Calli Moore is an artist based in Brooklyn, NY. Born and raised in Iowa, Moore received her BFA in Painting and Drawing from the University of Iowa in 2014 and earned her MFA at American University, Washington, D.C. in 2016. Moore has exhibited work nationally and internationally including notable galleries Gaa Gallery, Harper’s, Library Street Collective, Louis Buhl, and Red Arrow Gallery.

What core principles influence your practice as an artist?

My core principles as an artist are ones that also apply to the philosophies that I abide by in my everyday life. One, all the answers you seek are ultimately within you already and cannot be found externally. Two, when you release any resistance and self-limiting beliefs and choose to flow with the “time river,” that is when everything falls into place. For example, knowing that the answers and ideas will arrive when they should, not necessarily on your own preferred timeline. And three, when you quiet the mind and open the heart, therein is your guidance. A Ram Dass quote comes to mind, “the heart surrenders everything to the moment, the mind judges and holds back.”

Can you speak to the significance of incorporating the spiritual and metaphysical world in your paintings?

The spiritual and metaphysical world is so deeply interwoven into my work because it really is just an extension of myself that is existing within. I believe that the artist is a channel to a higher consciousness, and what we create is an expression of that higher consciousness. The act of painting is very much a meditative process to me. It is a daily exercise in opening my mind and intuition.

Do you have any rituals that support you in creating your work?

I like to move my body before I enter the studio, whether it be yoga, stretching, or some form of cardio. I believe it awakens the body and mind. I treat my studio practice sort of like a sport. You have to condition every aspect of yourself for a successful “performance.” I was a D1 rower in college, so I think that mentality has influenced the way I work in the studio.

What is your creative process in producing work?

I spend a lot of time researching subjects that interest me as well as collecting imagery that inspires me so that my mind is always active when I am not in the studio painting. Currently, I have been delving deep into quantum physics, specifically, Carl Jung’s theories, which were a direct inspiration for my work in my solo exhibition titled Invocations, which is currently on view at Louis Buhl in Detroit.

Who is somebody currently living that you have the most respect for in the art world?

The first person that comes to mind is John Dilg. He was my former professor at the University of Iowa. He was the first person to come up to me and say, “You are a painter.” He believed in my abilities and inspired me to go on to obtain my Master’s in the Fine Arts. He has a quiet yet powerful way about him. He is a true testament to the notion that success is not obtained overnight, and that choosing to be an artist is a commitment to a lifetime of hard work. His paintings are beautiful, meditative, soft, and quiet. He is a real gem of a human and has impacted me greatly.

Is there an institutional collection that would be meaningful for you to be in?

Two come to mind. First, The Art Institute of Chicago. I am from the Midwest and my first experience with art was at AIC. Growing up in Iowa, I had very limited access to art, so when I first experienced the museum in Chicago at the age of 18, it changed my whole world. I remember standing in front of a large abstract Gerhard Richter painting and thinking,”Wow, how can someone move paint like that and evoke such a strong feeling?”That visit to Chicago lit the fire within me. The second would be the Alexandra and Steven A. Cohen Art Collection. They are wonderful people, and their Foundation does absolutely incredible work and I would be honored to be a part of their collection.

Describe what an ideal public or private space would look like for your artwork to reside in.

I love architecture and see it as an art form. When architecture and art work in a harmonious way, the result is captivating. I am visiting Italy this summer and am excited to explore the open-air museums of Rome for inspiration. I think having my work reside in an indoor/outdoor Italian villa or manor would be thrilling. The natural light and foliage in Italy are majestic and otherworldly. I believe my paintings living in a location like that would be electric and ethereal.

Which artists would you like to be in a group show with in the future?

Of course, Zoe McGuire comes to mind first. Her paintings are so beautiful, and I think we are tapping into the same kind of energy within our work. I believe an exhibition with contemporary female painters who are spiritually driven alongside the women who paved the pathway for us, such as Agnes Pelton, Hilma af Klint, and Emma Kunz, would be a phenomenal and powerful show.

Which part of the art ecosystem excites you the most for the future of your practice?

I believe we are at a pivotal moment in the art world when it comes to community building and artists having more autonomy over their work. I think this visit with you has elicited an excitement in me for the future of the art world, as it is apparent that new and innovative ideas are percolating among curators and artists. I sense a shift on the horizon where we will be able to more easily collaborate, and the artist will be championed in our current Capitalist-driven art world. 

Calli Moore currently has a solo show, Invocations, at Louis Buhl in Detroit on view from June 8 – July 17, 2024. 

Through her luminous and rich flora compositions, Moore’s latest series of paintings present a reflective and transcendent experience of the natural world. 

Interested in the intersection of metaphysics, spirituality and the sciences, Moore credits the subconscious mind as the ultimate inspiration behind her works. Captured by the exhibition’s title, she was galvanized by invocations—the word’s meaning of which is to call upon a higher power for direction, answers and assistance—as a guide to discovering each painting’s fate. “The compelling force to create these paintings came not so much from a particular inspiration,” Moore explained, “but from a drive to produce these forms and color with their balance and symmetry, reflecting both celestial and earthly realms.” The advent of Invocations was a display of synchronicity, a topic that has long been researched and has left scientists in awe at the enigma of the postulate. Similar to Carl Jung’s exploration into synchronicities and his study of the physicist Wolfgang Pauli’s dreams to find answer and meaning, Moore seeks to discover the same from the process of painting, each work leading her to a higher knowledge and understanding of her place in the world.