Born in 1964 in Dearborn, Michigan, Charles LaBelle is an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist who lives and works itinerantly. He pursued his formal creative training on the West Coast, developing a highly analytical, space-centered practice that investigates the intersections of human bodies and public structures.
LaBelle’s nomadic studio model has led him to execute major site-specific projects across North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia. His works have been heavily featured in premier international biennales, experimental non-profit spaces, and major institutional galleries, positioning him as a distinct voice in contemporary post-minimalist cartography.
Education & Academic Foundation
1982–1988: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) – University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Prestigious Fellowships & Grants
Over his distinguished career, LaBelle has been awarded some of the most competitive international residencies and research fellowships in the contemporary art world:
2007: Fellow – MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, New Hampshire, USA.
2006: Swing Space Grant – Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), New York, NY.
2003: Fellow – Rockefeller Foundation, Bellagio Study and Conference Center, Italy.
2003: Artist-in-Residence – Triangle France / La Friche de la Belle de Mai, Marseilles, France.
2000: Individual Fellowship – The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, CA.
1995: Fellowship Grant – Art Matters Foundation, New York, NY.
Selected Solo Exhibitions & Archival Projects
LaBelle has mounted an extensive array of conceptually driven solo showcases across major global art capitals:
2013: Cinema Studies: Selections from the Dwelling Archive – Galerie Steph Tham, Singapore.
2013: Selections from the Dwelling Archive – Galeria Duemila, Pasay City, Philippines.
2011: Guilty – Saamlung, Hong Kong.
2010: Corpus – MobArt at the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences, Hong Kong.
2010: Charles LaBelle – Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
2009: California Suite: Selected Works 1993–2009 – Traywick Contemporary, Berkeley, CA.
2008: Charles LaBelle – Para/Site Central, Hong Kong.
2007: Buildings Entered 1997–2007 – Traywick Contemporary, Berkeley, CA.
2001: Horror of Light – Pomona College Museum of Art, Pomona, CA (Accompanied by an institutional catalogue).
2000: Disappearer – Roberts & Tilton, Los Angeles, CA.
Selected International Biennales & Group Surveys
His complex investigations into urban landscapes and spatial theory have placed his work in definitive group exhibitions worldwide:
2012: The Collector – Uppsala Museum of Art, Uppsala, Sweden.
2012: Do Not Destroy – Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA.
2011: The Singapore Biennale – Landmark open-city survey, Singapore.
2008: Person of the Crowd – Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY.
2004: In Focus: Themes in Contemporary Photography – Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY.
2003: I am a Curator – Chisenhale Gallery, London, United Kingdom.
2000: Utopia – Rogaland Kunstmuseum, Stavanger, Norway.
1995: It's Only Rock 'n Roll (Curated by David Rubin) – Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio (Traveled nationally).
1993: Poverty Pop – Exit Art / The First World, New York, NY.
1992: Fever – Exit Art / The First World, New York, NY.
