Kara Rooney is an interdisciplinary artist and critic working in performance, sculpture and site-specific installation. Language is the driving force behind her work which aims to provide meaningful and distinct encounters between individuals through the creation of built environments, collaboration, poetry and movement. Recent exhibitions and performances include: Galeria Alfredo Ginnocchio, Mexico City, MX; Casul UNAM, Mexico City, MX; Fridman Gallery, NY; TOTAH, NY; Driscoll Babcock Gallery, NY; A.I.R. Gallery, NY; the Chelsea Art Museum, NY; the Montclair Art Museum, NJ; the Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey; and El Museo de la Ciudad de México, among others. Rooney is a grant recipient of the Jumex Foundation (2025), Foundation for Contemporary Arts (2020), the DUMBO Cultural Space Subsidy Program (2017 - 2020) and The Santo Foundation (2014).
In addition to her visual work, Rooney has held various positions as an art critic, visiting lecturer, and guest curator, most notably as Artseen Editor for The Brooklyn Rail from 2009 – 2016. Her critical writings have been published in Art in America, The Brooklyn Rail, Hyperallergic and M/E/A/N/I/N/G, as well as included in publications by David Zwirner Publishing, Whitechapel Gallery, London, and MIT Press. Rooney earned her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2009 where she serves as a longstanding faculty member and is a former adjunct professor at Rhode Island School of Design. She is the current curator and programming director of CLEA RSKY CDMX.
EDUCATION
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
M.F.A. in Art Criticism and Writing (2009)
Bates College, Lewiston, ME
B.A. in Studio Art, minor in Women’s Studies and Feminist theory (2001)
RESIDENCIES
2024 Galeria del Agua, Tlaxcala, MX
2018 Palazzo Monti, Brescia, Italy
2016 The MeetFactory, Prague, Czech Republic
2015 Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, Brooklyn, NY
2015 La Quinonera, Mexico City, MX
2013 David Wolfe Editions, Portland, ME
2012 In Perpetuum/Forever, Queens College Art Center, Queens, NY
2011 Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Kansas City, MO
2003 Lower East Side Printshop, Inc., New York, NY
2002 MassArt Artist in Residence Program, Bennington College, Bennington, VT
SOLO/TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS and PERFORMANCES
2023 Poesia en Accion, El Museo Anahuacalli, Mexico City, MX
2019 Trabajo de Sombra, Nestor Quinones y Kara Rooney, El Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX, MX
2018 As Above/So Below, Secret Dungeon Project, Brooklyn, NY
But For What's My Axis? Part 2. Desire, Fridman Gallery, New York, NY
2017 Group Motivation: Eve Ackroyd/Kara Rooney, Cindy Rucker Gallery, New York, NY
But For What's My Axis? Part 1. Empire, TOTAH, New York, NY
Run From the Shadows, HIT Galeria, Bratislava, Slovakia
2016 In Apogee, Berlinskej Model, Prague, Czech Republic
Translation (preklad), in collaboration with Martin Talaga, MeetFactory, Prague, Czech Republic
reVerb, in collaboration with Taryn Vander Hoop/Summation Dance, Fridman Gallery, New York, NY
2015 Trace/Matter, curated by Charlotta Kotik, FiveMyles Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2013 Soliloquies for Former Narcissistic Acts, Dow Center for Visual Arts, Interlochen, MI
2011 Monuments of Language, Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Kansas City, MO
2008 Artist of the Month, NJ State Council for the Arts, www.jerseyarts.com
2003 Young Artist Series, Edward Williams Gallery, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Hackensack, NJ
2003 Denouement, Ristra Gallery, Hoboken, NJ
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Romper el Agua: Artistas en Atltzayanca, Pinacoteca del Estado Desiderio H. Xochitiotzin, Tlaxcala, MX
Salon Acme No. 12, Mexico City, MX
Factoria de Nada, curated by Alratito Studio, Mexico City, MX
2024 Retorno a la Luz, curated by Juan Pablo Ramos, Galeria Alfredo Ginnocchio, Mexico City, MX
El Acto del Peso (Parte 1), curated by Anna Dusi, Casul Unam, Mexico City, MX
Flow 6, curated by Alvaro Verduzco and GPO Maxico for the Venice Biennale 2024, Venice, Italy
Bahia, PKB Galeria, Veracruz, Mexico
QIPO Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
2023 La Piedra en el Ojo, Proyecto Pikaro, Mexico City, MX
Punto de Inflexion, curated by Sofia Sanchez Borboa, Casa Eme, Mexico City, MX
QIPO Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
2022 Places of Freedom and Containment, curated by Charlotta Kotik, The Galleries at Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Metaforma, The Ant Project, Mexico City, MX
Expedicion al Presente, curated by Gabriela Quero, Articular MX, Mexico City, MX
CLAVO Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
Unidades Materiales, curated by David Eardley, Avant Dev Gallery, Mexico City, MX
Un Instante Entre Dos Tiempos, curated by Rebeca Murrieta, Punto Magnolia, Mexico City, MX
Currents, with essay by Ketter Weissman and Isaac Alpert, Big Window.org, New York, NY
2021 Nada descansa; todo se mueve; todo vibra, Proyectos Similia, La Quinonera, Mexico City, MX
CLAVO Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
Matter of Distance / Cuestion de Distancia, curated by Guadalupe Garcia, El Instituto Cultural de Mexico en Miami, Miami, FL
Good Bones, curated by Catherine Haggerty, ILikeYourWorkPodcast.com
2020 Transatlantico, MANA Contemporary, Newark, NJ
Re/Location, AS Artists Studios, New York, NY
La Feria de la Accion, Mexico City, MX
QIPO 02 Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
2019 2020 Flat File Program, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Brooklyn, NY
QIPO 01 Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
Away Message, Sweetpass Sculpture Park, Dallas, TX
2017 Occupy Mana: Artists Need to Create on the Same Scale that Society Has the Capacity to Destroy, Part 1, curated by Rail Curatorial Projects,
Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ
Politicizing Space, curated by Charlotta Kotik, Andrew and Anya Shiva Gallery, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY
Past Continuous, curated by Norm Paris and Jackie Hoving, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Cosmic Connections, TOTAH Gallery, New York, NY
Impressions of Karamay, Karamay Museum of Fine Arts, Karamay, Xinjiang, China
Time After Time, curated by Jaro Varga and Zuzana Jakalova, Kostka Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2015 Dipthong, curated by Gelah Penn and Stephen Maine, Shirley Fiterman Art Center, BMCC, New York, NY
Hand/Made:The Digital Age and the Industrial Revolution, Kleinert/James Center for the Arts, Woodstock, NY
Cuts Noon Light, Brian Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Making History, Arts in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY
2014 SELECT Art Fair, Gallery Sensei, Miami, FL
The Search, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
IN-SITE:The Intersection of Art and Architecture, Pierro Gallery, Orange, NJ
Milk and Night, Sensei Gallery, New York, NY
In Between Days, Driscoll Babcock Gallery, New York, NY
The Heroic Object, Parallel Art Space, Brooklyn, NY
The Last Brucennial, The Bruce High Quality Foundation, New York, NY
A 'WomanHouse' or Roaming House?, A Room of One's Own, Today, curated by Mira Schor, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Taking Pleasure, curated by Katherine Mojzsis, Bergen College Gallery, Paramus, NJ
Nation II: At the Alamo, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2013 Come Together: Surviving Sandy, Year I, curated by Phong Bui, Industry City, Brooklyn, NY
New York Bound: International Bookart Biennial, Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY
Communication Breakdown, HotWood Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY
Sideshow Nation, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Memphis Social, sponsored by Apexart, Memphis, TN
The (UN)FAIR, nAscent Art, New York, NY
2012 Constructed Ambiguity, City Without Walls (cWOW), Newark, NJ
Vertical Repose, Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, NJ
Discourse News, Friedrich Petzel Gallery, New York, NY
Soul Seekers: Interpreting the Icon, Trinity Museum, New York, NY
New Media: New Forms, Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ
In Perpetuum/Forever, Queens College Art Center, Queens, NY.
MIC:CHECK, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2011 Florence Biennale, Invitee, Florence, Italy
Chain Letter, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010 Text/Image, NJ Arts Guild, Rahway, NJ
Higher Ed, OK Hotel, Seattle, WA
2009 OCTET, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey
The Wassaic Project Summer Festival, Wassaic, NY
ArcheTime, Tank Space for Performing and Visual Arts, New York, NY
Tabula Rasa, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ
Small and Miniatures, Midday Gallery, Englewood, NJ
2008 Works on Paper, Cuchifritos Gallery, New York, NY
2007 The Feminine Mystique, Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, NJ
Imagining Ourselves: Beauty and Identity, The International Women’s Museum, San Francisco, CA
2006 Interpretations on Sensuality, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, NY
Glossolalia, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ
Persona: Personal &Public, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, NY
Night of 1000 Drawings, Artist’s Space, New York, NY
2005 Women Artists, Midday Gallery, Englewood, NJ
Postcards from the Edge, Visual Aids Foundation, New York, NY
2004 Decision Point, Midday Gallery, Englewood, NJ
Encaustic Works, Ristra Gallery, Hoboken, NJ
LECTURES
2025 Visiting Artist, Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland, OR
2024 Visiting Critic, Residency Unlimited, New York, NY
Guest Lecturer and Visiting critic, NYC Crit Club, New York, NY
2022 Guest Lecturer, SOMA, Mexico City, MX
Visiting Critic, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Guest Lecturer, Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Provincetown, MA
2021 Kara Rooney + Fausto Palma, Jamestown Art Center, Jamestown, RI
Visiting Critic, YellowChair Salon, M. David & Co., Brooklyn, NY
NY Crit Club, in collaboration with Yevgeniya Baras, New York, NY
2020 The ANT Project, in collaboration with DotFiftyOneGallery, Miami, FL
Visiting Critic, M. David & Co., Brooklyn, NY
2019 The Review Panel, hosted by ArtCritical, Brooklyn Library, NY
Visiting Critic, M. David & Co., Brooklyn, NY
2018 Visiting Critic, Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, PA
2016 Bad Girls and Brooklynites, The Review Panel, hosted by ArtCritical, Brooklyn Library, NY
Women Art Critics in the Age of the Internet, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
Art in the First Person series, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2015 A Community of M/E/A/N/I/N/G, Panel Discussion, Museum of Art & Design, NY
Visiting Critic, Hoffberger School of Painting, Baltimore, MD
Visiting Critic, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY
The Wolf I Feed, Panel Discussion, Brian Morris Gallery, New York, NY
2014 Upending the 20%, Discussion with Sue Scott, New York Academy, NY
Ephemeral, Unraveling History, Panel Discussion, Adelphi University, NY
Art Talk Series, Brooklyn Arts Space, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Taking Pleasure, Panel Discussion, Bergen College, Paramus, NJ
A Womanhouse or a Roaming House, A Room of One's Own, Today, Panel Discussion, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Thoughts on Joseph Beuys: A Conversation between Joan Waltemath and Kara L. Rooney, Joseph Beuys: Process 1971 - 1985, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
Visiting Critic, Hoffberger School of Painting, Baltimore, MD
2013 Visiting Artist Lecture, Art Forum Series, Montclair University, Montclair, NJ
2012 Constructed Ambiguity, Panel Discussion, City Without Walls, Newark, NJ
2009 The Shift in Consciousness: Orality to Literacy and Back Again, Stony Brook University, Philosophy and Art Graduate Conference, New York, NY
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2020 "Poesia en Accion," LOCAL, Mexico City, July 2020
2018 "Show of the Day: Group Motivation at Cindy Rucker Gallery," Artnet, January 2018
“Eve Ackroyd & Kara Rooney: Group Motivation,” by Kaitlyn Kramer, The Brooklyn Rail, Feb 2018
2017 “Run from the Shadows”, exhibition review, Galeria HIT, Slovakia, FlashArtMagazine, Issue No. 41
2016 "Blurred Boundaries and Other Connections," by Thomas Micchelli, Hyperallergic, October, 2016
“Reprising Postminimalism in 4 New York Shows: Gego, Nasreen Mohamedi, Ruth Hardinger and Kara Rooney,” by Roger Denson, The Huffington Post, April
“Highlights from the Sharpe-Walentas Open Studios,” ArtInfo, May 2016
2015 “Mining the Invisible” A Conversation with Sara Jimenez, ArtFile Magazine, Dec 2015
“The Presence of Absence: Three Artists at Brian Morris,” Hyperallergic, July 2015
“The Artist as Social Entrepreneur,” The Conversation Series by Brett Wallace, LinkedIn, June 2015
Interview with Gorky’s Granddaughter, March 2015, www.gorkysgranddaughter.com
2014 “Young Americans at Driscoll Babcock Gallery,” Artslant, August 2014
Interview with Disonare Magazine, www.disonare.tumblr.com
“A ‘Womanhouse’ or a Roaming House? A Room of One’s Own, Today,” The Brooklyn Rail, Feb 2014
“Mira Schor Investigates What The Home Means To Contemporary Women Artists,” The Huffington Post, January 2014
2012 “Finding Inspiration in a Borrowed Past,” The New York Times, June 2012
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
Shifter 25: Waiting, edited by Avram Alpert and Sreshta Rit Premnath, MIT Visual Arts Center, 2021
Tell Me Something Good: Artist Interviews from The Brooklyn Rail, Edited by Jarrett Earnest and Lucas Zwirner, David Zwirner Books, 2017
Materiality (Documents of Contemporary Art series) edited by Petra Lange-Berndt, co-published by Whitechapel Gallery, London and MIT Press, 2015
Luc Tuymans: On&By, published by Whitechapel Gallery, London and MIT Press, 2013
Infinite Instances: Studies and Images of Time, ed. Buzz Poole and Eli Stockwell
(Mark Batty Publisher, Inc.), 2012
M/E/A/N/I/N/G: 25th Anniversary Edition, edited by Susan Bee and Mira Schor, 2011
The Narrative (R)evolution: A Re-Writing of Ideas in the Interplay of Language, Art and Cyberspace (VDM Verlag Dr. Muller, Germany), 2010
PERFORMA 07: Everywhere and All at Once, ed. RoseLee Goldberg, JRP|Ringier, 2010
CATALOG ESSAYS
2022 "Heatwave," Heather Gwen Martin: Verse, published by Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY
2016 "Stephanie Bernheim: Marking Material," published by Andre Zarre Gallery, New York, NY
"Judy Rifka: Postpluralist," Judy Rifka: RETROactive, Jean-Paul Najar Foundation, Dubai
2014 "Process and the Art of Joseph Beuys," Joseph Beuys: Process 1971 - 1985, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
"A Magnificent Obsession," Joann Gedney: Magnificent Obsession, Rox Gallery, New York, NY
2013 “Emissions: Images from the Mixing Layer,” curated by Ruth Hardinger and Rebecca Smith, Cooper Union Gallery, NY
“The Edge of Periphery,” The Works of Jan Sawka, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ
“Silent Speech and Pulp Avowel,” Paper Goods, Susan Eley Fine Art, New York, NY
2012 “Fictitious Truths: Exercises in Realism,” Fictitious Truths, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
“Glitter or Gold?,” Soul Seekers: Interpreting the Icon, Trinity Museum, New York, NY
2011 “A Game of Faith,” Truc-Anh: CROIRE/DOUTER, Gallerie Quynh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
“Til Birth Do Us Part,” Vered Sivan, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
2009 “Anti-heroism and the Substance of Cool,” Andrew Leo Baron: Real Cool Time, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ, 2009
SELECT CRITICAL WRITING
2016 "Mel Bochner and Alighiero Boetti: Verba Volant Scripta Manent," The Brooklyn Rail, April 2016
"Letter from Cairo. Ibrahim Ahmed: Pressing Fallacies," The Brooklyn Rail, February 2016
2015 "Echo at the Margins: Mapplethorpe +25", The Brooklyn Rail, Dec/Jan 2015
"In Conversation: Sara Reisman with Kara Rooney," The Brooklyn Rail, October 2015
"Barbara Takenaga: Nebraska," The Brooklyn Rail, September 2015
"Leon Golub: Riot," The Brooklyn Rail, June 2015
"Martha Wilson: Downtown," The Brooklyn Rail, May 2015
"Labor Intensity: A conversation with Ursula von Rydingsvard and Claudia Comte," The Brooklyn Rail, March 2015
2014 "Leveling the Playing Field: A Woman's Market," Whitehot Magazine, Dec 2014
"A Feminist Response: Gender Games and the Art Machine," The Brooklyn Rail, Sept 2014
"Jeff Koons: A Retrospective," The Brooklyn Rail, July/Aug 2014
"Kara Rooney in Conversation with Kara Walker," The Brooklyn Rail, May 2014
"Report from Mexico City," The Brooklyn Rail, May 2014
"Brian O'Doherty: Connecting The...", review of works at Simone Subal and P! Galleries, The Brooklyn Rail, April 2014
"Alfredo Gisholt: Canto General," review of works at the CUE Foundation, The Brooklyn Rail, March, 2014
"Woong Kim," review of works at Richard Henry Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail, Feb 2014
2013 “The Summer is Over,” a Q+A with Luc Tuymans, Art in America online
“Rita Ackermann’s Blue Period,” review of works at Hauser & Wirth, Art in America online
“Art as Citizen: A Conversation with Creative Time Reports,” The Brooklyn Rail
“Winning the Race: Ken Price Drawings,” review of Ken Price at The Drawing Center, Art in America online
“do it (outside),” review of works at Socrates Sculpture Park, The Brooklyn Rail
“Joan Waltemath: The Dinwoodies,” review of works at Schema Projects, The Brooklyn Rail
“James Turrell,” review of works at the Guggenheim Museum, The Brooklyn Rail
“Aldo Tambellini: We Are the Primitives of a New Era,” review of works at James Cohan Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail
2012 “Shedding the Second Head,” an interview with Saya Woolfalk, Hyperallergic.com
“The escape from the banal everyday life to the world of the real,” review of works at NURTUREart, The Brooklyn Rail
“Riot is the Language of the Unheard,” review of speech acts at Cooper Union, The Brooklyn Rail
“Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller: The Murder of Crows,” review of works at the Park Avenue Armory, The Brooklyn Rail
“Fresh For(u)ms: Garden Party/Arts,” review of the Brooklyn based project, GP/A, The Brooklyn Rail
“Kara Rooney in Conversation with Jim Leedy,” interview with artist Jim Leedy, The Brooklyn Rail
“Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg: The Parade,” review of works at New Museum, The Brooklyn Rail
“A Letter on the Subject of Ritual,” The Brooklyn Rail
“Eyes on the Edge: A Studio Visit with Franklin Evans,” Review of works at Sue Scott Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail
2011 “Dana Schutz: If the Face Had Wheels,” Review of works at the Neuberger Museum, Brooklyn Rail
“Katharina Grosse: One Floor Up More Highly,” Review of works at Mass MoCA, The Brooklyn Rail
“Nicola Tyson,” Review of works at Friedrich Petzel Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail, October
“Mary Ann Unger: Geometry,” Review of works at Maxwell Davidson Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail
“David Wojnarowicz: Spirituality,” Review of works at PPOW Gallery, Brooklyn Rail
“Winter @ The Kitchen,” Review of works at The Kitchen, The Brooklyn Rail
“The Slow Ascent: Death and Resurrection of the Art Fair,” The Brooklyn Rail
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2024 Pablo Arellano, Florescencia, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Mariana Parisca, Potencias de Diez: Sobre la Riqueza de las Naciones, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Christian Becerra: Todo lo Sagrado se Profana, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Renato Ornelas: Rara Avis, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
2023 Enrique Minjares Padilla: Grey-Things From Mexico, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Natalia Gaia: Fuego En El Ghetto (8'37"), CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
An Hour is Not An Hour: Cuando llueve me dan so se que las estatuas, 1979, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Marcos Castro: El Ultimo Vuelo de la Cumbancha, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Valentina Diaz: Una Imagen Formada Por La Descomposicion de la Palabra Que Nombra La Imagen, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
2022 Alfonso Zarate: Reinterpretar Todo Lo Que Creamos Saber, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Galia Eibenschutz: 719 Pasos, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Lucia Hinojosa: Oscila Sonora/Cables Acrosticos, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Alvaro Verduzco: Inter/Active, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Cerrucha: El Arte Es Trabajo, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Andrea Bores: Norte Oriente / Sur Poniente, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
2017 Triad: Yevgeniya Baras, Mike Cloud, Zachary Wollard, FiveMyles Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2014 Joseph Beuys: Process 1971-1985, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
2013 A ≠ A, Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, NJ
Paper Goods, Susan Eley Fine Art, New York, NY
2012 Fictitious Truths: Exercises in Realism, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
MATERIAL TAK, Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, NJ
Kylla Kylla, Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, NJ
AWARDS
2025 Jumex Foundation, Mexico City, MX
2020 FCA Emergency Grant, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, New York, NY
2017 DUMBO Cultural Space Subsidy Program recipient, Two Trees, NY
2015 Smackmellon Hot Picks Artist, Smackmellon.org
2014 Individual Artist Grant recipient, The Santo Foundation
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE
Curator and Programming Director, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Editor Emeritus/Contributing Critic, The Brooklyn Rail, Brooklyn, NY
Faculty, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY; Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
In addition to her visual work, Rooney has held various positions as an art critic, visiting lecturer, and guest curator, most notably as Artseen Editor for The Brooklyn Rail from 2009 – 2016. Her critical writings have been published in Art in America, The Brooklyn Rail, Hyperallergic and M/E/A/N/I/N/G, as well as included in publications by David Zwirner Publishing, Whitechapel Gallery, London, and MIT Press. Rooney earned her MFA from the School of Visual Arts in 2009 where she serves as a longstanding faculty member and is a former adjunct professor at Rhode Island School of Design. She is the current curator and programming director of CLEA RSKY CDMX.
EDUCATION
School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
M.F.A. in Art Criticism and Writing (2009)
Bates College, Lewiston, ME
B.A. in Studio Art, minor in Women’s Studies and Feminist theory (2001)
RESIDENCIES
2024 Galeria del Agua, Tlaxcala, MX
2018 Palazzo Monti, Brescia, Italy
2016 The MeetFactory, Prague, Czech Republic
2015 Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program, Brooklyn, NY
2015 La Quinonera, Mexico City, MX
2013 David Wolfe Editions, Portland, ME
2012 In Perpetuum/Forever, Queens College Art Center, Queens, NY
2011 Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Kansas City, MO
2003 Lower East Side Printshop, Inc., New York, NY
2002 MassArt Artist in Residence Program, Bennington College, Bennington, VT
SOLO/TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS and PERFORMANCES
2023 Poesia en Accion, El Museo Anahuacalli, Mexico City, MX
2019 Trabajo de Sombra, Nestor Quinones y Kara Rooney, El Museo de la Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX, MX
2018 As Above/So Below, Secret Dungeon Project, Brooklyn, NY
But For What's My Axis? Part 2. Desire, Fridman Gallery, New York, NY
2017 Group Motivation: Eve Ackroyd/Kara Rooney, Cindy Rucker Gallery, New York, NY
But For What's My Axis? Part 1. Empire, TOTAH, New York, NY
Run From the Shadows, HIT Galeria, Bratislava, Slovakia
2016 In Apogee, Berlinskej Model, Prague, Czech Republic
Translation (preklad), in collaboration with Martin Talaga, MeetFactory, Prague, Czech Republic
reVerb, in collaboration with Taryn Vander Hoop/Summation Dance, Fridman Gallery, New York, NY
2015 Trace/Matter, curated by Charlotta Kotik, FiveMyles Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2013 Soliloquies for Former Narcissistic Acts, Dow Center for Visual Arts, Interlochen, MI
2011 Monuments of Language, Leedy-Voulkos Art Center, Kansas City, MO
2008 Artist of the Month, NJ State Council for the Arts, www.jerseyarts.com
2003 Young Artist Series, Edward Williams Gallery, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Hackensack, NJ
2003 Denouement, Ristra Gallery, Hoboken, NJ
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 Romper el Agua: Artistas en Atltzayanca, Pinacoteca del Estado Desiderio H. Xochitiotzin, Tlaxcala, MX
Salon Acme No. 12, Mexico City, MX
Factoria de Nada, curated by Alratito Studio, Mexico City, MX
2024 Retorno a la Luz, curated by Juan Pablo Ramos, Galeria Alfredo Ginnocchio, Mexico City, MX
El Acto del Peso (Parte 1), curated by Anna Dusi, Casul Unam, Mexico City, MX
Flow 6, curated by Alvaro Verduzco and GPO Maxico for the Venice Biennale 2024, Venice, Italy
Bahia, PKB Galeria, Veracruz, Mexico
QIPO Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
2023 La Piedra en el Ojo, Proyecto Pikaro, Mexico City, MX
Punto de Inflexion, curated by Sofia Sanchez Borboa, Casa Eme, Mexico City, MX
QIPO Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
2022 Places of Freedom and Containment, curated by Charlotta Kotik, The Galleries at Moore College of Art, Philadelphia, PA
Metaforma, The Ant Project, Mexico City, MX
Expedicion al Presente, curated by Gabriela Quero, Articular MX, Mexico City, MX
CLAVO Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
Unidades Materiales, curated by David Eardley, Avant Dev Gallery, Mexico City, MX
Un Instante Entre Dos Tiempos, curated by Rebeca Murrieta, Punto Magnolia, Mexico City, MX
Currents, with essay by Ketter Weissman and Isaac Alpert, Big Window.org, New York, NY
2021 Nada descansa; todo se mueve; todo vibra, Proyectos Similia, La Quinonera, Mexico City, MX
CLAVO Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
Matter of Distance / Cuestion de Distancia, curated by Guadalupe Garcia, El Instituto Cultural de Mexico en Miami, Miami, FL
Good Bones, curated by Catherine Haggerty, ILikeYourWorkPodcast.com
2020 Transatlantico, MANA Contemporary, Newark, NJ
Re/Location, AS Artists Studios, New York, NY
La Feria de la Accion, Mexico City, MX
QIPO 02 Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
2019 2020 Flat File Program, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Brooklyn, NY
QIPO 01 Art Fair, Mexico City, MX
Away Message, Sweetpass Sculpture Park, Dallas, TX
2017 Occupy Mana: Artists Need to Create on the Same Scale that Society Has the Capacity to Destroy, Part 1, curated by Rail Curatorial Projects,
Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ
Politicizing Space, curated by Charlotta Kotik, Andrew and Anya Shiva Gallery, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY
Past Continuous, curated by Norm Paris and Jackie Hoving, Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Cosmic Connections, TOTAH Gallery, New York, NY
Impressions of Karamay, Karamay Museum of Fine Arts, Karamay, Xinjiang, China
Time After Time, curated by Jaro Varga and Zuzana Jakalova, Kostka Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic
2015 Dipthong, curated by Gelah Penn and Stephen Maine, Shirley Fiterman Art Center, BMCC, New York, NY
Hand/Made:The Digital Age and the Industrial Revolution, Kleinert/James Center for the Arts, Woodstock, NY
Cuts Noon Light, Brian Morris Gallery, New York, NY
Making History, Arts in Bushwick, Brooklyn, NY
2014 SELECT Art Fair, Gallery Sensei, Miami, FL
The Search, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
IN-SITE:The Intersection of Art and Architecture, Pierro Gallery, Orange, NJ
Milk and Night, Sensei Gallery, New York, NY
In Between Days, Driscoll Babcock Gallery, New York, NY
The Heroic Object, Parallel Art Space, Brooklyn, NY
The Last Brucennial, The Bruce High Quality Foundation, New York, NY
A 'WomanHouse' or Roaming House?, A Room of One's Own, Today, curated by Mira Schor, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Taking Pleasure, curated by Katherine Mojzsis, Bergen College Gallery, Paramus, NJ
Nation II: At the Alamo, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2013 Come Together: Surviving Sandy, Year I, curated by Phong Bui, Industry City, Brooklyn, NY
New York Bound: International Bookart Biennial, Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY
Communication Breakdown, HotWood Arts Center, Brooklyn, NY
Sideshow Nation, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Memphis Social, sponsored by Apexart, Memphis, TN
The (UN)FAIR, nAscent Art, New York, NY
2012 Constructed Ambiguity, City Without Walls (cWOW), Newark, NJ
Vertical Repose, Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, NJ
Discourse News, Friedrich Petzel Gallery, New York, NY
Soul Seekers: Interpreting the Icon, Trinity Museum, New York, NY
New Media: New Forms, Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ
In Perpetuum/Forever, Queens College Art Center, Queens, NY.
MIC:CHECK, Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2011 Florence Biennale, Invitee, Florence, Italy
Chain Letter, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2010 Text/Image, NJ Arts Guild, Rahway, NJ
Higher Ed, OK Hotel, Seattle, WA
2009 OCTET, Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey
The Wassaic Project Summer Festival, Wassaic, NY
ArcheTime, Tank Space for Performing and Visual Arts, New York, NY
Tabula Rasa, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ
Small and Miniatures, Midday Gallery, Englewood, NJ
2008 Works on Paper, Cuchifritos Gallery, New York, NY
2007 The Feminine Mystique, Jersey City Museum, Jersey City, NJ
Imagining Ourselves: Beauty and Identity, The International Women’s Museum, San Francisco, CA
2006 Interpretations on Sensuality, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, NY
Glossolalia, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ
Persona: Personal &Public, Visual Arts Gallery, New York, NY
Night of 1000 Drawings, Artist’s Space, New York, NY
2005 Women Artists, Midday Gallery, Englewood, NJ
Postcards from the Edge, Visual Aids Foundation, New York, NY
2004 Decision Point, Midday Gallery, Englewood, NJ
Encaustic Works, Ristra Gallery, Hoboken, NJ
LECTURES
2025 Visiting Artist, Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland, OR
2024 Visiting Critic, Residency Unlimited, New York, NY
Guest Lecturer and Visiting critic, NYC Crit Club, New York, NY
2022 Guest Lecturer, SOMA, Mexico City, MX
Visiting Critic, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Guest Lecturer, Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill, Provincetown, MA
2021 Kara Rooney + Fausto Palma, Jamestown Art Center, Jamestown, RI
Visiting Critic, YellowChair Salon, M. David & Co., Brooklyn, NY
NY Crit Club, in collaboration with Yevgeniya Baras, New York, NY
2020 The ANT Project, in collaboration with DotFiftyOneGallery, Miami, FL
Visiting Critic, M. David & Co., Brooklyn, NY
2019 The Review Panel, hosted by ArtCritical, Brooklyn Library, NY
Visiting Critic, M. David & Co., Brooklyn, NY
2018 Visiting Critic, Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, PA
2016 Bad Girls and Brooklynites, The Review Panel, hosted by ArtCritical, Brooklyn Library, NY
Women Art Critics in the Age of the Internet, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
Art in the First Person series, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
2015 A Community of M/E/A/N/I/N/G, Panel Discussion, Museum of Art & Design, NY
Visiting Critic, Hoffberger School of Painting, Baltimore, MD
Visiting Critic, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY
The Wolf I Feed, Panel Discussion, Brian Morris Gallery, New York, NY
2014 Upending the 20%, Discussion with Sue Scott, New York Academy, NY
Ephemeral, Unraveling History, Panel Discussion, Adelphi University, NY
Art Talk Series, Brooklyn Arts Space, Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Taking Pleasure, Panel Discussion, Bergen College, Paramus, NJ
A Womanhouse or a Roaming House, A Room of One's Own, Today, Panel Discussion, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Thoughts on Joseph Beuys: A Conversation between Joan Waltemath and Kara L. Rooney, Joseph Beuys: Process 1971 - 1985, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
Visiting Critic, Hoffberger School of Painting, Baltimore, MD
2013 Visiting Artist Lecture, Art Forum Series, Montclair University, Montclair, NJ
2012 Constructed Ambiguity, Panel Discussion, City Without Walls, Newark, NJ
2009 The Shift in Consciousness: Orality to Literacy and Back Again, Stony Brook University, Philosophy and Art Graduate Conference, New York, NY
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
2020 "Poesia en Accion," LOCAL, Mexico City, July 2020
2018 "Show of the Day: Group Motivation at Cindy Rucker Gallery," Artnet, January 2018
“Eve Ackroyd & Kara Rooney: Group Motivation,” by Kaitlyn Kramer, The Brooklyn Rail, Feb 2018
2017 “Run from the Shadows”, exhibition review, Galeria HIT, Slovakia, FlashArtMagazine, Issue No. 41
2016 "Blurred Boundaries and Other Connections," by Thomas Micchelli, Hyperallergic, October, 2016
“Reprising Postminimalism in 4 New York Shows: Gego, Nasreen Mohamedi, Ruth Hardinger and Kara Rooney,” by Roger Denson, The Huffington Post, April
“Highlights from the Sharpe-Walentas Open Studios,” ArtInfo, May 2016
2015 “Mining the Invisible” A Conversation with Sara Jimenez, ArtFile Magazine, Dec 2015
“The Presence of Absence: Three Artists at Brian Morris,” Hyperallergic, July 2015
“The Artist as Social Entrepreneur,” The Conversation Series by Brett Wallace, LinkedIn, June 2015
Interview with Gorky’s Granddaughter, March 2015, www.gorkysgranddaughter.com
2014 “Young Americans at Driscoll Babcock Gallery,” Artslant, August 2014
Interview with Disonare Magazine, www.disonare.tumblr.com
“A ‘Womanhouse’ or a Roaming House? A Room of One’s Own, Today,” The Brooklyn Rail, Feb 2014
“Mira Schor Investigates What The Home Means To Contemporary Women Artists,” The Huffington Post, January 2014
2012 “Finding Inspiration in a Borrowed Past,” The New York Times, June 2012
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
Shifter 25: Waiting, edited by Avram Alpert and Sreshta Rit Premnath, MIT Visual Arts Center, 2021
Tell Me Something Good: Artist Interviews from The Brooklyn Rail, Edited by Jarrett Earnest and Lucas Zwirner, David Zwirner Books, 2017
Materiality (Documents of Contemporary Art series) edited by Petra Lange-Berndt, co-published by Whitechapel Gallery, London and MIT Press, 2015
Luc Tuymans: On&By, published by Whitechapel Gallery, London and MIT Press, 2013
Infinite Instances: Studies and Images of Time, ed. Buzz Poole and Eli Stockwell
(Mark Batty Publisher, Inc.), 2012
M/E/A/N/I/N/G: 25th Anniversary Edition, edited by Susan Bee and Mira Schor, 2011
The Narrative (R)evolution: A Re-Writing of Ideas in the Interplay of Language, Art and Cyberspace (VDM Verlag Dr. Muller, Germany), 2010
PERFORMA 07: Everywhere and All at Once, ed. RoseLee Goldberg, JRP|Ringier, 2010
CATALOG ESSAYS
2022 "Heatwave," Heather Gwen Martin: Verse, published by Miles McEnery Gallery, New York, NY
2016 "Stephanie Bernheim: Marking Material," published by Andre Zarre Gallery, New York, NY
"Judy Rifka: Postpluralist," Judy Rifka: RETROactive, Jean-Paul Najar Foundation, Dubai
2014 "Process and the Art of Joseph Beuys," Joseph Beuys: Process 1971 - 1985, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
"A Magnificent Obsession," Joann Gedney: Magnificent Obsession, Rox Gallery, New York, NY
2013 “Emissions: Images from the Mixing Layer,” curated by Ruth Hardinger and Rebecca Smith, Cooper Union Gallery, NY
“The Edge of Periphery,” The Works of Jan Sawka, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ
“Silent Speech and Pulp Avowel,” Paper Goods, Susan Eley Fine Art, New York, NY
2012 “Fictitious Truths: Exercises in Realism,” Fictitious Truths, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
“Glitter or Gold?,” Soul Seekers: Interpreting the Icon, Trinity Museum, New York, NY
2011 “A Game of Faith,” Truc-Anh: CROIRE/DOUTER, Gallerie Quynh, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
“Til Birth Do Us Part,” Vered Sivan, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
2009 “Anti-heroism and the Substance of Cool,” Andrew Leo Baron: Real Cool Time, Gallery Aferro, Newark, NJ, 2009
SELECT CRITICAL WRITING
2016 "Mel Bochner and Alighiero Boetti: Verba Volant Scripta Manent," The Brooklyn Rail, April 2016
"Letter from Cairo. Ibrahim Ahmed: Pressing Fallacies," The Brooklyn Rail, February 2016
2015 "Echo at the Margins: Mapplethorpe +25", The Brooklyn Rail, Dec/Jan 2015
"In Conversation: Sara Reisman with Kara Rooney," The Brooklyn Rail, October 2015
"Barbara Takenaga: Nebraska," The Brooklyn Rail, September 2015
"Leon Golub: Riot," The Brooklyn Rail, June 2015
"Martha Wilson: Downtown," The Brooklyn Rail, May 2015
"Labor Intensity: A conversation with Ursula von Rydingsvard and Claudia Comte," The Brooklyn Rail, March 2015
2014 "Leveling the Playing Field: A Woman's Market," Whitehot Magazine, Dec 2014
"A Feminist Response: Gender Games and the Art Machine," The Brooklyn Rail, Sept 2014
"Jeff Koons: A Retrospective," The Brooklyn Rail, July/Aug 2014
"Kara Rooney in Conversation with Kara Walker," The Brooklyn Rail, May 2014
"Report from Mexico City," The Brooklyn Rail, May 2014
"Brian O'Doherty: Connecting The...", review of works at Simone Subal and P! Galleries, The Brooklyn Rail, April 2014
"Alfredo Gisholt: Canto General," review of works at the CUE Foundation, The Brooklyn Rail, March, 2014
"Woong Kim," review of works at Richard Henry Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail, Feb 2014
2013 “The Summer is Over,” a Q+A with Luc Tuymans, Art in America online
“Rita Ackermann’s Blue Period,” review of works at Hauser & Wirth, Art in America online
“Art as Citizen: A Conversation with Creative Time Reports,” The Brooklyn Rail
“Winning the Race: Ken Price Drawings,” review of Ken Price at The Drawing Center, Art in America online
“do it (outside),” review of works at Socrates Sculpture Park, The Brooklyn Rail
“Joan Waltemath: The Dinwoodies,” review of works at Schema Projects, The Brooklyn Rail
“James Turrell,” review of works at the Guggenheim Museum, The Brooklyn Rail
“Aldo Tambellini: We Are the Primitives of a New Era,” review of works at James Cohan Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail
2012 “Shedding the Second Head,” an interview with Saya Woolfalk, Hyperallergic.com
“The escape from the banal everyday life to the world of the real,” review of works at NURTUREart, The Brooklyn Rail
“Riot is the Language of the Unheard,” review of speech acts at Cooper Union, The Brooklyn Rail
“Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller: The Murder of Crows,” review of works at the Park Avenue Armory, The Brooklyn Rail
“Fresh For(u)ms: Garden Party/Arts,” review of the Brooklyn based project, GP/A, The Brooklyn Rail
“Kara Rooney in Conversation with Jim Leedy,” interview with artist Jim Leedy, The Brooklyn Rail
“Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg: The Parade,” review of works at New Museum, The Brooklyn Rail
“A Letter on the Subject of Ritual,” The Brooklyn Rail
“Eyes on the Edge: A Studio Visit with Franklin Evans,” Review of works at Sue Scott Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail
2011 “Dana Schutz: If the Face Had Wheels,” Review of works at the Neuberger Museum, Brooklyn Rail
“Katharina Grosse: One Floor Up More Highly,” Review of works at Mass MoCA, The Brooklyn Rail
“Nicola Tyson,” Review of works at Friedrich Petzel Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail, October
“Mary Ann Unger: Geometry,” Review of works at Maxwell Davidson Gallery, The Brooklyn Rail
“David Wojnarowicz: Spirituality,” Review of works at PPOW Gallery, Brooklyn Rail
“Winter @ The Kitchen,” Review of works at The Kitchen, The Brooklyn Rail
“The Slow Ascent: Death and Resurrection of the Art Fair,” The Brooklyn Rail
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2024 Pablo Arellano, Florescencia, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Mariana Parisca, Potencias de Diez: Sobre la Riqueza de las Naciones, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Christian Becerra: Todo lo Sagrado se Profana, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Renato Ornelas: Rara Avis, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
2023 Enrique Minjares Padilla: Grey-Things From Mexico, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Natalia Gaia: Fuego En El Ghetto (8'37"), CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
An Hour is Not An Hour: Cuando llueve me dan so se que las estatuas, 1979, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Marcos Castro: El Ultimo Vuelo de la Cumbancha, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Valentina Diaz: Una Imagen Formada Por La Descomposicion de la Palabra Que Nombra La Imagen, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
2022 Alfonso Zarate: Reinterpretar Todo Lo Que Creamos Saber, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Galia Eibenschutz: 719 Pasos, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Lucia Hinojosa: Oscila Sonora/Cables Acrosticos, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Alvaro Verduzco: Inter/Active, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Cerrucha: El Arte Es Trabajo, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Andrea Bores: Norte Oriente / Sur Poniente, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
2017 Triad: Yevgeniya Baras, Mike Cloud, Zachary Wollard, FiveMyles Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2014 Joseph Beuys: Process 1971-1985, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
2013 A ≠ A, Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, NJ
Paper Goods, Susan Eley Fine Art, New York, NY
2012 Fictitious Truths: Exercises in Realism, Rooster Gallery, New York, NY
MATERIAL TAK, Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, NJ
Kylla Kylla, Panepinto Galleries, Jersey City, NJ
AWARDS
2025 Jumex Foundation, Mexico City, MX
2020 FCA Emergency Grant, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, New York, NY
2017 DUMBO Cultural Space Subsidy Program recipient, Two Trees, NY
2015 Smackmellon Hot Picks Artist, Smackmellon.org
2014 Individual Artist Grant recipient, The Santo Foundation
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS/RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE
Curator and Programming Director, CLEA RSKY CDMX, Mexico City, MX
Editor Emeritus/Contributing Critic, The Brooklyn Rail, Brooklyn, NY
Faculty, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY; Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI
