Robyn
Farrell

Since joining the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013, Associate Curator Robyn Farrell has made distinguished contributions to the Modern and Contemporary Art collection and exhibition program, including her exhibition with Barbara Kruger, THINKING OF YOU. I MEAN ME. I MEAN YOU., in September 2021 (co-curated with James Rondeau). Her research interests include conceptual art and the moving image, emerging disciplines of media art, artist networks, and the history of exhibition and distribution of film and video. Farrell is an internationally recognized scholar on the work of German filmmaker and video art pioneer Gerry Schum, including his landmark art on television broadcasts such as Land Art (1969). She has contributed to numerous publications and artist monographs, and has spoken widely on time-based media art at the College Art Association Annual Conference, the University of Chicago, the Graham Foundation, New York University, Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), and the Herbert Foundation, among others. 

Farrell is a visiting lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, moderator for the Screen to Screen series at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and is currently serving as co-editor of the forthcoming first issue of the museum’s digital journal, Art Institute Review (with Delinda Collier). Previously, she was Curatorial Assistant (2013-2016) and Assistant Curator (2017-2020) in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, and served on the curatorial teams for Kara Walker: Rise Up Ye Mighty Race! (2013), Amar Kanwar: The Lightning Testimonies (2013), Bridget Riley (2014), Frances Stark: Intimism (2015), Kemang Wa Lehulere: In All My Wildest Dreams (2016), Zhang Peili: Record. Repeat (2017), Andy Warhol--From A to B and Back Again (2019), and organized projects with Mariko Mori (2015), Andrea Fraser (2016), Dennis Oppenheim (2016) Rodney McMillian (2017), Martine Syms (2018), Cauleen Smith (2018), Naeem Mohaiemen (co-organized with Hendrik Folkerts; 2019), and the Chicago presentation of Gregg Bordowitz: I Wanna Be Well (co-curated with Solveig Nelson in 2019). Farrell earned her master’s degree in Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.