sidony o’neal
US, b. Sacramento, CA, lives and works in Portland, OR
sidony o’neal: TANP D’ÆR/SPLINE + ELEGY
Aug 27 - Oct 4
215 SW 1st Ave, Portland, OR 97204
Fri: 12:00 - 6:00 PM
About the Project
sidony o’neal (Portland) is a conceptual artist and writer whose practice uses ideas from mathematics, computing, and industrial fabrication to examine how systems of knowledge become material. For the 2026 C45 Triennial, o’neal presents a new iteration of their TANP D’ÆR/SPLINE + ELEGY installation at Black-led music club Barn Radio, using perforated Tyvek to create an architectural surround for an ambient sound piece, DJ sets, and movement work by keyon gaskin. Based on the molecular structure of an insecticide associated with both the 1940 Natchez Rhythm Club fire and France’s ecocide in the Caribbean, the perforated design eulogizes histories of racialized harm and transforms them into space for healing.
Artist Bio
As an artist and writer, o’neal’s multidisciplinary work investigates how complex, abstract data sets and historical language systems can be manifested into physical form. They have presented solo exhibitions across the United States and internationally, including Softmax Hard Hasp at Et al. (San Francisco), NOT TALKING UNTIL BAD COMPANY JOINS at Dracula’s Revenge (New York), and Enchiridion: Aisle, Spline, Resort at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA). Their work has also been featured in notable duo and group exhibitions, including DRIFTWORK at Southern Guild (Los Angeles), INFANT: BANNED SKILLS at Artport via The Whitney Museum of American Art (New York), Continuous Dimensional Thorax at Third Born (Mexico City), and In Practice: Total Disbelief at the SculptureCenter (New York).
o’neal’s rigorous research-driven practice has been recognized with prestigious awards and fellowships. They are a recipient of the Oregon Arts Commission's Joan Shipley Award, a Hodder Fellowship at the Lewis Center for the Arts at Princeton University, a Hallie Ford Fellowship in Visual Arts, and the Trellis Fund Stepping Stone Grant.
