Arthur Peña is a Bronx based artist, curator, and writer. His celebrated curatorial project, One Night Only, in Dallas, TX has presented ephemeral solo celebrations with Jay Stuckey (LA), Nicole Eisenman (NYC), industrial music duo Street Sects (TX), Carrie Moyer (NYC) and Ellen Berkenblit (NYC).
Peña wrote, produced, and directed a collaborative experimental musical, Endless/Nameless in 2016; it premiered at the Nasher Sculpture Center in conjunction with Piero Golia’s Chalet, and was followed by a month-long run at The Reading Room in Dallas.
In 2017, Peña became the first artist to collaborate with luxury fashion brand Coach on a city-wide ad campaign, accompanied by an exhibition at NorthPark Center, which was curated by Justine Ludwig (currently director of Creative Time). That fall, Berlin-based gallery Pushkin & Gogol presented a solo booth of his work at EXPO Chicago.
Peña has shown throughout Texas, including exhibitions at Blue Star Contemporary, Oliver Francis Gallery, Barry Whistler Gallery, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Art Fair, and a solo exhibition at Dallas Contemporary; additional exhibition venues in New York include Et Al Projects, This Friday or Next Friday, and Couples Counseling. In 2019, Peña presented a solo booth of his work at Spring/Break Art Show curated by Brigitte Mulholland, Director at Anton Kern Gallery.
His conversation based project In the Meantime debuted during the initial 2020 COVID lockdown and featured Dike Blair prior to his online solo exhibition with Karma. The next conversation with Marina Adams served as the exhibition text for her online viewing room with Salon 94.
His most recent work was presented in New York City at Anton Kern Gallery and Magenta Plains in 2021 with a two-person show at Selenas Mountain in Ridgewood, Queens with artist Josh Reames.
Peña’s work has been featured in Art in America, Vice, ArtNews, Hyperallergic, Art Maze Magazine, New American Paintings, and Dallas Morning News. Additionally, Peña has been a prominent contributing writer with a storied archive of artist interviews including conversations with Stanley Whitney, Joyce Pensato, Nina Chanel Abney, Katherine Bradford, Sterling Ruby, Michael Rakowitz, and many more.
Peña received his Post- Baccalaureate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his MFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design.