EDUCATION
1991-1994 Bachelor of Fine Arts, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York, NY
1989-1991 Bachelor Program, School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
RESIDENCIES
2017 Private Residency, St. Augustine, FL
2010 Landmarks, The University of Texas, Austin, TX
2008 David Ellis-Flyway, Theory Icon Project, New York, NY
2008 The Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA
2004 Smack Mellon Residency, Brooklyn NY
AWARDS
2011 New York 2011 PULSE Prize, New York, NY
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
The Margulies Collection
The Deutsche Bank Collection
Saatchi Collection
Times Square Alliance
Hadley Martin Fisher Collection
SELECTED COMMISSIONS
2023 Passage, Johnathan Blake, Blue Note Records
2022 Nobu Restaurant, Sensei Porcupine Creek, Rancho Mirage, California
2021 Recollection Remix, Neuehouse, NY
2020 Flow Mural, Le Meridian Hotel, California
2018 Flow, Four Seasons Hotel Lanai, Lanai, Hawaii
2014 Inside / Outside Confucius by Yusense Hotel Atrium, Taipei City, Taiwan
2012 PST by Two Trees Management Co, DUMBO Improvement District, and NYCDOT
2002 The Number 9, The Letter O, and Zero (three individual shorts) by Sesame Street
2006 Bound by Savannah College of Art and Design
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Broken Glass Everywhere, Babel, New York, NY
2019 Animal at The University of Texas at Austin, Landmarks, TX
2017 Animal at Amon Carter Museum of American Art, TX
2015 Spirit Animal at Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2013 Hudson River Alley at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
2012 Go West curated by Joshua Liner Gallery at Mark Moore Gallery, Culver City, CA
2011 True Value at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
PULSE New York with Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
Mola Salsa at New Image Art, Los Angeles. CA
2009 Constant Flow at New Image Art, Los Angeles, CA
Oxblood at Webb’s, Auckland, New Zealand
2008 Hopewell (Walter Gropius Series), curated by Cate Hammond at Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV
Uh-oh, curated by Christian Strike at Country Club, Cincinnati, OH
Dozens at Roebling Hall, New York, NY
2006 Dawn’s Early Light, curated by Matthew Mascotte at Red Gallery, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA.
Motion Paintings at Zoller Gallery, Penn State University, Philadelphia, PA
Conversation at Rice University Gallery, Houston, TX
2005 Orchestrion at Jessica Murray Projects, New York, NY
2004 Boars Head/ Wars Head at Lump Gallery, Raleigh, NC
Beat Box/ A Painting is a Drum at 222 Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2003 Request Line at Agnes B. Homme, New York, NY
2002 Like the Motion of Water at Jessica Murray Projects, Brooklyn, NY
David Ellis at Korn Gallery, Drew University, Madison, NJ
Paint on Trucks in a World in Need of Love at Tidal, Osaka, Japan
Roots, Branches, and Leaves at Gas/ Dyezu Experiment, Tokyo, Japan
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020
Composer, Pellas Gallery, Boston, MA
2019
Favorite Artist’s Favorite Artist II Exhibition, Joshua Liner Gallery, NY
2018
Recollected Forms curated by Joshua Liner Gallery, NY
KMAC Kentucky Museum of Arts and Crafts, KY
Miami Basel with Joshua Liner Gallery, Miami, FL
2017
40th Anniversary Show at Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA
2014
SXSW with Converse and Juxtapoz Magazine, Austin, TX
Objectified: Sculpture Today at Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
Spirit Animal at Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Wreck the Walls at Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Compost at Subliminal Projects, Los Angeles, CA
2013
Texas Contemporary Art Fair with Joshua Liner Gallery, Houston, TX
Direct Address: An Inaugural Group Exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
2012
PULSE Contemporary Art Fair with Joshua Liner Gallery, Miami, FL
Audio-Visual at the University Gallery at Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD
artMRKT Contemporary & Modern Art Fair with Joshua Liner Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY
Summer Group Exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
Sound Quality at GREY AREA, New York, NY
2011
PULSE Contemporary Art Fair with Joshua Liner Gallery, Miami, FL
Summer Group Exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
2010
Viva La Revolución at Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA
Barnstormers at Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY
2008
Inner/ Outer Space, curated by Dara Meyerss-Kingsley at Mattress Factory, Pittsburgh, PA.
Transformers at Corridor Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2003-2008 at Publico, Cincinnati, OH
2007
Rubicon Sun: David Ellis and Doze Green at Fifty24SF Gallery, San Francisco, CA
NADA Art Fair, with Roebling Hall, Miami, FL
Zoo Art Fair, with Roebling Hall, London, UK
Heap (with Swoon and Monica Canilao) at Black Rat Press Gallery, London, UK
Ensemble, curated by Christian Marclay, at Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA
50,000 Beds, curated by Chris Doyle at Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT
Animated Painting, curated by Betti-Sue Hertz at San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
Brodeo at New Image Art, Los Angeles, CA
BMG Artists’ Annual ‘07 at Black Market Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Burning House curated by Faile (with Swoon and Faile) at New Image Art, Los Angeles, CA
Doodle Crush (collaborations with Kiku Yamaguchi) at Lump Gallery, Raleigh, NC
10 Curators (10th Anniversary) at Colette, Paris, France
Music Show II at Publico and Shake It Records, Cincinnati, OH
Graffiti Stories at MIAM (Musée des arts Modestes) Séte,France.
Graffiti Stories at Abbaye d’ Auberives, France
50,000 Bed at Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, CT
Elevator Mural Project (with Doze Green), 30 Bond St. New York, NY
2006
Music Show at Publico, Cincinnati, OH
Good & Thuggy at Lump Gallery, Raleigh, NC
Salvage + Assemble at Space Gallery, Portland, ME
Live Scores at Monkeytown, Brooklyn, NY
Motion Barn at South Eastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston Salem, NC
Casita at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Letter to the President at ResFest International Film Festival
2005
Greater New York 2005 at P.S. 1/ MoMA, Long Island City, NY
GADGET: Mechanics and Motion in Contemporary Art at Contemporary Arts
Center, Cincinnati, OH. Curated by Matt Distel; Orchestrion installation exhibited alongside
Fernand Léger and George Antheil’s “Ballet Mexhanique 1923-24”
Digital Cotton at Savannah Gallery, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
Urban Edge at SPAZIO P4 Milan, Italy
360 at Atlantic Avenue Artwalk, Brooklyn, NY
2004
Paint on Trucks in a World in a Need of Love at MoMA Queens, New York, NY
Barnstormers Selected Film at AIGA Move Conference, New York, NY
NADA Art Fair at Miami, FL with Jessica Murray Projects
The Barnstormers at Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC
2004 Studio Aritsts: 9X at Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
Psych-Opus, a B-Stormers Mural at The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, HI
Motion Paintings at South Eastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC
III Communication at Urbis Museum, Manchester, UK
Grotto 2 at Jessica Murray Projects, New York, NY
Beautiful Losers at Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, OH
Compost, Doze Green, and David Ellis at Studio Number 1, Los Angeles, CA.
2003
Unseen Messages at Transport Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Hive Mind Sound System at Lump Gallery/Projects, Raleigh, NC
Smudge Good at CWC Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
NYC Now at Galerie Du Jour, Agnes B., Paris, France
Bazaar at Cuchifritos, New York, NY
Coast to Coast at Punch Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Letter to the President at Res Fest International Film Festival
Apostrophe at Mori Museum, Tokyo, Japan
2002
Live Painting with John Ellis Quintet at Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, LA
Art Nights at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Streetwise One at Apart, London, UK
Grotto at Jessica Murray Projects, Brooklyn, NY
Final Modification at Ex’Realm, Tokyo, Japan
Painting Is Dead…Or Is It? at Lance Fung, New York, NY
2001
One Planet Under a Groove at Bronx Museum, Bronx, NY
No Condition is Permanent at Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
Rappers Delight at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA
The Art of Breaking at Downtown Arts Festival, New York, NY
Clocktower Show at P.S. 1, Clocktower Gallery, New York, NY
Vox at Kent Gallery, New York, NY
2000
Cirk and Watching Paint Dry at Downtown Arts Festival, New York, NY
PUBLIC PROJECTS
2021-Present
Nostrand Ave Backroom Project, Brooklyn NY
2018
Mandala, Jaya Yoga Studio, Brooklyn, NY
2006
We People, The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, Charlottesville, VA
Hive Mind Sound System, Miss Rockaway Armada, Mississippi River
It’s Yours, Deitch Projects Arts Parade, New York, NY
Su, Atlantic Avenue Art Walk, Brooklyn, NY
2005
Bound, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
2003
Altoids Sponsored Wall of Fame, Brooklyn, NY
2002
The Number 9, The Letter O, and Zero, Sesame Street Mother Mural, London, UK
2000
Mural and Gourd-Speaker Installation at GSSA, Osaka, Japan
1999
Barnstormers Barn Painting Project, Cameron, NC
1996
Mural at Village Vanguard, New York, NY
Ongoing The Spitune Juice Project, Walls and trucks throughout the greater New York area
B-Boy Floor Mat Roto-Relief and Video Project, Bronx, NY
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Rice Gallery, Houston, TX “One Thing Well” 22 Years of Installation Art, Kimberly Davenport, 2021
Chambers, Christopher. “David Ellis/Jessica Murray Project.” Flash Art, November/December 2005.
Chang, Alexandra. “Urban Improv…” Art Asia Pacific, March 2004.
“David Ellis/ Jessica Murray Projects,” from Tama Cleste, November/December 2005.
Garfield, Joey. “David Ellis.” Juxtapoz magazine, March 2007.
Garfield, Joey. “Barnstormers.” Tokion Magazine, June 2001.
Glickman, Adam. “Disobedients.” Tokion Magazine, April 2002.
Heartney, Eleanor. “Report from New York 1…” Art in America, June/July 2005.
Helander, Bruce. “Artists to Watch.” The Art Economist, Volume 1, Issue 4, 2011. Print.
Helander, Bruce. “Top Ten Artists to Watch.” The Huffington Posts, Huffpost Arts. 27 April 2011. Web.
Erickson, Emily. “Color Coded.” Artforum, May 2001.
Kimmelman, Michael. “Youth and the Market.” The New York Times, 18 March 2005.
Murray, Jim and Karla. Burning New York: Graffiti NYC. Ginko Press, 2006. Print.
Myers, Holly. “Art Review: David Ellis and Kris Kuksi at Mark Moore Gallery.” Los Angeles Times, 2 November 2012.
Rappolt, Mark. Art Review: Future Greats Issue, March 2008. Print.
Robinson, Walter. “David Ellis: Fast and Furious.” Artnet Magazine, 22 December 2011.
SHAFT: David Ellis and Doze Green. San Francisco: Upper Playground, January 2008.
Shum, Irene. “David Ellis.” Greater New York Book (P.S. 1/ MoMA), 2005.
Smith, Robert. “Art in Review.” The New York Times, 18 July 2008.
Smith, Roberta. “Brooklyn Haven for Art…” The New York Times, 6 November 1998.
Tactile- High Touch Visuals. Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag, November 2007. Print.
Thomas, Mary. “Mattress Factory Exhibition Spreads Art Through ‘Inner and Outer
Space.’” The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, 18 Dec. 2008. Print.
Turner, Grady. “Barnstormers.” Flash Art, Summer 2000.