Contemporary light artist Olivia Steele has earned an international reputation for her spirited public neon happenings in surreal environments. Formed by hand and filled with gas, Steele harnesses the power of neon to assert symbolic phrasing that allures and provokes. Pioneering a new breed of conscious art, her expansive career has seen her impart fragments of handwritten wisdom and wit all over the globe, from Berlin to Beirut, Miami to Mumbai – in the form of site-specific land art and indoor installations with her signature illuminated sentiments. Her original interventions on found objects like vintage birdcages and gas tanks have given rise to a new series of renowned collectables. Aside from the immediately iconic and often humorous style of Steele’s work, her interventions are pointedly placed in environments that prompt existential musings. Her innate relationship with the sublime and spiritual manifest as explosive imagery where Steele’s opus positions her as one of the most compelling contemporary artists working in her field today.
Proving that “it is the spectator and not life that art really mirrors,” Steele’s oeuvre is a synthesis of contrast and contradiction. She encapsulates the contemporary storyteller using the traditional medium of neon to manifest her striking expressions that address the vortex of modernity. Her neon works are short, punctuated truths that mirror the ingenuity (or malaise) of the digital age. Her glass acumens are often paired with incendiary imagery or found objects that are evocative stimuli for the viewer. Covert emotions and unforeseen forces also charge Steele’s themes where her studies into consciousness and the divine pervade her transformative pieces.
“My art is not about what I see… It’s about what I invite you to see.” Her simplistic interpretable phrases inhabit spaces of contradictory, confrontational or conciliatory meaning, manifested in multiple forms like neon, road signs, and now fire. Always symbolic and sometimes irreverent, her handwritten neon statements suspend time and motion as they crystallise the unity between landscape, semiotics and spectacle that engenders countless avenues for contemplation and inspiration.
Olivia Steele (b.1985 USA) lives and works in Berlin, Mexico City and L.A.
Manifesto
My work as an artist is to turn my dreams into responsibilities.
I work for the light, with light. Words are spells and thoughts are seeds. Through the alchemy of these elements, I open portals that literally awaken, illuminate and inspire.
Powerful and concise words are formed by hand and filled with noble gas with the intention to give awareness of the universe, ask the right questions and to elevate the mind. I confront the viewer with illuminated statements, which initiate an inner dialog as they serve as beacons of light that disrupt illusion and reveal truth.
I seek to speak to the world by first speaking to myself. I speak in the language of light codes and endeavor to empower individuals through the use of ancient wisdom and inner musings. My vision is to encourage reflection, shift of perspective and positive transformation with conscious art that penetrates the boundaries of form and function. I challenge conventional semiotics, societal conditioning and personal perspectives with art that really makes you think.
My signs and installations are installed in surreal environments, which manifest as unexpected intrusions of truth and beauty that awaken the viewer out of a state of inertia. I believe civilization is hungry for this.
As the future of humanity is moving into the imagination, and the veil slowly slips from the world that has been imagined for us, we enter into this new paradigm – an age of light. It is important to replace fear of the unknown with a sense of curiosity. My art is a personal invitation to embrace the mystery and heed the signs as it offers poignant reminders and guidance through this maze of life.
Pay close attention to the artists, teachers and poets who are stepping forward at this moment. Within their work lies a channel of information, guiding us to strengthen our intentions and reconnect with spirit.
ART IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF HOPE AND A CATALYST FOR CHANGE.
Solo Exhibitions
2023
Olivia Steele: Fueled By Desire, Art Angels Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2020
Olivia Steele: The Secret Garden, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico
Olivia Steele: Gallery Weekend Showroom, Work Wing, Berlin, Germany
2019
Olivia Steele: The Neon Mansion, Bel Air, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2018
Olivia Steele: Attached To Nothing, Connected To Everything, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico
2016
Olivia Steele: Faux Real, Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2014
Olivia Steele: Nothing Is What It Seems, Circle Culture Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
Olivia Steele, Circle Culture Gallery at Hotel de Rome, Berlin, Germany
Olivia Steele: All I Ever Wanted Was Everything, Atrium, Miami, FL, USA
2012
Olivia Steele: Exhibition Of Neon Artworks, Circle Culture Gallery at The Corner, Berlin, Germany
Olivia Steele: Acquired Taste, Circle Culture Gallery at Soho House West Hollywood, CA, USA
Olivia Steele: Save The Best For Last, Circle Culture Gallery at PAD, Berlin, Germany
Selected Group Exhibitions & Fairs
2024
The Pink Room at Maison Celeste, Art Week Mexico City, Mexico – Showroom & Artist Residency Aspen Snow Ball Gala – Children’s Oncology Support Fund, Aspen CO, USA – Charity Auction & Group Show
2023
You Belong Here, Gallery Elle, St.Moritz, Switzerland – Group Show
Zona Maco, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico – Art Fair
1A Projects, Aspen, CO, USA – Group Show
2022
Zona Maco: RESET, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico – Art Fair
Bitcoin Conference: First Bitcoin NFT Edition in collaboration with NFT Glee, Miami, FL, USA
MISA Art Fair: König Galerie, Berlin, Germany – Art Fair
Corona Culture: Alte Münze, Berlin, Germany
Boundless Space: Sotheby’s, New York, NY, USA – Group show & Online Auction
2021
Neon Delight, Museum Centre for International Light Art, Unna, Germany
She Bends, Loveland Museum, Denver, CO, USA
Zona Maco, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico – Art Fair
St.Joseph Arts Society, San Francisco, CA, USA
2020
Neon Delight, Museum Centre for International Light Art, Unna, Germany
She Bends, Loveland Museum, Denver, CO, USA
Zona Maco, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico – Art Fair
St.Joseph Arts Society, San Francisco, CA, USA
2019
Humo Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
Cuadro Gallery, Dubai, UAE
Belvedere Art Space, Beirut, Lebanon
Melissa Morgan Fine Arts, Palm Desert, CA, USA
She Bends, Var West Gallery, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Salon Acme, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico – Art Fair
LA Art Show, Timothy Yarger Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA – Art Fair
Palm Beach Modern+Contemporary, Timothy Yarger Fine Art, Palm Beach, FL, USA – Art Fair
Palm Springs Art Fair, Timothy Yarger Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA – Art Fair
2018
New Generation: Robert Montgomery, James Verbicky and Olivia Steele, Madison Gallery, San Diego, USA
Minimal Light, HUMO Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
She Bends, Midway Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA
Delicisa Monstera, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico
Texas Contemporary, Timothy Yarger Fine Art, Houston, TX, USA – Art Fair
Art With Me Tulum Art Festival, IK LAB Gallery at Azulik Hotel, Tulum, Mexico – Art Fair
Zona Maco, Maia Contemporary, Mexico City, Mexico – Art Fair
2017
Looking Forward, Galleria Torbandena Projects, Trieste, Italy
XMAS’17, Galleri Christoffer Egelund, Copenhagen, Denmark
She Bends, MONA Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2016
Lit, Cornell Museum, Delray, FL, USA – Group Show
Darkness Cannot Drive Out Darkness, Only Light Can Do That, Lights of Soho Gallery, London, UK
Scope Art Fair, Art Angels Gallery, Miami, FL, USA – Art Fair
ART16, London, London, UK – Art Fair
2015
Some Place Like Home, Rumney Guggenheim, New York City, NY, USA
Berlin Art Week, Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Art Basel Miami, Art Bastion Gallery, Miami, FL, USA – Art Fair
Scope Art Fair, Rumney Guggenheim Gallery, Miami, FL, USA – Art Fair
Edge Alternative, Miami, FL, USA – Art Fair
2014
Viennafair, Circle Culture Gallery, Vienna, Austria – Art Fair
2013
Ephemeral, Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin, Germany
Potse 68., Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2012
Gallery Weekend, Circle Culture Gallery, Berlin, Germany
In The Mix, Circle Culture Gallery at PAD, Berlin, Germany – Private Show
2011
The Melting Pot, Ulf Saupe Galerie, Berlin, Germany
The Directors Cut, Andreas Binder Galerie, Munich, Germany
Up Against The Wall: With Maximilian Weidemann, PAD, Berlin, Germany – Private Show
Welcome To Cashville, Nashville, TN, USA – Private Show
The Treehouse, Lazarides Gallery at PAD, Frankfurt, Germany – Private Show
The Minotaur, Lazarides Gallery at PAD, London, UK – Private Show
Urban + Rural Interventions
2023
Mezcal Amores Festival, Oaxaca, Mexico
Bombay Beach Biennale, Salton Sea, CA, USA
The Art Park, Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV, USA
Summit At Sea, Miami, FL, USA
Art Buckhorn: Public Display Of Awareness, Aspen, CO, USA
Public Art Festival Long Beach: Public Display Of Awareness, Long Beach, CA, USA
2022
Mezcal Amores Festival, Oaxaca, Mexico
Bombay Beach Biennale, Salton Sea, CA, USA
The Art Park, Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV, USA
Summit Series, Palm Desert, CA, USA
Art Basel Miami – Pool takeover at Nautilus by Arlo, Miami, FL, USA
Take My Breath Away, Mongolia
2021
Mezcal Amores Festival, Oaxaca, Mexico
Berlin Art Week Pop Up & Store Takeover in collaboration with VeeCollective, Berlin, Germany
Art Basel Miami Pop Up, Showfields, Miami, FL, USA
2020
I Wish You Were Here (Fire): Zona Maco, Four Seasons Hotel, Mexico City, Mexico
Mezcal Amores Festival, Oaxaca, Mexico
2019
Bombay Beach Biennale, Salton Sea, CA, USA
The Art Park, Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV, USA
Altar’d Paradise in collaboration with Natasha Tomchin, Nautilus Hotel, Art Basel Miami 2019, December
2018
Bombay Beach Biennale, Salton Sea, CA, USA
I Still Love You (Fire), Presented by The Miami Beach EDITION, Miami, FL, USA
What If This Is All Real?, Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV, USA
You Are The Only One, Africa Burn, Tankwa, South Africa
2017
Summit LA 17, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Faena Miami Beach: Art Week Miami, Miami, FL, USA
Everything You Need Is Inside You, Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV, USA
The Beauty Project with Stefan Sagmeister and Retina, Mexico City, Mexico
You Are The Only One, Africa Burn, Tankwa, South Africa
Todo lo que puedes imaginar es real: Zona Maco, Mexico City, Mexico
2016
The Miami Beach Edition: Art Week Miami, Miami, FL, USA
Magic City Studios, Miami, FL, USA
Excuse Me While I Dissapear: Day Of The Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico
What You Seek Is Seeking You… , Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV, USA
Honor This Space: Between Not Longer And Not Yet, Maderas Village, Nicaragua
Our Little Secret: Zona Maco, Four Seasons Hotel, Mexico City, Mexico
2015
The Miami Beach Edition: Art Week Miami, Miami, FL, USA
Summit Series: Summit At Sea, Miami – Bahamas, USA
Hello Darkness & Viva La Muerte: Day Of The Dead, Oaxaca, Mexico
You Are Exactly Where You Need To Be, Burning Man, Black Rock City, NV, USA
Public Display Of Awareness Series, Tulum Highway, Tulum, Mexico
2013
Pret A Diner (PAD) Collaboration with Stefan Strumbel, Circle Culture Gallery @PAD Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland
2011
Public Display Of Awareness: Frieze Art Fair, London, UK
Your Love Is My Drug, Atrium for Art Basel, Miami, FL, USA
Monographs, Solo Exhibition Catalogue and Artist Books
2019
2015
Olivia Steele: Conceptual Confessions, Berlin, Germany
Olivia Steele: Works and Installations, Berlin, Germany
Selected Publications & Press: Books & Magazines
2023
Something About Rocks,“LeBron James wears a diamond pin […] NBA scoring record”, February
People Magazine “JAY-Z, Denzel and […] Who Watched LeBron James Break the NBA All-Time Scoring Record, February
Gala Mexico, “Semana De Arte En Prime Steak Club”, February
RSVP Magazine Mexico, “Fiesta en el corazon de la ciudad”, February
Door Magazine Italy: “The List”, June
InStlye Germany: “Let’s Go To… with Olivia Steele”, November
2022
Deezan “Linehouse designs space-themed cafe in Shanghai”, January
Architectural Digest YouTube “Inside A Futuristic $ 23,500,000 Oceanfront Mansion”, June
Architectural Digest “Step Inside Molly Sims’s Fully Customized Hamptons Beach House”, September
Zoo Magazine “Art Biesenthal ft. I Fell For You by Olivia Steele”, October
2021
Haute Time, “Watches Of Switzerland announces holiday partnership with contemporary artist Olivia Steele”, January
Visual 8 Atelier, “Neon Dreams Installed By Olivia Steele”, February
Architectural Digest, “Inside Blackberry Farm’s stylish push into Real Estate and Home Design”, June
Nasdaq, “Bitcoin 2021 Offering Golden Whale Pass NFT through NFTglee”, June
LA Confidential Magazine, “Neon Fire”, Summer
Sotheby’s, “Boundless Space: The Possibilities Of Burning Man”, October
Forbes, “Art Basel Miami Beach 2021: A Guide To The Top Events, Exhibitions And Pop-Ups”, November
2020
American Way (Inflight Magazine American Airlines) , “Olivia Steele’s Aphorisms are printed on Street Signs In Tulum”, March
Elle Mexico, “Olivia Steele instala una obra neón contra Pornhub en CDMX”, May
Cultured Mag, “Olivia Steele Has A Way With Words”, August
Forbes, “Olivia Steele’s Neon Truisms Have A New Home In New York City”, December
L’Officiel Malaysia, “Things We Do In The Dark”, December
2019
Adobe (Instagram) “Women Create Wednesday – Women History Month”, March
Flaunt Magazine, “Anonimo Oaxaca”, Shana Nys Dambrot, March
Cool Hunting, “Highlights from the 2019 Bombay Beach Biennale”, Afrodet Zuri, April
Playboy Magazine, “Bombay Beach Biennale”, June
Soraa, “Masters of Light: Olivia Steele”, July
Tulum Gypset, Julia Chaplin I Assouline, September
The Wall Street Journal “A $49.5 Million Neoclassical Home Gets Decked Out in Neon”, October
Architecturaldigest.com: “The Miami Beach Edition Celebrates Art Basel…”, December
2018
Classico CDMX Magazine, “Olivia Steele Attached To Nothing Connected To Everything”, Mirna Calzada, February
VICE, “Intervenciones de luz y texto neón en sitios inusuales”, Cynthia Arvide, February
Surface Magazine, “Opening Shot: The New Palms Casino Resort Might Be Las Vegas’s Best Art Museum”, Adam Rob, May
Caras, “Olivia Steele. La Luz de la conciencia”, Gabriella Morales-Casas, May
Warp Magazine, “Olivia Steele in Mexico”, Spring / Summer
C Magazine, “Call it a Festival (Salton Sea, Bombay)”, Stephanie Rafanelli, Spring / Summer
Design Hunter, “Rayo de Luz”, Danielle Kehl, September
2017
Whitewall, “Olivia Steele Creates Empowering Jewelry for MAOR”, Katy Donohu
Vogue Latin America, “Coalición de disciplinas”, Romina Guiulfo
Opumo, “Artist To Watch”
Vogue Oaxaca, “One Night Only: Inside Oaxaca’s Mezcal Desert Festival Photos”
2016
FAD Magazine, “Young Artists to Watch….Olivia Steele”, Ben Austin, September
MBG Build a Life Not a Résumé By Jason Machob (Book)
Architectural Digest Spain, “Buenos Vecinos”, Franz Munoz, March
Artist Olivia Steele on The Life Advice She Swears by, And #Wellth, March
2015
The Edition, “The Illuminated World of Artist Olivia Steele”, I.3, p.9, Winter 2015 / Spring 2016
GQ, “Behold Further Future, the Weirdest, Skimpiest New Rager This Side of Burning Man”, 2015
2014
Home Style Art Places of Spirit, “Schrift als Kunstwerk”, p.142-143, October
Cut-Online Magazine,“Rastlantı yok; kontrol sadece bir ilüzyon”, Erel Eryurek, August
Fubiz.net (online), “Neon sign Installations”, Donnia, July
Redesign Revolution, “Bright Ideas: Clever Neon Signs by Olivia Steele”, Randi Reding, July
2013
Berliner Morgenpost, “Freude am Vergänglichen”, Johann Haehling, p.23, January
BerlinArtParasites.com, “Shining a Light on Olivia Steele”, Sofia Martinelli, July
Inhale Magazine,“Neon artist Olivia Steele”, Andreea Chindris, June
Vogue Germany, “81 hours begleitet Olivia Steele”, Hella Schneider, July
Be Style, “Inspiração Neon: Exposição de Olivia Steele chega ao Brasil em março”, March
Berliner Morgenpost,“Künstlerin Olivia Steele bringt den American Way nach Berlin”, Frédéric Schwilden , July
Couch, “81 Hours kollaboriert mit der Neonkuenstlerin Olivia Steele”, July
2012
Monocle, “Dining Concept”, February
Idol Magazine, Interview, Bianca Spada, May
My Modern Met, “Neon Art That Speaks To The Heart” Alice Yoo, November
Trendland,“Olivia Steele’s Neon Art”, Kathryn Chadason, June
Flavorwire: Culture News and Critique, “Neon Gets a New Spin in Olivia Steel-s provocative and Ironic Lyrical Art”, Heba Hasan, June
Berlin Art Journal, “Safe The Best For Last”, Sugarhigh, March
Brigitte Magazine, “Künstlerin, lebt in Berlin und London”, September
Angel Orensanz Foundation, “Neon As Art”, December
Art School Vets, “Olivia Steele beleuchtschriftet die Alte Münze”, March
StupidDope, “Heartfelt Neon Art Project by Olivia Steele”, LeVar Thomas, November
StyleBook, “Pret A Diner-Phänomen Olivia”, February
2011
Nashville Art Magazine, “Maximilian Wiedemann & Olivia Steele”, July
