BIOGRAPHY
Ray Atlas is a New York–based artist and researcher whose practice centers ethical representation, mutual aid, and social engagement. They hold a B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University and are the recipient of the 2026 Ruth Lowe Bookman Prize for excellence in the visual arts. Atlas’s work has been exhibited at A.I.R. Gallery, Elza Kayal Gallery, Rockaway Artists Alliance, Recirculation Bookstore, and The People’s Forum. They curated Pasts and Futures: Memory, Tradition, & the Art of Reimagining at Elza Kayal Gallery and have participated in collaborative projects presented at A.I.R. Gallery and the 2026 Singapore Biennale. Their public artwork includes Community Resources in East Harlem on East 125th Street.
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 Art for Advocacy, The People’s Forum, Manhattan, NY.
Love Letter, Sierra Turrino Studio, Long Island City, NY.
2025 Hinds House, Recirculation Bookstore, Harlem, NY.
Wish U Were Here: 2025 Annual Postcard Show, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.
Pasts and Futures: Memory, Tradition, & the Art of Reimagining, Elza Kayal Gallery, NY.
Lean on Me: Everyday Acts of Humanity, Rockaway Artists Alliance, NY.
Bushwick Open Studios, Skewville, Bushwick, NY.
Works of Art, Bushwick Street Arts, Bushwick, NY.
2024 Books On Sight Winter Showcase, Enoch’s Cafe and Gallery, Hudson Yards, NY.
PUBLIC ART
2025 Uptown Grand Scale Mural Project, Uptown Grand Central, Harlem, NY.
COLLABORATIVE WORKS
2026 Carefully Constructed, with Joan Snizter, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NY.
2025 Gate: 3, with Aya Rodriguez-Izumi, Singapore Biennale 2025.
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2025 Pasts and Futures: Memory, Tradition, & the Art of Reimagining, Elza Kayal Gallery, NY.
PUBLISHED WRITING
2026 “Exhibition Review: ESCAPE-VELOCITY.” IMPULSE Magazine.
“WITNESSES: Against our Vanishing.” The David Wojnarowicz Foundation.
2025 “Pasts and Futures.” Elza Kayal Gallery.
PRESS
2026 “Meet Ray Atlas.” Bold Journey Magazine.
“Opinion: Why Serious Art Lovers Need to Visit MFA & BFA Thesis Exhibitions.” Whitehot Magazine.
2025 “Ray Atlas.” Ratrock Magazine.
“Art & Ponder: Opinion Piece.” Liam Otero.
TEACHING & LECTURES
2026 Guest Lecturer, “Contemporary Handicraft in England,” Columbia University, New York, NY.
AWARDS & HONORS
2026 Ruth Lowe Bookman Prize, Barnard College
Ethel Stone Lefrak Prize, Barnard College (Nominee)
2025 CJC for the Arts Grant
EDUCATION
2026 Barnard College of Columbia University
B.A. in Visual Arts (Art History) & Archaeological Anthropology