Jonathan Monaghan (maa·nuh·han) is an artist whose prints, sculptures, and video installations weave together elements of ancient mythology, science fiction, and consumer culture. His work explores the intersections of power, wealth, and technology in the digital age, in an imaginative and satirical critique that challenges viewers to examine their relationship with these forces.

Past exhibitions include Sundance New Frontier, The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, NRW Forum in Düsseldorf, and The Palais de Tokyo in Paris. His work has been featured in The New York Times and Vogue Italia. His work sits in numerous public and private collections including The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and the Microsoft Art Collection. Jonathan is represented by bitforms gallery in New York and 22,48 m² in Paris. He lives and works in Washington D.C.

institutional collections

  • The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
  • Microsoft Art Collection, Redmond, WA
  • Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR
  • DCCAH Art Bank Collection, Washington, D.C.

solo exhibitions

  • 2026Lush Pixels, curated by Beth Giacummo, Memorial Gallery Hale Hall, Farmingdale State College, NY
  • 2025Late Capital Pods, curated by Bleu Cease, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, NY
  •  The Gilded Passage, MTA Arts & Design, Grand Central Madison, New York, NY
  • 2024Power Trip, curated by Anna Finke, SLEEK Mag, Berlin, Germany
  •  Power Trip, Addison/Ripley Gallery, Washington, D.C.
  • 2023Unicorn in the Garden, curated by Yuge Zhou, 150 Media Stream, Chicago, IL
  • 2022Move The Way You Want, curated by Dr. Vesela Sretenovic, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
  •  Opulence, curated by Ceren and Irmak Arkman, Kalyon Kültür, Istanbul, Turkey
  • 2021Power Trip, Galerie 22,48 m², Paris, France
  •  Den of Wolves, bitforms gallery, New York, NY
  • 2020Out of the Abyss, SPRING/BREAK Art Show, New York, NY
  • 2019A Trace Left by the Future, curated by Yuko Oda, University of Massachusetts Lowell, MA
  •  A Trace Left by the Future, curated by Frank McCauley, VisArts Center, Rockville, MD
  • 2018Synthetic Mythologies, curated by Gretchen Schaefer, Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, Denver, CO
  • 2017After Fabergé, curated by Jo Briggs, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD
  •  Disco Beast, bitforms gallery, New York, NY
  • 2016Gotham, Galerie 22,48 m², Paris, France
  •  Focus: Jonathan Monaghan, curated by Kelly Gordon, Backroom Caracas & Museo de Arte Contemporáneo del Zulia, Venezuela
  •  Mothership, curated by Evan Reed, Spagnuolo Gallery, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
  • 2015Architecture of Fantasy, curated by Alessandro Possati, Spazio Ridotto at Zuecca Project Space, Venice, Italy
  •  Escape Pod, bitforms gallery, New York, NY
  • 2014Alien Fanfare, Curator’s Office, Washington, D.C.
  • 2013Robot Ninja, curated by Sarah Laing, Market Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland
  • 2010Life Tastes Good In Disco Heaven, Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington, D.C.
  • 2009Calling All Angels, curated by Farhad Kalantary, Atopia, Oslo, Norway

select group exhibitions

  • 2025Au-delà du visible: Les mondes imaginaires de l’artiste, curated by Adalais Shoy, Centre d’Art Contemporain Carcassonne, Carcassonne, France
  •  Assemblages, bricolages, hybridations, curated by Caroline Bissière & Jean-Paul Blanchet, CAC Meymac, Meymac, France
  • 2024Incandescence: The Chandelier in Contemporary Art, curated by Bartholomew Bland, Patricia Cazorla & Dr. Lisa Panzera, Shirley Fiterman Art Center, New York, NY
  •  {R(Evolutionaries);} Digital Art Through The Decade, curated by Morrow Collective, Art Dubai 2024, Dubai, UAE
  • 2023OLED ART WAVE 2023: Long Dream, curated by Goeun Song, Scène Space, Seoul, South Korea
  •  The Interface Between Humanity and the Universe v3.0, curated by Wu Ziyang, Zhangjiang Science Hall, Shanghai, China
  •  Mythologies contemporaines (collection Jacques Font), curated by Vincent Noiret & Casra Restany, Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda, France
  •  The Trawick Prize 20th Anniversary, curated by Jack Rasmussen, Katzen Arts Center, Washington, D.C.
  • 2022Ancient Futures: All Belongs to Time, curated by Lalin Akalan, Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Istanbul, Turkey
  •  Glitches, GIFs and Game Engines, curated by Krista Hoefle, South Bend Museum of Art, South Bend, IN
  •  Digital Extravaganza, curated by Anastasia Garnova, Theatre of Digital Art, Dubai, UAE
  •  Pančevo Art Biennale: refinerymonastery, curated by Maja Ćirić, Pančevo, Serbia
  • 2021Biennale de l’Image Tangible, curated by François Ronsiaux, Platforme Gallery, Paris, France
  •  Media in Space, Stuttgarter Filmwinter Festival for Expanded Media, Stuttgart, Germany
  •  B3 Biennial of the Moving Image, curated by Anna Katharina Gerson, Frankfurt, Germany
  •  The Janet and Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize Finalists Exhibition, The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD
  •  Encounter #04, Projektraum Viktor Bucher, Vienna, Austria
  •  Animals, curated by Angela Gonnella, Galleria Muratcentoventidue Artecontemporanea, Bari, Italy
  • 2020#cute. Islands of Happiness?, curated by Dr. Birgit Richard, NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, Germany
  •  Transatlantico, curated by Edoardo Monti, Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ
  •  Currency, curated by Gordon Duggan & Sarah Joyce, New Media Gallery, Vancouver, BC
  • 2019Artificial Intelligence and Intercultural Dialogue, curated by Dmitry Ozerkov & Victoria Kondrashova, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
  •  Primitivo, curated by Asher Remy-Toledo, Casa Hoffmann, Bogotá, Colombia
  • 2018Castles in the Sky: Fantasy Architecture in Contemporary Art, curated by Bartholomew Bland, touring: Lehman College Art Gallery, New York, NY; Coral Gables Museum, Coral Gables, FL
  •  CHILDHOOD: Another banana day for the dream-fish, curated by Sandra Adam-Couralet & Yoann Gourmel, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France
  •  Duty Free, curated by Bob Bicknell-Knight, Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK
  •  FADING AWAY, curated by Céline Flécheux, Galerie 22,48 m², Paris, France
  •  GRI-GRI, curated by Stéphanie Vidal, Galerie 22,48 m², Paris, France
  •  The Museum Has Abandoned Us, curated by Bob Bicknell-Knight, State of the Art, Berlin, Germany
  • 2016the real-fake.org.2.0, curated by Rachel Clarke, Claudia Hart & Pat Reynolds, BronxArtSpace, New York, NY
  •  Fixed/Fluxed, Burlington City Arts, Burlington, VT
  •  Foggy Bottom Outdoor Sculpture Biennial: Turf & Terrain, curated by Danielle O’Steen, Foggy Bottom, Washington, D.C.
  •  Sundance New Frontier, curated by Shari Frilot, Sundance Film Festival, Park City, UT
  •  this one is smaller than this one., curated by Paulina Bębecka, Postmasters, New York, NY
  •  SUSPENDED, curated by Rosario Caltabiano, 22,48 m², Paris, France
  •  King of the Forest; Adventures in Bioperversity, curated by Megan Rook-Koepsel, Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, VA
  • 2015On Demand 3, curated by Carolyn H. Drake & Suzanne Wallinga, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  •  The Real Thing, curated by Jiayin Chen, Digiark, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung City, Taiwan
  •  +/-, curated by George Fifield, Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, CT
  •  Myth and Mutations, curated by Chris Romero, Reverse Space, New York, NY
  • 2014State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now, curated by Chad Alligood & Don Bacigalupi; touring: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN; The Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN
  •  IN/Out Source, curated by Douglas Lewis & Yamin Wang, Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts, Nanjing, China
  •  The New Romantics, curated by Nicholas O’Brien, Katie Torn & Claudia Hart, Eyebeam Center for Art & Technology, New York, NY
  •  IM Material Artefacts, curated by Sarah Younan, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK
  •  In Residence Colloquium: The Neighbors, curated by Zoë Charlton and Tim Doud, American University Museum, Washington, D.C.
  • 2013 PostPictures, bitforms gallery, New York, NY
  •  Child’s Play, curated by Mindy Solomon, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, FL
  •  artNOW DC, curated by Heather Harvey & Natalie Cheung, Kohl Gallery at Washington College, Chestertown, MD
  • 2012NEWSFEED: Anonymity & Social Media in African Revolutions and Beyond, curated by Jessica L. Moore and Nelson Nance, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Art, Brooklyn, NY
  • 2011Academy 2011, curated by Jamie Smith and Leigh Conner, Conner Contemporary, Washington D.C.
  • 2009Vox V, curated by Ryan Trecartin and Larry Mangel, Vox Populi, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2008Visions in the Nunnery, curated by Tessa Garland, The Nunnery Gallery, London, UK
  •  MISC Video and Performance, NY Studio Gallery, New York, NY

solo screenings & festivals

  • 2025Disco Beast, Videorama at Werkleitz, Halle, Germany
  •  Istanbul Digital Art Festival, curated by Niyazi Erdoğan, Istanbul, Turkey
  •  Wunderground Film Festival, Verbeke Foundation, Stekene, Belgium
  •  Pluribus Multimedia Fest, curated by Annalaura di Luggo, JUS Museum, Naples, Italy
  • 2023Machine Cinema, curated by Pau Waelder, Mèdol Centre d’Arts Contemporànies, Tarragona, Spain
  •  Around Video Art Fair, Moxy Brussels City Center, Brussels, Belgium
  • 2022Stuttgarter Filmwinter Festival for Expanded Media, Stuttgart, Germany
  • 2020Pause, Play: Selected Works by Jonathan Monaghan, curated by Taras Matla, University of Maryland Art Gallery, Online
  • 2019too good to be true, curated by MEER, _plek, Ghent, Belgium
  •  Disco Beast, curated by Tori Fleming, Nocturne Art At Night Festival, Halifax, Canada
  • 2018Extra/Ordinary, curated by Ceren and Irmak Arkman, Contemporary Istanbul: Plugin, Istanbul, Turkey
  •  Shapeshifters, curated by Clemens Wilhelm, HilbertRaum, Berlin, Germany
  •  Dystopian Disco, Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Hartwick, UK
  •  In the Midst of the Inferno, curated by Paul Shortt for Arlington Arts, David M. Brown Planetarium, Arlington, VA
  • 2017Mental States, Ars Electronica Animation Festival, Linz, Austria
  •  Variation Media Art Fair, curated by Dominique Moulon, Cité internationale des arts, Paris, France
  •  The Garden of Virtual Utopias, curated by Estela Oliva, Art Night Associate Programme, London, UK
  •  I SEE International Video Art Festival, curated by Clemens Wilhelm, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, Germany
  • 2016Posts From the Future, European Media Art Festival, Osnabrück, Germany
  • 2015Jonathan Monaghan: Animated Worlds, PAF 2015, Olomouc, Czech Republic
  •  Escape Pod, LOOP Barcelona, Hotel Catalonia Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain
  •  Black Box 2.0, curated by Julia Fryett & Anne Couillaud, Seattle, WA
  • 2014East Gallery: Jonathan Monaghan, Angell Gallery, Toronto, Canada
  •  Hothouse Video Series: Jonathan Monaghan, Washington Project for the Arts, Capitol Skyline Hotel, Washington, D.C.
  •  Spore Baroque, commission for roBOT Festival 07, curated by Sarah Corona, Bologna, Italy
  •  Hyperculture, Rencontres Internationales, Gaîté Lyrique, Paris, France
  •  Public Art Screens, i/o/lab Center of Future Arts, curated by Hege Tapio, Stavanger, Norway
  • 2013Moving Image London, presented by Curator’s Office, OXO Tower, London, UK
  •  Office, commission, Denver Digerati: Friday Flash, curated by Ivar Zeile, Denver, CO
  •  (De)constructing Space, Screen City, curated by Daniela Arriado & Mirjam Struppek, Stavanger, Norway
  •  I SEE International Video Art Festival, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai, China
  •  Expanded Cinema: MultipliCity, commission, curated by Mona Kasara, Dallas Videofest, Dallas, TX
  •  oh Internetz!, curated by Nora O’ Murchú, Glitch Festival, Run Computer Run, Dublin, Ireland
  • 2012High Definition, curated by Jonas Lund & Anika Schwarzlose, ProsumeThis, Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 2011onedotzero_adventures in motion, BFI Southbank, London, UK
  •  GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE International Video Art Festival, curated by Clemens Wilhelm; touring: Meneer de Wit, Amsterdam, NL; Titanik Gallery, Turku, FI; Kallio Kunsthalle, Helsinki, FI; Glasgow School of Art, UK
  •  Anthropomorphlolz, San Francisco International Animation Festival, San Francisco, CA
  •  GIRAF Animation Festival, Calgary, Canada
  • 2010Boston Underground Film Festival, Boston, MA
  •  Media Art, FILE Festival, Centro Cultural Fiesp, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 2009WPA: Experimental Media Series, curated by Kelly Gordon, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C.
  •  International Film Festival Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
  • 2008Sydney Underground Film Festival, Sydney, Australia
  •  SIMULTAN04, Timisora, Romania

lectures, panels & workshops

  • 2023Visual Arts & Tech Lecture: Jonathan Monaghan, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ
  • 2022Re-imagining the Past for the Digital Age, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.
  • 2021Conversations with Artists: Jonathan Monaghan, University of Maryland, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD
  • 2019Visiting Artist: Jonathan Monaghan, Department of Transmedia, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
  • 2018Fear, Myth, and Decadence in the Digital Age, Visiting Artist, Scholar & Designer Program, Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design, Denver, CO
  • 2017Jonathan Monaghan: Visiting Artist Lecture, David A. Walsh Arts & Sciences Seminar Series, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY
  •  Auerbach Lecture Series: Fear and Desire in the Digital Age, Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, CT
  • 2015State of the Art/DC: A Conversation, Panel, ArtTable DC, National Museum for Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.
  •  Artist Talk: Jonathan Monaghan, Department of New Media, University of North Carolina, Asheville, NC
  • 2014Conversations at the Edge: Jonathan Monaghan, Gene Siskel Film Center, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
  •  3-D Modeling & Printing for Artists, Workshop, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Aspen, CO
  •  Behind the Scenes of the Museum: Artists in Collections, Symposium organized by Axisweb, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, UK
  • 2013From Pixel to Portrait: Sculpting the Figure with Digital Tools, Workshop, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
  •  Marsico Visiting Scholar in Emergent Digital Practices, University of Denver, Denver, CO
  • 20113D Printing with artist Jonathan Monaghan, Workshop, U.S. Speaker & Specialist Program, U.S. Embassy/Dept. of State, Manama, Bahrain
  •  Digital Craftsmanship, Panel, CAA 2011 Conference, New York, NY

press

  • 2024Mark Jenkins, “Defining our roots as a pathway to introspection,” Review, Washington Post, May 17, 2024
  •  Ana María Caballero, “Web3 Travel Guides: Future Horizons, Art Dubai Digital And Beyond,” Article, Forbes, February 26, 2024
  • 2023Sharon Jaffe Dan, “Wildest Dreams: Jonathan Monaghan ponders the power of tech in the digital age,” Feature, Home & Design Magazine, Jan. 2023
  • 2022Kevin Buist, “Exclusivity for Everyone,” Review, Outland.art, Nov. 22, 2022
  •  Mark Jenkins, “Phillips Collection spotlights Jonathan Monaghan’s restless vision,” Review, Washington Post, Oct. 4, 2022
  •  “From baroque to digital: Monaghan reflects on ‘OPULENCE’,” Review, Daily Sabah, June 27, 2022
  •  Hannah Silver, “Apollo comes to digital life as Visionnaire joins the metaverse,” Feature, Wallpaper, March 31, 2022
  • 2021Dominique Moulon, “Le chef-d’œuvre du moment : ‘Den of Wolves’ de Monaghan,” Review, Art Press, Nov. 19, 2021
  •  Pietro Marino, “Chiamali se vuoi Animali Ma i video parlano di noi,” Review, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, June 10, 2021
  • 2020Jazmina Figueroa, “Gold Trimmed Fears,” Feature, Numéro Homme Berlin, June 2020
  •  Mihye Kim, “Cover Story: Jonathan Monaghan,” Feature, Public Art Magazine Korea, June 2020
  •  Alexandra Gilliams, “Jonathan Monaghan in conversation,” Interview, XIBT Contemporary Art Magazine, May 2020
  •  Masha Belokovilskaya, “On Schedule: Jonathan Monaghan,” Interview, Harper’s Bazaar Russia, April 2020
  •  Elisabetta Caprotti, “La Metafisica Dell’Abito,” Feature, Vogue Italia, March 2020
  •  Nadja Sayej, “Greta, crude oil and animal farming: behind a climate-conscious Armory show,” Review, The Guardian, March 5, 2020
  • 2019Isabel Barbi, “An Eerie Feeling of Familiarity: Jonathan Monaghan’s Futuristic Vision in Lowell,” Review, artscope Magazine, Nov/Dec 2019
  •  Sean Capone, “New Myths: Jonathan Monaghan,” Interview, BOMB Magazine, July 31, 2019
  •  Jade Nauss, “Jonathan Monaghan releases the Disco Beast,” Review, The Coast Halifax, Oct. 17, 2019
  •  Mark Jenkins, “A Revelatory Exhibition by D.C. Artist Jonathan Monaghan,” Review, The Washington Post, July 26, 2019
  • 2018Louise Benson, “Jonathan Monaghan: Utopia & Deceit,” Interview, Elephant Magazine, Fall 2018
  •  Tiffany Moustakas, “Dream houses: Images of fantasy architecture take center stage in new Lehman gallery show,” Review, The Riverdale Press, Nov. 18, 2018
  •  Chris Hampton, “What’s Right About The Wrong Biennale?” Review, The New York Times, Jan. 22, 2018
  • 2017Alex A. Jones, “Jonathan Monaghan: The Disco Beast,” Review, The Brooklyn Rail, Dec. 13, 2017
  •  Ariana Akbari, “Disco Beast: Jonathan Monaghan at bitforms gallery,” Review, Arte Fuse, Dec. 4, 2017
  •  Julie Baumgardner, “A Guide to America’s Next Great Art Neighborhood,” Review, The New York Times Style Magazine, Jan. 11, 2017
  • 2016Mark Jenkins, “Shiny fantasy worlds, undercut by body parts and company logos,” Review, Washington Post, Oct. 1, 2016
  •  Macy Freeman, “Art reveals a creative, historical side to Foggy Bottom neighborhood,” Review, Washington Post, July 14, 2016
  •  Ken Johnson, “What to See in New York Art Galleries This Week: Postmasters,” Review, The New York Times, Feb. 25, 2016
  •  ‘SUSPENDED’, détours d’horizons, Review, Liberation, Feb. 7, 2016
  • 2015Maura Callahan, “Artists in ‘Gilding the Lily’ at Area 405 excavate the world through its shiny materials,” Review, Baltimore City Paper, July 29, 2015
  •  Brian Miller, “Black Box 2.0: A Movable Festival in a City Too Busy for Art?” Review, Seattle Weekly, May 26, 2015
  •  Jessica Dawson, “Ass You Like It: Jonathan Monaghan’s Playful Videos Go Deep,” Review, The Village Voice, Apr. 15, 2015
  •  Benjamin Sutton, “Tripping Through a Luxurious Post-Human Future,” Review, Hyperallergic, Apr. 10, 2015
  •  Matthew Caron, “This Is What You Get When You Cross a Floating Island Mansion,” Interview, VICE, Mar. 24, 2015
  • 2014Peter Plagens, “The State of ‘State of the Art’,” Review, The Wall Street Journal, Sept. 17, 2014
  •  Mark Jenkins, “Is It Propaganda? Or Is It Political Art?: Alien Fanfare,” Review, Washington Post, May 24, 2014
  •  Ray Mark Rinaldi, “Monkey Town is a reinvention of dinner and theater for the digital age,” Review, Denver Post, Mar. 15, 2014
  • 2013Julia Halperin, “Art Enters the third dimension,” Article, The Art Newspaper, July 2013
  • 2012Julia Geerlings, “Kijken kijken, niet kopen (Look, but do not buy),” Review, Metropolis M, Dec. 2012
  •  Mark Jenkins, “Jonathan Monaghan twists video games at Curator’s Office,” Review, Washington Post, Jan. 26, 2012
  •  John Anderson, “Jonathan Monaghan’s game blame,” Review, Washington City Paper, Jan. 20, 2012
  • 2011Brittney Dunkins, “Collect Call: Top 10 Young Artists,” Article, DC Magazine, Nov. 2011
  •  Rick Karr, “NYC 2.0: The Hackers,” Broadcast interview, NYC TV, Sept. 2011
  • 2010Jessica Dawson, “Famous scenes skewered with sparkle, high-def,” Review, Washington Post, Oct. 22, 2010
  •  Angela Ferraiolo, “Older than youtube. Curator Laure Prouvost Explains Seven Years of tank.tv,” Article, furtherfield.org, Jan. 8, 2010

awards & residencies

  • 2022Expanded Media Award: Media in Space, Stuttgarter Filmwinter Festival for Expanded Media, Stuttgart, Germany
  • 2021Janet and Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize, Finalist, Baltimore, MD
  • 2019Palazzo Monti, Artist in Residence, Brescia, Italy
  •  VisArts Studio Fellowship, VisArts, Rockville, MD
  • 2017Millay Colony for the Arts, Artist in Residence, NY
  • 2015Trawick Prize, First Place, Bethesda, MD
  •  Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder, Artist in Residence, Trondheim, Norway
  • 2014DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, Artist Fellowship Program, Washington, D.C.
  • 2013Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Emergency Grant, New York, NY
  • 2011Yaddo, Artist in Residence, Saratoga Springs, NY
  •  Seven Below Arts Initiative, Burlington City Arts, Artist in Residence, Burlington, VT
  • 2009Hamiltonian Fellowship, Hamiltonian Artists, Washington, D.C.