Bill Burns’ work about advanced industrialism, donkeys, goat’s milk, salt, safety gear, and honey bees has been shown at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Mendes Wood Gallery, Sao Paulo; 303 Gallery, New York; the Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.He has published artists’ books with publishers in Canada, Germany, USA, UK, Austria, and Denmark. His most recent titles include A Book About the Power 100, published by Verlag Mark Pezinger, Vienna (2018) and Hans Ulrich Obrist Hear Us, published by YYZ BOOKS and Black Dog Publishing, London, UK (2016). His artists’ editions are included in collections at Tate Britain, London, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Getty Center, Los Angeles. Mr Burns is also Artistic Director of the Dogs and Boats and Airplanes Experimental Children’s Choir. The choir has produced live performances and audio works at festivals in Australia, Argentina, the UK and Canada.
Bill Burns studied under Mowry Baden at University of Victoria, Canada and with Gerard Hemsworth and John Latham at Goldsmiths College, London, England. He is represented by MKG127, Toronto; C4 Contemporary, Los Angeles; South American enquiries can be made through Mendes Wood, Sao Paulo. A list of exhibitions follows below.
List of Exhibitions and Publications
ONE PERSON EXHIBITIONS and PROJECTS
2021 :: MKG127, Toronto
2020 :: Biblioteca La Lechuza, Chajari, Argentina
2019 :: MacKenzie Art Gallery, (permanent installation of Bird Radio), Regina, Canada
Atelier Amden, Amden Utopian Colony, Amden, Switzerland
2018 :: Atelier Amden, Amden Utopian Colony, Amden, Switzerland
2017 :: MKG127, Toronto
2016 :: Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
Wavelength – Resonance Radio, London, England
2015 :: Bienal de Asuncion, Asuncion, Paraguay
2014 :: Hippolyte, Centre for Photographic Research, Helsinki, Finland
2013 :: MKG 127, Toronto Biennale de St Etienne, St Etienne, France
2012 :: Davis Museum, Barcelona, Spain
Mulherin + Pollard, New York
Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
C4 Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
2011 :: Mendes-Wood Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Klondike Institute for the Arts, Dawson City, Yukon
2010 :: Fundacion Cristina Enea, San Sebastian, Spain
MKG 127, Toronto, Canada
Quebec City Biennial, Quebec, Quebec
2009 :: Kunsthalle KBH, Krabbesholm, Art, Architecture and Design, Skive, Denmark
Doris McCarthy Art Gallery, University of Toronto, Toronto
AM Richard Fine Art, Brooklyn, New York
2008 Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, England
MKG 127, Toronto, Canada
2007 :: KW – Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany
Art Gallery, California State University – Fullerton, Los Angeles
2006 :: Atelier Amden, Amden Utopian Colony, Amden Switzerland
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia
2005 :: Museum of Contemporary Art, Toronto
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2020 – 2021 :: Borderlines Biennial, Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada
2018 :: Bienal de Curitiba, Memorial de Curitiba, Curitiba, Brazil
2016 :: The Art Museum, University of Toronto, Toronto,
2015 :: Rich Mix, London, England
Galerie Yoko Uhouda, Liege, Belgium with C. Daviet-Thery, Paris
2014 : Bienal of the Moving Image, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2012 :: MASS MoCA, North Adams, Mass, USA
Staats und Universitätsbibliothek Hamburg Carl von Ossietzky,
Hamburg, Germany
2011 :: Arnolfini, Bristol, England
Kunstraum d21, Leipzig, Germany
Biblioteca Aguilar, New York
2010 :: Paul Robeson Gallery, Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA
Tensta Konsthall, Spanga – Stockholm, Sweden
Zentral Bibliothek, Zurich, Switzerland
Fuglsang Kunstmuseum, Fuglsang, Denmark
2009 :: Kunsthallen Brandts Odense, Denmark
Kunsthallen Nikolaj, Copenhagen, Denmark
Andreas Grimm Galerie, Munich, Germany
2008 :: Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles
AKI, Enschede, The Netherlands
2007 :: El Basilisco, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Orchard 47, New York
The Reading Room at the Olin Library, Washington University, Washington, USA
The Fleet Library at Rhode Island School of Design, USA
2006 :: Safe: Design Takes on Risk, Museum of Modern Art, New York
AWARDS
2015 :: Canada Council Paris Studio – Cite des Arts, Paris
2013 :: Canada Council for the Arts, Long-Term Grant
2012 :: Saari Artist-In-Residence, Kone Foundation, Helsinki, Finland
2011 :: Canada House Arts Trust Grant, London, England
Ontario Arts Council, Established Arts Grant
2009 :: MacDowell AIR Fellowship, Peterborough, New Hampshire
2009 :: Leon Levy Foundation Grant, New York
2008 :: Danish International Visiting Artist Award, (DIVA) Danish Arts Agency, Copenhagen
2007 :: Minister of Culture Travel Award, Government of Argentina
2005 :: Alcuin Award for Book Design, to Zab Design for Safety Gear for Small Animals, (conception Bill Burns) Vancouver
2004 :: Best Media Arts Award, (for Machine Guts in collaboration with Christina Zeidler), Images Festival, Toronto, Canada
2005 :: MacDowell AIR Fellowship, Peterborough, New Hampshire, 2005
2002 :: Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award, New York
2002 :: Wellcome Trust Commission, London, England
PERFORMANCES, SCREENINGS, AUDIO WORKS
2020 :: The Goat, The Salt, The Honey, The Country Singer, Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada
2018 :: Fine Art Film Festival Official Selection, ICA, Venice, California
2016 :: The Great Chorus, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto
THE CLASSROOM at the LA Art Book Fair, Geffen Contemporary, Los Angeles
2014 Bird Songs for Afghanistan, Biennial of the Moving Image, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2013 :: Bird Songs for Toronto, Festival of Films About Art, Montreal
2013 :: Dogs and Boats and Airplanes, LIPAC Art Lab, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2013 :: Dogs and Boats and Airplanes Children’s Choir, 100 Voice Concert, Tasmania, Australia
2012 :: Dogs and Boats and Airplanes Children’s Choir, Lord Lansdowne Public School, Toronto, Canada
2011 :: Dogs and Boats and Airplanes Children’s Choir, Big Pond Small Fish, Nuit Blanche, Toronto
2009 :: My Life in the Art World, Titus Auditorium, a reading, Museum of Modern Art, New York
2008 :: Bird Songs for Afghanistan, ICA, London, England
Bird Radio for Banff, Banff Centre for the Arts, Banff, Canada
O-800.0FAUNA0FLORA, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, England
2007 :: Bird Radio/Vogelradio for Berlin, KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, Germany
PUBLISHED BOOKS and EDITIONS selected
2018 :: A Book About the Power 100, Mark Pezinger Verlag, Vienna, Austria
2016 :: Hans Ulrich Obrist Hear Us, YYZ BOOKS, Toronto and Black Dog Publishing, London
2012 :: Dogs and Boats and Airplanes Children’s Choir, 33rpm vinyl LP,
Big Pond Small Fish Productions, Toronto
2011 :: Dogs and Boats and Airplanes told in the form of Ivan the Terrible, red version, Space Poetry, Copenhagen
2011 :: Three Books and a Record about Plants, Animals and War, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig, Cologne, Germany
2010 :: Two Boiler Suits and a Play List for Primates, YYZ, Toronto
2008 :: The Flora and Fauna Information Service: 0.800.0FAUNA0FLORA, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, England
2008 :: Dogs and Boats and Airplanes (bound postcard book), MKG127, Toronto
2007 :: Bird Radio, KW ICA, Berlin, Germany, KWAG, Kitchener, Ontario and Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther Konig, Cologne, Germany
2006 :: Five Books about Safety and Animals, boxed edition of books, Five Books about Safety and Animals, Published by Pug-In, Winnipeg, Neutral Ground Regina, William English Editions, London, and 303 Gallery New York
Bibliography selected
The Great Goat Milking and the Great Chorus, anthology entry in Outdoor School, Amish Morell , Diane Borsato, editors and contributors, Douglas and McIntyre and Banff Centre, Vancouver, 2021
On Observant Artists and Their Keepers, a review and Ger Zielinski, Topia Journal, University of Toronto, Toronto, 2019
Flickering Memoirs and Surveys: An Interview with Bill Burns, Caroline Picard, Art21 Magazine, New York, March, 2017
Brownnoser series, Kunstlicht Journal of Visual Art, Amsterdam, Netherlands, no4, vol 36, 2016
Veblen Goods series, Kunstlicht Journal of Visual Art, Amsterdam, Netherlands, no3, vol 36, 2015
Dogs and Boats and Airplanes (Ivan the Terrible Version), Esopus, New York, Winter, 2012
My Life in the Artworld, Border Crossings, Winnipeg, Winter, 2011
Bird Radio and the Eames Chair Lounge for Afghanistan, C-Magazine, Toronto, October, 2010
Dogs and Boats and Airplanes, photo work, Prefix Photo, Toronto, 2010
Two Prison Plans and a Playlist for Primates, Topia – Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies, Toronto, 2010
The Last Book, contribution to anthology edited by Luis Camnitzer, National Library of Argentina, Buenos Aires, 2008
The Story of the Museum of Safety Gear for Small Animals, Alphabet City, MIT PRESS, Cambridge, USA, 2002
Painkiller Mines, OKAY Behaviour, 303 Gallery, New York, 1993
In the line of Fire, Publicsfear Magazine, New York, 1993