Rhys Douglas Farrell is an emerging artist living and working in Calgary, Alberta. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts (major in Painting) from the Alberta College of Art + Design in the spring of 2016. Farrell is the recipient of a painting scholarship from ACAD where he was also the Representative for the Painting Department and the Director of the Student Gallery, Quoin Gallery. He was signed on with the Herringer Kiss Gallery when still a student and his first solo show was named by Canadian Art Magazine as a “Must See”.  He was then featured in a 7 page spread in Branded Magazine in the summer 2016. Farrell has completed a number of public art projects with the Telus Spark Science Center, Beltline Urban Mural Project, the City of Calgary and a number of private commissions. His work has been aggressively collected by private and corporate collections alike and he recently completed three international residencies with Pinea & Linea De Costa A.I.R program in Spain, Graniti Murales in Sicily and the TARP Program in Kuala Lumpur with Taksu Gallery. Farrell is also the recipient of the 2019 Alumni Horizon Award from AUArts.

 

Farrell’s paintings create optical images and illusions through the use of colour and shape. Rhys’ work pays particular attention to colour theory and how line and shape affect visual perception.

A hard-edge painter, Rhys Douglas Farrell ties elements of graffiti and street painting with the minimal op-art tradition.

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Education
2015 Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting & Drawing) with Distinction, Alberta University of the Arts, Calgary, Canada.

Grants/Scholarships/Awards
2024 Visual Arts Individual Project Funding, Alberta Foundation For the Arts.
2019 The Alumni Horizon Award, Alberta University of the Arts.
2015 The Arthur and Betty Torode Memorial Scholarship, Alberta University of the Arts.
          The Doris Brown Memorial Scholarship, Alberta University of the Arts.
          The Richard Halliday Memorial Scholarship, Alberta University of the Arts.
2012 Second Year Painting Scholarship, Alberta University of the Arts.

Solo Exhibitions
2025 Luminance, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          Efflorescence, Gallery Mckinley, Vancouver, Canada.
          Transcendence, Fish Creek Public Library, Calgary, Canada.
2023 Optimatic, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2020 Sensationships, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2018 Changing Planes, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          The Wind in the Awning, Espacio Pinea, Rota, Spain.
2017 Bemused, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2016 Patterns on Patterns, Art Commons, Calgary Canada.
2015 Optic, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          P230 1-5 P260 1-5, Marion Nicholl Gallery, Calgary, Canada.

Group Exhibitions
2025 Loop and Parallel, Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre, Calgary, Canada.
          Influential, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          100 Amigos, Astro Arts Festival, Vancouver, Canada.
2024 Midsummer Group Exhibition, Herringer Kiss Galley, Calgary, Canada.
          The Subject Is Colour, Loch Gallery + Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2023 Collective, Mckinley Gallery, Vancouver, Canada.
          Stellar Spirits, James Oliver Gallery, Philadelphia, United States.
           Bring It Black,, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2022 Cinematique by Beltline Urban Mural Association, Contemporary Calgary,                               Canada.
           Summer Group Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
           Look 2022 Gala, Contemporary Calgary, Canada.
2021 Summer Group Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          Urban Soul, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Alberta, Canada.
2020 Flatbed Pictures, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          30th Anniversary Show, Taksu Gallery, Singapore.
          HK Winter Group Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2019 Taksu XXX, APW Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.
          This is Dope, Taksu Gallery, Singapore.
          BLACK, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2018 Sampler, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          +5, Espacio Pinea, Rota, Spain.
          Sampler 2018, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2017 Summer 17 Group Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.

2016 Summer Group Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
         Gradshow, Alberta University of the Arts.
2015 OPhemeral, Plethora Artist Guild Loft 112, Calgary, Canada.
          Summer Group Show, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          Art For Food, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
2014 Fridge Worthy, Alberta University of the Arts.
2012 Origin, 22nd Century Social Club, Museum of Contemporary Art, Calgary, Canada.

 

Residencies
2025 Kiyooka Ohe Artist Residency, Calgary, Canada.
2023 The W Hotel + Taksu Gallery Artist Residency, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
          Jupiter Fab Artist Residency, Guadalajara, Mexico.
2019 Taksu-Residency, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
2018 Graniti Murales, Graniti, Sicily.
          Pinea Linea de Costa, Rota, Spain.

Public Art + Art Fairs
2025 Heightened Horizons with Alex Kwong, Calgary, Canada.
          Yolanda, Collaboration with Alex Kwong, Calgary Folk Fest, Canada.
          Vibrations, Commonwealth Nightclub Installation, Calgary, Canada.
2024 Scenic Serenity, The City of Victoria Public Art, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
          Kaleidoscope, Commercial Development, Calgary, Canada.
          Gradual Grades, The City of Calgary Public Art Program, Calgary, Canada.
2023 Malay Daybreak + Shooting Star, The W Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
          Blown Away, Medicine Hat Mural Festival, Medicine Hat, Canada.
          Inter-dimensional, Contemporary Calgary, Canada.
          Portal of New Perspectives, Telus Sky Science Center, Calgary, Canada.
         The Bleary Breeze, Guadalajara, Mexico.
2022 The Tornado Of Testaments, Calgary, Canada.
          Singapore Art Fair, Singapore.
2021 Luscious Longings, Beltline Mural Association, Calgary, Canada.
2020 University District Community Mural, University of Calgary, Canada.
          Stripe Street, Deerfoot City, Calgary, Canada.
          Migration, Avli on Atlantic, Calgary, Canada.
2019 Heated Horizons, YYC Airport, Calgary, Canada.
          Oplandia, PARK, Edmonton, Canada.
          Art Expo Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
          Diamonds in the Sky, PARK, Calgary, Canada.
2018 Learn To Love Again, Graniti Murales, Graniti, Sicily.
         Triangle Checkerboard, Beltline Mural Association, Calgary, Canada.
         Light of the Sky Mural, Rota, Spain.
2016 Mach Band + Moire Mural, Telus Science Center, Calgary, Canada.
2015 Optic Tunnel, Telus Spark Science Center, Calgary, Canada.

Publications
2021 Lens Flare, Collaboration with Derek Beaulieu, Guillemot Press, United Kingdom.

Press
2025 A Day In The Life, Calgary Guardian, Canada.
2022 Frank Architecture Creates Lonely Mouth, Dezeen, London, England.
2021 Brighter Days Ahead, Calgary Herald, Calgary, Canada.
2020 Artist Spotlight, FYA Magazine, London, England.
          Fiddlehead Cover, Fiddlehead Magazine, Nova Scotia, Canada.
2019 YYC Artist Showcase, Freq Magazine, Calgary, Canada.
2017 Rhys Farrell's Trippy Op Art, Galleries West, Canada.
         Must See's This Week, Canadian Art Magazine, Canada.

2016 Rhys Douglas Farrell, Branded, Calgary, Canada.
2015 Must See's This Week, Canadian Art Magazine, Canada.
          Don't Fence Him In, Swerve Magazine, Calgary, Canada.

Professional Service
2025 Painting Instructor Con. Ed. Hard Edge Painting Course, Alberta University of the                        Arts, Canada.
          Artist Talk, Influential Group Exhibition, Herringer Kiss Gallery, Calgary, Canada.
          Artist Talk, Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre, Calgary, Canada.
2024 Artist Lecture: Applications, Residencies and Project, Elephant Artist Relief                                  Society, Canada.
           Artist Presentation Painting 301: Painting Studio II, Alberta University of the Arts,                      Canada.
2022 Artist Presentation + Workshop, Queen Elizabeth High School, Calgary, Canada.
2017 Invited Artist Presentation, Toronto School Of Arts, Toronto, Canada.
         Pinstripped Installation, Arts Commons, Calgary, Canada.
2016 Colour Sensations, Invited Guest Presentation, Art 231.01 2-D Fundamentals,                          University of Calgary, Department of Art.
          Artist Talk: Happenings 6, Art Commons, Calgary, Canada.

Collections
Calgary Stampede BMO Centre
Concorde Group
Inter Pipeline
Sarah Ward Interior Design
Numerous Private Collections
C3 Arts Advisory Inc.