History of Alexandra Grant in Timeline

Alexandra Grant is an American visual artist known for her work exploring language and text through diverse media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, and video. Based in Los Angeles, she uses language and collaborations with writers as inspiration, examining the writing process and linguistic theory to create visual images and collaborative installations. Her art delves into the relationship between text and visual representation.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1969: Father moves to Oberlin College

In 1969, Alexandra Grant's father, a Scottish geology professor, moved to Oberlin College in Ohio.

1995: Graduation from Swarthmore College

In 1995, Alexandra Grant graduated from Swarthmore College with a BA in history and studio art.

2000: Graduation from California College of the Arts

In 2000, Alexandra Grant graduated from California College of the Arts in San Francisco with an MFA in drawing and painting.

2007: Ladder Quartet shown at MOCA

In 2007, "Ladder Quartet" a series of paintings and sculpture based on Michael Joyce's texts, was shown at MOCA.

2007: First solo exhibition at MOCA

In 2007, Alexandra Grant had her first solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles. The exhibition was curated by Alma Ruiz.

2008: Six Portals shown at Honor Fraser gallery

In 2008, "Six Portals" a series of paintings and sculpture based on Michael Joyce's texts, was shown at Honor Fraser gallery.

2008: Participated in Watts House Project

In 2008, Alexandra Grant participated in Edgar Arceneaux’s Watts House Project, aimed at renovating houses across the Watts Towers in Los Angeles.

2008: Participated in multi-artist show

In 2008, Alexandra Grant's artworks joined a multi-artist show in Tel Aviv, titled "From and About Place: Art from Los Angeles".

2009: Adjunct Professor at Art Center College of Design

From 2009, Alexandra Grant worked as an adjunct professor at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA).

2009: Met Keanu Reeves

In 2009, Alexandra Grant met actor Keanu Reeves at a social event, leading to future collaborations.

2010: Bodies shown at Honor Fraser gallery

In 2010, "Bodies" a series of paintings and sculpture based on Michael Joyce's texts, was shown at Honor Fraser gallery.

2010: Taught MFA seminar at Cal State Northridge

In 2010, Alexandra Grant taught an MFA seminar at Cal State Northridge.

2011: Adjunct Professor at Art Center College of Design

In 2011, Alexandra Grant continued working as an adjunct professor at Art Center College of Design (Pasadena, CA).

2011: Published Ode to Happiness

In early 2011, Alexandra Grant's first collaboration with Keanu Reeves, Ode to Happiness, was published by Gerhard Steidl. It was Grant's first artist book and Reeves's first book as a writer.

Ode to Happiness

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2013: Mentor in Pacific Northwest College of Art's Distance MFA program

From 2013, Alexandra Grant worked as a mentor in the Pacific Northwest College of Art's Distance MFA program.

2013: Collaborated on exhibitions with Cixous

In 2013, Alexandra Grant collaborated on twin series of exhibitions with Cixous, based on the latter's book Philippines, with the "Forêt Intérieure/Interior Forest” exhibition first taking place at 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica, and at Mains d’Oeuvres in Saint-Ouen, France.

2013: Century of the Self Series

In 2013, Alexandra Grant continued her work in the series called “Century of the Self" with the first exhibition being “Drawn to Language" at USC's The Fisher Museum.

2014: Mentor in Pacific Northwest College of Art's Distance MFA program

In 2014, Alexandra Grant continued working as a mentor in the Pacific Northwest College of Art's Distance MFA program.

2014: Show at Lora Reynold's Gallery

In 2014, Alexandra Grant had a show at Lora Reynold's Gallery in Austin, TX, as part of her series “Century of the Self".

2015: Exhibited painting "Antigone 3000"

In 2015, Alexandra Grant exhibited her work in a painting called “Antigone 3000” inspired by the Greek myth. Works from Antigone 3000 have been shown at the Barnsdall Art Center, when Grant won the City of Los Angeles Mid-Career Artist Award (COLA).

2015: Exhibition at Venice Biennial

In 2015, Alexandra Grant participated in an exhibition called “We Must Risk Delight: 20 Artists from Los Angeles” at the Venice Biennial as part of her series “Century of the Self”.

2015: MFA program mentor at Syracuse University and Co-taught course at Ashesi University

In 2015, Alexandra Grant was an MFA program mentor at Syracuse University, and co-taught a course with Isabelle Lutterodt at Ashesi University in Accra, Ghana.

2015: Directed documentary film "Taking Lena Home"

In 2015, as part of a residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art in Omaha, Nebraska, Alexandra Grant directed a documentary film called Taking Lena Home, about returning a stolen tombstone to rural Nebraska.

June 2016: Attended UNAIDS gala

In June 2016, Alexandra Grant and Keanu Reeves were photographed as a couple in Switzerland attending the UNAIDS gala.

2016: Reunited with Reeves for "Shadows"

In 2016, Alexandra Grant and Keanu Reeves reunited for their second collaboration, Shadows, a book and suite of photographic images printed by Steidl in Germany. The photographs were exhibited at ACME Gallery in Los Angeles, and Ochi Gallery in Sun Valley, ID.

2016: Conversation from Mains d’Oeuvres to Nottingham Contemporary

In 2016, Grant and Cixous spoke about their telepathic relationship in 2013 as part of a conversation from Mains d’Oeuvres to Nottingham Contemporary.

2017: Wrote "Antigone is me" with Florence Grant

In 2017, Alexandra Grant wrote the text for "Antigone is me" with her sister, Florence Grant, which is meant to capture the ancient Greek myth Antigone in a contemporary scene. The exhibit was a community-based project installation held at The Eastern Star Gallery at The Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles.

2017: Established X Artists Books

In 2017, Alexandra Grant, alongside designer Jessica Fleischmann and Keanu Reeves, established a small publishing company called X Artists Books (XAB).

2017: Exhibition at LACMA

In 2017, works from Alexandra Grant's "Antigone 3000" were exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) as part of the exhibition “L.A. Exuberance: Recent Gifts by Artists”.

November 2019: Public appearance with Keanu Reeves

In November 2019, Alexandra Grant and Keanu Reeves appeared as a couple on the red carpet of the LACMA Art + Film Gala, prompting media coverage of their romantic relationship.