Jessica O’Lear is a non-binary artist originally from Philadelphia, currently living and working in Ontario, Canada. In 2023, Jessica received their Master of Fine Arts in Visual Art from the University of Ottawa. Influenced by their background in Anthropology, their work investigates the relationship between place, identity, and memory as it relates to cities. In the past, Jessica spent time living in Japan working on a series that explored the sensations of homesickness, memory, and how we learn to relate our past space to our current space. Jessica also spent time creating work that focused on the cultural identities of Philadelphia neighborhoods. Most recently, Jessica focused their work on the city of Ottawa. Combining photography, collage and installation art, they created a new space by restructuring the physical elements of the city.
Jessica’s work has appeared in exhibitions throughout USA, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Select exhibitions include: VOX XV: What Makes that Black? (Vox Populi 2019), Truth and Image (Da Vinci Art Alliance and Lightbox Film Center 2018), and PHOTOGraphy 2018 (Philadelphia Sketch Club 2018). Please contact Jessica directly if you are interested in purchasing a piece or for general inquiries.
CV
SELECT SOLO & GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 FRESH, Gallery 1313, Toronto, ON, Canada
2024 All The Small Things, Northern Contemporary, Toronto, ON, Canada
2024 Liminal, Alternity, CONTACT Photography Festival, Toronto, ON, Canada
2024 Fix Up Look Sharp, Northern Contemporary, Toronto, ON, Canada
2024 Urban, The Glasgow Gallery of Photography, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom–Juried
2023 Passing Place, Kolaj Institute at The School Art Studios, New Orleans, LA, United States
2023 Fragmented Body, Glad Day Bookshop, Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, Toronto, ON, Canada
2023 World Collage Day, Merz Gallery, Sanquhar, Scotland, United Kingdom
2023 Digital Directions, Maryland Federation of Arts Circle Gallery, Annapolis, MD, United States- -Juried
2022 Vision: Color Photography, Black Box Gallery; On-line Annex, Portland, OR, United States—Juried
2022 Architecture, Envision Arts, Virtual Exhibition–Juried
2022 Changing Places, Gallery 115, Ottawa, ON, Canada
2019 Vox XV: What Makes That Black?, Vox Populi Gallery, Philadelphia, PA–Juried
2019 Ol’ Factory: Memory through the Senses, Coral Street Arts House, Philadelphia, PA–Juried
2018 Truth+Image, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA–Juried
2018 PHOTOGraphy 2018, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA–Juried
2018 Let’s Connect, Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
2018 Fuzed Underground, Tattooed Mom, Philadelphia, PA
2018 Fairmount Ave Arts Crawl, OCF Coffee, Philadelphia, PA — Juried
2018 Philadelphia Art Week, Olo Solo Gallery West, Philadelphia, PA — Juried
2018 Pancakes and Booze, Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA
RESIDENCIES
2023 Kolaj Institute, Merz Gallery, Sanquhar, Scotland, United Kingdom
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2024 Balzac’s Pride Exhibition, Balzac’s Coffee Cafe, Toronto, Canada
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“Sense of Place: Collaging the World We Live In”
Kolaj Fest New Orleans.
Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA, June 2022
PUBLICATIONS
O’Lear, Jessica. “Bea Nettles and the Mythology of Everyday Life.” Photo Blog (blog). National Gallery of Canada, December 2, 2022.
https://www.gallery.ca/photo-blog/bea-nettles-and-the-mythology-of-everyday-life.
Jessica O'Lear Art 