Chris Levine

Lightness of Being

2021

Chris Levine was born in Ontario in 1960. He lives and works in Northamptonshire and is a light artist who works across many mediums in pursuit of an expanded state of perception and awareness through image and form.

Levine’s work considers light not just as a core aspect of art, but of human experience more widely and a spiritual, meditative and philosophical edge permeates his prints, paintings, photography and other art. He is perhaps best known for producing what is already being described as one of the most iconic images of the twenty-first century, Lightness of Being.

With light and stillness at its core, the sensational portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II presents an utterly fresh depiction of the most famous woman in the world. The National Portrait Gallery stated it was the most evocative image of a royal by any artist.

Levine’s practice is differentiated by cross-fertilization across many creative fields including music, performance, installation, fashion and design in a multitude of projects. His exhibition “Hyper Visual 1.2” completed a tour of 12 countries with the British Council. In 2012 his work The Queen: Art and Image got featured in a major exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery. He has had artwork in London’s Science Museum and has staged light performances and exhibitions internationally in spaces such as Radio City in New York commissioned by MoMA, the Eden Project, the Royal Opera House, MATE museum in Lima, London’s Fine Art Society and the headline installation at MOFO festival for Tasmania’s MONA museum.

Levine’s status as one of the world’s leading light artists has led to several high-profile cross-media collaborations with Massive Attack, Hussein Chalayan, Antony and the Johnsons, Kate Moss, Grace Jones and Jon Hopkins. He has also produced work for Chanel, BMW and Swarovski. Levine completed another historic portrait to commemorate the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday to raise funds for the victims of Nepal’s earthquake.

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(Biography provided by Wychwood Art Gallery)