Born in 1990, Santa Ana, CA. Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
EDUCATION
2022
Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, ME
2012
BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024
Gallo Gallina, Marlborough, New York, NY
2023
The Performance of Being, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020
Solita, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2019
Sissy No Fool, Mickey Gallery, Chicago, IL
2018
La Esencia de las Cosas, Deli Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Dissimulation 101, Galerie Frangulyan, Paris, France
2017
Faith in Conquest, CHLORO, Mexico City, Mexico
2016
Black Blood. Black Tar Truth. White Lies., Boyfriends, Chicago, IL
2015
Mr. Mayor, Hills Esthetics Center, Chicago, IL
Performing_NON_Conformity®, Hollywood Art Walk, Los Angeles, CA
2014
BELIEF, Night Club, Chicago, IL
Cruisn’ for a Bruisn’, Machine Projects, Los Angeles, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS, PERFORMANCES, READINGS
2024
Lovescene, curated by Mara Hassan, En.Zo Metalworks, New York, NY
Notes on Masculinity, Lyles & King, New York, NY
Moved\Displaced, curated by Annette Cyr and Rebecca Shippee, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA
2023
Made in L.A. 2023: Acts of Living, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
Full and Pure: Body, Materiality, Gender, curated by Mara Hassan, Green Family Art Foundation, Dallas, TX
2022
AllTogether, Tom of Finland Foundation, Venice, Italy & Paris, France
Aqux, The Mistake Room, Los Angeles, CA
I is Other, Lyles & King, New York, NY
2021
It’s Much Louder Than Before, Anat Ebgi, Los Angeles, CA
A Day at the Beach, Marlborough, New York, NY
Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall, Phebe Conley Art Gallery, Center for Creativity and the Arts, Fresno, CA
The Skin I Live In, Lyles & King, New York, NY
2020
Majeure Force, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2019
Cassandro, the Exotico, Ballroom Marfa, Marfa, TX
This story is no longer available, Karma Intl, Los Angeles, CA
Screening, Simon Lee Gallery, New York, NY
My Shed Shaped Heart, Hotel Art Pavillion, New York, NY
Daddywood Hard Sweat, Tom Of Finland Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
2018
US, Swiss Institute, New York, NY
What if Utopia? Queer Biennial Los Angeles, CA
Poetry Salon, Club Pro, Los Angeles, CA
Reading at Acid--Free, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles, CA
ALAC, Club Pro, Los Angeles, CA
Earth Angel, New Works, Chicago, IL
U.N.I.T. Roots and Culture, Chicago, IL
PAYASA #3, New York, NY
2017
Parkingstone Performance, Le Chinois, Paris, France
Queer Califas, Plummer Park, Los Angeles, CA
Person, Fantasies and Fallacies, Consulado General de Mexico, Los Angeles, CA
Sacred Territory, Bruce Lurie Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Thank you for believing in me, Presented by RUINS, Mexico City, Mexico
Here. There. Everywhere. LGBTQ Center, Los Angeles, CA
Situation Conflict/Conflict Situations, ACT UP, New York, NY
PAYASA #2, Los Angeles, CA
Tom of Finland Arts and Culture Festival, Tom of Finland House, Los Angeles, CA
2016
TAINT, Elijah Wheat Showroom, Brooklyn, NY
BORDERED, Rogaland Kunstsenter, Stavanger, Norway
SOPPEN, Ekebergparken Sculpture Park, Oslo, Norway
PAYASA #1, Los Angeles, CA
HerStory Performance, Standard DTLA, Los Angeles, CA
McPoems, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA
McPoems, MCA Chicago, Chicago, IL
2015
McPoets, Paramount Ranch, Los Angeles, CA
GURT Zine Opening, Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles, CA
TAP! Into “IT”, La Jolee, Paris, France
P_N_C screening, Le Bourg, Lausanne, Switzerland
Diva’s from the Underground, S+S Projects, Chicago, IL
2014
TRAINS, Night Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Louie, Louie, Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
Putilandia, Human Resources, Los Angeles, CA
META_MORPH_ISIS, New Capital, Los Angeles, CA
2013
Clown performance with La Pocha Nostra, Galeria de la Raza, San Francisco, CA
Dark Roses at WAKE, QT Gallery, Chicago, IL
Private Auction, Roots and Culture, Chicago, IL
Surfin, Adds Donna, Chicago, IL
And His Bone Wreaks: An Open House, Misty’s Dungeon, Chicago, IL
2012
London’s Calling and They’re Calling You Gay, Preteen Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico
Transformations, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
Dos Perros, Black Books, Chicago, IL
2011
Black Hoes Black Holes, Preteen Gallery, Mexico City, Mexico
RESIDENCIES
2023
Fire Island Residency, Fire Island, NY
2020
Tom of Finland Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
SELECTED PRESS
2023
Kenna McCafferty, "'Performance of Being' is Marcel Alcalá’s Portal to Queer Utopia," Paper, April 25
Millen Brown-Ewens, "Marcel Alcalá’s paintings fuse reality TV, queer nightlife, and El Greco," Dazed, March 17
Kelly Beall, “DREAMHOUSES: Abstract Fantasy Homes Prompt Short Stories,” Design Milk, February 16
2022
Mark Westall, "Night Gallery Now Represents Los Angeles-Based Artist Marcel Alcalá,” FAD Magazine, March 11
Maximilíano Durón, "Night Gallery Takes on Marcel Alcalá, L.A.-Based Artist on the Rise,” ARTnews, March 10
2021
Benjamin Kirk, “Acclaimed Stonewall Uprising Exhibit Travels to West Coast,” Fresno State News, August 12
Livia Gershon, “Step Into the Pages of ‘Goodnight Moon’ With This Enchanting Exhibition,” Smithsonian Magazine, March 24
Valentina Di Liscia, “Step Inside of Goodnight Moon in This Immersive Exhibition,” Hyperallergic, March 23
Shana Nys Dambrot, "Meet an Artist Monday: Marcel Alcalá," LA Weekly, January 4
2020
Brandon Sward, "A Surreal Portrait of Solitude and Isolation During 2020," Hyperallergic, December 25
Beatriz García, “Border Art: Marcel Alcalá’s ‘kink’ surrealism,” Al Día, December 15
Angel Sohu, “Marcel Alcalá Putas Unidas | Tom of Finland Foundation,” FLAUNT, February 21
2019
Shelley Holcomb, Sissy No Fool: An Interview with Marcel Alcalá at SADE, Curate LA, December 5
John Hood, Sade Gallery | Marcel Alcalá "Sissy No Fool”, FLAUNT, November 1
2018
Nat Marcus, “Gagged: An Interview with Marcel Alcalá,” Art Practical, May 22
2016
Brandon Sward, “Painting the White Cube Brown,” New City Art, December 16
2015
Evan Moffitt, “Performing Nonconformity at the Awards Show,” Paris LA, March 5