margaret Cameron Award, 2014, 2015 Graduate Merit Award, Columbia College Chicago, 2014-2017 Anne Louise Barrett Fellowship, 2014-2015
art fairs
Photo London, 2021 Yakushima Photography Festival, Japan, 2020 Photo LA, 2020 PULSE Art Fair, Miami Beach, 2019 Satellite Art Show, New York City, 2019 Photolux Festival, Lucca, Italy, 2019 SUWON International Photo Festival, South Korea, 2019 Mt. Rokko International Photography Festival, Japan, 2019 Auckland Festival of Photography, New Zealand, 2019 European Month of Photography, Berlin, 2018 Photo Independent, Los Angeles, 2018 LA Art Show, 2018 Artissima, Turin, 2017 (participating space) FlashPoint Boston, 2017 International Biennial of Fine Art and Documentary Photography, Berlin, 2016 Houston Foto Fest 2016, 2014 (participating space) Cruthú Arts Festival, Ireland, 2015 Incubarte 7 International Art Festival, Valencia, 2015