{{Short description| Chicago-born Artist (born 1977)}} {{Infobox person/Wikidata|fetchwikidata=ALL|dateformat=dmy}} '''Harold Mendez''' (born 1977) is a Chicago-born artist based in Los Angeles. He is best known for his work in the 2017 Whitney Biennial and has also had work exhibited in and collected by the Museum of Modern Art, Studio Museum in Harlem, Smart Museum of Art, Institute of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), Institute of Contemporary Art (Miami), Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Wexner Center for the Arts.

== Personal life == In 1977, Harold Mendez was born in Chicago, Illinois.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Cross Currents / Intercambio Cultural {{!}} Smart Museum of Art |url=https://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/exhibitions/cross-currents-intercambio-cultural/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=smartmuseum.uchicago.edu}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Shane |first=Robert R. |date=2020-03-03 |title=Harold Mendez: The years now |url=https://brooklynrail.org/2020/03/artseen/Harold-Mendez-The-years-now |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=The Brooklyn Rail |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=Harold Mendez Br Let Us Gather In A Flourishing Way |url=https://www.theicala.org/en/exhibitions/77-harold-mendez-br-let-us-gather-in-a-flourishing-way |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles |language=en}}</ref> He is a first generation American and his father is from Mexico and his mother is from Colombia.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Harold Mendez: And, perhaps, here, between |url=https://icamiami.org/exhibition/harold-mendez/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-03-10 |title=ICA exhibit explores texture, movement and family The Commonwealth Times |url=https://commonwealthtimes.org/2021/03/10/ica-exhibit-explores-texture-movement-and-family/,%20https://commonwealthtimes.org/2021/03/10/ica-exhibit-explores-texture-movement-and-family/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=commonwealthtimes.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Career == Mendez graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with a Master in Fine Art in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alumni, faculty artists chosen for Whitney Biennial {{!}} UIC today |url=https://today.uic.edu/alumni-faculty-artists-chosen-for-whitney-biennial/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=today.uic.edu}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Leilah |date=2019-09-30 |title=AN selects seven more upcoming exhibitions you shouldn't miss |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2019/09/an-exhibitions-you-shouldnt-miss-2/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=The Architect’s Newspaper |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2017, Mendez's work was displayed in the front window at the Tiffany & Co. flagship store alongside the work of Carrie Moyer, Shara Hughes, Ajay Kurian, and Raúl de Nieves to celebrate the Whitney Biennial.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2017-02-21 |title=Tiffany & Co. to Host Provocative Artist Collaborations in Its Windows |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/tiffany-whitney-biennial-collaboration-867569 |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Martinez |first=Alanna |date=2017-03-22 |title=Tiffany's Famous Windows Showcase the Whitney Biennial's Rising Stars |url=https://observer.com/2017/03/tiffany-windows-whitney-biennial-artists-photos/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=Observer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-03-16 |title=From Artist's Hand to Shop's Counter: The Whitney Teams Up With Tiffany (Published 2017) |work=The New York Times |language=en |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/arts/design/whitney-museum-sells-tiffany-limited-edition-art.html |access-date=2023-08-19 |last1=Loos |first1=Ted }}</ref><ref name=":3" /> In the same year, Mendez participated in a cultural exchange trip to Havana with five other Chicago artists hosted by the National Museum of Mexican Art and sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation International Connections Fundl.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Griffin |first=Jonathan |date=30 November 2021 |title=Harold Mendez: 'I feel like I'm communing with the past' |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/11/30/harold-mendez-i-feel-like-im-communing-with-the-past |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=The Art Newspaper - International art news and events}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=International Connections Fund - MacArthur Foundation |url=https://www.macfound.org/programs/international-connections-fund/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=www.macfound.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Waddoups |first=Ryan |date=16 March 2022 |title=Harold Mendez's Photographic Tribute to a Beloved Artist |url=https://www.surfacemag.com/articles/harold-mendez-belkis-ayon-ica-miami/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=surfacemag.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2018, Mendez' work was featured at the Museum of Modern Art "Being New Photography 2018" exhibit.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Harold Mendez. At the edge of the Necrópolis. 2017 {{!}} MoMA |url=https://www.moma.org/audio/playlist/49/746 |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=The Museum of Modern Art |language=en}}</ref>

In 2019, his work was featured in the exhibit ''CROSS CURRENTS / INTERCAMBIO CULTURAL'' at the Smart Museum of Art.<ref name=":0" /> His 2019 piece ''A new place to drown'' is held at the Whitney Museum of American Art.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Harold Mendez {{!}} A new place to drown |url=https://whitney.org/collection/works/63174 |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=whitney.org |language=en}}</ref>

In 2020, Mendez held a solo exhibition at the Logan Center Gallery in Chicago titled ''Harold Mendez: The years now.''<ref name=":1" /> From September 2020 to January 2021, the Institute of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles) hosted a solo exhibit of Mendez' work titled ''Harold Mendez: Let us gather in a flourishing way,'' which was curated by Jamillah James.<ref name=":5"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ollman |first=Leah |date=2021-01-05 |title=Erasure and Persistence |url=https://www.artnews.com/art-in-america/aia-reviews/harold-mendez-ica-la-1234580796/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=ARTnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

From November 2021 to May 2022, Mendez had his solo show “And, perhaps, here, between” at the Institute of Contemporary Art (Miami), which centered work inspired from his 2017 cultural exchange trip.<ref name=":2" /> Also in 2022, Mendez was featured in the exhibit ''Drum Listens to Heart'' at the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Wattis Institute presents: Drum Listens to Heart |url=https://www.cca.edu/newsroom/the-wattis-institute-presents-drum-listens-to-heart/ |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=CCA |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2023, Mendez, Sahar Khoury, and Jumana Manna participated on a panel and held simultaneous exhibitions at the Wexner Center for the Arts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sahar Khoury, Jumana Manna, and Harold Mendez in Conversation {{!}} Wexner Center for the Arts |url=https://wexarts.org/talks-more/sahar-khoury-jumana-manna-and-harold-mendez-conversation |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=wexarts.org |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Harold Mendez: one way to transform and two and three {{!}} Wexner Center for the Arts |url=https://wexarts.org/exhibitions/harold-mendez-one-way-transform-and-two-and-three |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=wexarts.org |language=en}}</ref> Mendez' exhibit at the Wexner Center for the Arts - ''one way to transform and two and three -'' is his largest exhibition to date and consists of more than thirty of his works.<ref name=":4" />

Mendez also has work in Studio Museum in Harlem's permanent collection.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-10 |title=Collection |url=https://studiomuseum.org/art-artists/artist-index |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=The Studio Museum in Harlem |language=en}}</ref>

== References == <references />

== External links ==

* [https://bombmagazine.org/articles/narratives-of-personhood-harold-mendez-interviewed/ Interview] of Harold Mendez by Brandon Sward for Bomb Magazine

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendez, Harold}} Category:Living people Category:University of Illinois Chicago alumni Category:Artists from Chicago Category:American artists of Mexican descent Category:21st-century American artists Category:1977 births