studio program_Chris Skylark
August - November, 2024
Introducing Chris Skylark(@chrisskylark), who will be using 99 Canal’s STUDIO 4 to produce works for his upcoming solo show, Swallow the Lake, in Times Square Space (1500 Broadway, fl. 14) which will open on Friday, September 13th, and run through September 27th, 2024.
Swallow the Lake will be Skylark’s debut solo show in New York. It will showcase his first comprehensive body of work, featuring over twelve unique works that blur the boundaries between fashion photography and fine art. The exhibition’s title, Swallow the Lake, references the collection of poems by the American writer, artist, and professor Clarence Major (b. 1936, Atlanta, Georgia), published in 1970. Grounded in their shared upbringing in Atlanta, the metaphor of the lake—representing a call to fulfilment— serves as a tool for Skylark to access, explore, and reconcile with his past and roots.
Skylark's background in music and fashion direction informs the photographed subjects by blurring the boundaries between creative industries while revealing a more intimate and vulnerable perspective. Although most of these figures have been extensively photographed, their outward, yearning, or, at times, hidden gazes uncover invasive fleeting moments that convey a deeper level of authenticity than most publicly consumed images.
Text by Ginevra de Blasio
Chris Skylark is an artist and creative director who launched his photographic career through projects for Lil Yachty, Playboi Carti, and Metro Boomin. After consulting and directing for Grammy-winning artist Daniel Caesar, Skylark decided to focus on his artistic career while simultaneously continuing to manage the 17-year-old rising musician Tana.
“Through the Lens: Chris Skylark,” HYPEBEAST, 2025
“Swallow the Lake,” office, 2024
“Chris Skylark “Swallow the Lake,” a series of experimental silkscreen prints,” WEPRESENT, 2024
“Chris Skylark Comes Full Circle in ‘Swallow the Lake’,” HYPEBEAST, 2024
“Chris Skylark’s ‘Swallow The Lake’: An Evening of Art and Celebration Presented by Tres Generaciones Tequila,” The Knockturnal, 2024
Studio Program | 99 Canal
The Studio Program is a one to three-month opportunity for emerging and mid-career artists based both within and outside New York City.
Collaborating with artists, galleries, and institutions, our selection process draws on the insights of the local creative community to ensure a continuously diverse and vibrant studio cohort.
The program initially launched in 2022 as a response to the lack of affordable spaces in Manhattan and provides access to an intimate and context-specific environment to work in.
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