John Opera earned his BFA from SUNY New Paltz (1998) and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2005). He lived, worked, taught, and exhibited in Chicago for more than a dozen years. He currently is Assistant Professor of Photography at the University of Buffalo.
Opera’s exhibitions include: Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Geneva, NY), Higher Pictures (New York), Longhouse Projects (New York), DOCUMENT (Chicago), Shane Campbell Gallery (Chicago), Andrew Rafacz Gallery (Chicago), The Suburban (Milwaukee), The Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago), Transformer Station (Cleveland), Melanie Flood Projects, Portland (OR), Michael Jon Gallery (Miami), Macalester College Art Gallery (St. Paul), Nina Freudenheim Gallery (Buffalo) and The Burchfield-Penney Art Center (Buffalo). His work has been the subject of a two-person exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and is featured in the second volume of MP3, co-published by Aperture and the Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago). His work is part of the permanent collections of the DePaul Museum of Art (Chicago), the Burchfield-Penney Art Center (Buffalo), and the Museum of Contemporary Photography (Chicago), among other institutions.
Opera’s work has been reviewed by Artforum, Artforum.com, The New Yorker, Flash Art, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Rail, The Buffalo News, and Chicago Artist Writers, among other publications.
John Opera, Solaris, 2022, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 26 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Double Palm, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 20 1/4 x 16 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Observer 4, 2022, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 12 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Sun LCister, 2022, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 20 1/4 x 16 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, The Observer, 2022, Pigment and gun arabic on canvas, 26 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Arch, 2022, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 26 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Untitled, 2022, Gum bichromate on stretched canvas, 30 x 24 x 2 in
John Opera, Untitled, 2022, Gum bichromate on stretched canvas, 20h x 16w x 2d in
John Opera, Untitled, 2022, Gum bichromate on stretched canvas, 20h x 16w x 2d in
John Opera, Untitled, 2022, Gum bichromate on stretched canvas, 30h x 24w x 2d in
John Opera, 02_47, 2021, Archival Inkjet print, 26h x 21w in (34 1/2h x 29w in framed)
John Opera, 7K_363, 2021, Archival Inkjet print, 26h x 21w in (34 1/2h x 29w in framed)
John Opera, 6M_270, 2021, Archival Inkjet print, 26h x 21w in (34 1/2h x 29w in framed)
John Opera, Oval With Grid (black), 2017, Cyanotype, acrylic and vinyl paint on canvas in artist frame, 46h x 36w in
John Opera, Oval (grey), 2017, Cyanotype, acrylic and vinyl paint on canvas in artist frame, 33h x 26w in
John Opera, Double Slit (Blue-Blue), 2018, Cyanotype, acrylic and flashe on canvas in lacquered artist frame, 46h x 36w in
John Opera, Oval with lines (Blue), 2018, Cyanotype, acrylic and flashe on canvas in lacquered artist frame, 21h x 17w in
John Opera Diamond with dots (Pink), 2018 Cyanotype, acrylic and flashe on canvas in lacquered artist frame, 21h x 17w in
John Opera, Double Lens (BP), 2017, Cyanotype, acrylic and vinyl paint on canvas in artist frame, 21h x 17w in
John Opera, Double Lens (RB), 2017, Cyanotype, acrylic and vinyl paint on canvas in artist frame, 21h x 17w in
John Opera, Solaris, 2022, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 26 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Double Palm, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 20 1/4 x 16 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Observer 4, 2022, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 12 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Sun LCister, 2022, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 20 1/4 x 16 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, The Observer, 2022, Pigment and gun arabic on canvas, 26 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Arch, 2022, Pigment and gum arabic on canvas, 26 1/4 x 21 1/4 x 1 in.
John Opera, Untitled, 2022, Gum bichromate on stretched canvas, 30 x 24 x 2 in
John Opera, Untitled, 2022, Gum bichromate on stretched canvas, 20h x 16w x 2d in
John Opera, Untitled, 2022, Gum bichromate on stretched canvas, 20h x 16w x 2d in
John Opera, Untitled, 2022, Gum bichromate on stretched canvas, 30h x 24w x 2d in
John Opera, 02_47, 2021, Archival Inkjet print, 26h x 21w in (34 1/2h x 29w in framed)
John Opera, 7K_363, 2021, Archival Inkjet print, 26h x 21w in (34 1/2h x 29w in framed)
John Opera, 6M_270, 2021, Archival Inkjet print, 26h x 21w in (34 1/2h x 29w in framed)
John Opera, Oval With Grid (black), 2017, Cyanotype, acrylic and vinyl paint on canvas in artist frame, 46h x 36w in
John Opera, Oval (grey), 2017, Cyanotype, acrylic and vinyl paint on canvas in artist frame, 33h x 26w in
John Opera, Double Slit (Blue-Blue), 2018, Cyanotype, acrylic and flashe on canvas in lacquered artist frame, 46h x 36w in
John Opera, Oval with lines (Blue), 2018, Cyanotype, acrylic and flashe on canvas in lacquered artist frame, 21h x 17w in
John Opera Diamond with dots (Pink), 2018 Cyanotype, acrylic and flashe on canvas in lacquered artist frame, 21h x 17w in
John Opera, Double Lens (BP), 2017, Cyanotype, acrylic and vinyl paint on canvas in artist frame, 21h x 17w in
John Opera, Double Lens (RB), 2017, Cyanotype, acrylic and vinyl paint on canvas in artist frame, 21h x 17w in
2023 1.13
Press: Newcity Art
Observing The Observers: A Review of John Opera at DOCUMENT
2023 1.13
Press: ArtForum Must See Guide
John Opera: The Observers
2022 12.22
Press: Newcity Art
DOCUMENT Expands to Portugal
2022 11.11
Solo Exhibition at Nebraska Wesleyan University's Elder Gallery
John Opera
2022 4.22
Press: The Latest
John Opera
2022 3.30
Press: The Boston Globe
John Opera
2022 3.26
Group Exhibition at Melanie Flood Projects
John Opera
2022 3.17
Group Exhibition at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts
John Opera
2021 12.1
Bookforum
John Opera
2021 11.30
Video Interview with Point of Learning
John Opera
2021 9.3
Solo presentation at June Art Fair
John Opera
2020 8.14
Group exhibition at The Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art
John Opera
2019 3.28
Nina Freudenheim Gallery
John Opera
2024 7.11–8.16
Natani Notah, John Opera, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Kazuhito Tanaka, Pedro Vaz
QUEENS, NY | Cosmic Disco
2023 1.20–5.20
John Opera
LISBON | Blue Dream
2023 1.6–2.25
John Opera
CHICAGO | The Observers
2019 6.7–7.27
John Opera
John Opera
2019 6.27–7.26
John Opera, Sterling Lawrence, Mary Helena Clark
Condo NY 2019
2017 4.15–5.27
John Opera
Technical Images
|
Artist |
Exhibition |
Dates |
Type |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Natani Notah, John Opera, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Kazuhito Tanaka, Pedro Vaz |
QUEENS, NY | Cosmic Disco |
2024 7.11–8.16 |
Past |
 |
|||
|
John Opera |
LISBON | Blue Dream |
2023 1.20–5.20 |
Past |
 |
|||
|
John Opera |
CHICAGO | The Observers |
2023 1.6–2.25 |
Past |
 |
|||
|
John Opera |
John Opera |
2019 6.7–7.27 |
Past |
 |
|||
|
John Opera, Sterling Lawrence, Mary Helena Clark |
Condo NY 2019 |
2019 6.27–7.26 |
Past |
 |
|||
|
John Opera |
Technical Images |
2017 4.15–5.27 |
Past |
 |
|||
