Email me at reginaagu.studio at gmail.com
Bio
Regina Agu (American, b. Houston) is a visual artist, writer, and researcher based in Chicago, IL. Agu was raised between the United States, the Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Africa, and Switzerland. Her interdisciplinary practice includes conceptual and material inquiries into memory, history, representation, and Black geographies. Her research-based practice spans photography, drawing, installation, sound, text, and collaboration in the public sphere.
Her work has been included in exhibitions, performances, and publications internationally, at venues including the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) at Columbia College Chicago, New Orleans Museum of Art, New Museum, The Drawing Center, the High Line, Project Row Houses, FotoFest, the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, among many others. Her work was exhibited in the 2021 Atlanta Biennial: Of Care and Destruction, and the 2021 Texas Biennial: A New Landscape, A Possible Horizon.
Agu is a recipient of a 2025 Creative Impact Award from United States Artists, supported by the Joyce Foundation. She is a 2023 Joyce Award winner with MoCP. Her work has been supported by an Artadia Houston award, grants from Houston Arts Alliance, The Idea Fund, and the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts + Project Row Houses fellowship at the University of Houston for her research project A Psychogeography of Emancipation Park. Agu was a 2022 Radicle artist-in-residence in the Jackman Goldwasser Residency at Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago, IL. She has attended residencies at the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans through a partnership with For Freedoms, A Studio in the Woods, Open Sessions at The Drawing Center in NYC, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and Lawndale Artist Studio Program, among others.
From 2014-2017, Agu was the co-director of Alabama Song, an artist-run space in Third Ward, Houston, which received a 2016 SEED grant from The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. Agu is the founder of the Houston-based WOC Reading Group, and her other collaborative projects include Friends of Angela Davis Park, which was supported by an Idea Fund grant in 2014. Agu‘s advocacy for artists in the Gulf South spanned serving on the board of directors of several arts organizations in Houston, including Project Row Houses, Aurora Picture Show, and DiverseWorks (including a concurrent term as Artist Board President), serving as a mentor to the Project Row Houses Summer Studios program, and jurying grant panels across Texas and in New Orleans.
Agu holds a BS from Cornell University and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work is in private and public collections including Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago.
Download PDF here
Full CV available upon email request
Low Residency MFA | New Artist Society Merit Scholarship
Cornell University
B.S. Policy Analysis and Management | Cornell Tradition Fellowship
2025 | Shore|Lines. Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2019 | Passage. New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA. Curated by Katie Pfohl.
2016 | Sea Change (Round 45: Local Impact). Project Row Houses, Houston, TX. Curated by Ryan N. Dennis.
2013 | Nerve Endings. Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX. Curated by Dennis Nance.
2013 | ...mistress. Box 13, Houston, TX.
2013 | An Echo, A Trace. Darke Gallery, Houston, TX.
2012 | Visible Unseen. Fresh Arts, Houston, TX.
2011 | Nostalgia for the Living (Round 35). Project Row Houses, Houston, TX.
2010 | Extended Drawing. labotanica, Houston, TX. Curated by Ayanna Jolivet Mccloud.
Group Exhibitions (selected)
2024 | Waterways. Schingoethe Center of Aurora University, Aurora, IL. Curated by Doug Stapleton and Natasha Ritsma.
2023 | Dreaming of a Future. ThreeWalls, Chicago, IL. Curated by Jeffreen Hayes.
2023 | Conflicts of Freedom. Povos, Chicago, IL. Curated by blackpuffin.
2023 | LandFORMS. EXPO Chicago, presented by Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL. Two-person show, curated by Mariela Acuna.
2021 | Still Life. The Franklin, Chicago, IL.
2021 | In Place of an Index. Fotofest, Houston, TX. Curated by Max Fields. Presented in Texas Biennial : A New Landscape, A Possible Horizon (curated by Ryan N. Dennis and Evan Garza).
2021 | Atlanta Biennial: Of Care and Destruction. Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, GA. Curated by Jordan Amirkhani.
2019 | New Monuments for New Cities. High Line Network Joint Art Initiative, NY.
2019 | Show Me Your Shelves. The African American Library at the Gregory School, Houston, TX. Organized by Contemporary & (Julia Grosse and Yvette Mutumba).
2018 | Dimensions of Citizenship: Form N-X00: New Forms for Citizenship (online). 2018 U.S. Pavilion, 16th International Architecture Exhibition of Venice Biennale. Selected by Iker Gil.
2018 | Silos. Art League Houston, TX. Curated by Jeffreen Hayes.
2018 | In Real Life: 2018 Artist Studio Program Exhibition. Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX. Curated by Lauren Ross.
2017 | Where Do We Stand?. The Drawing Center, New York, NY. Curated by Lisa Sigal and Nova Benway.
2017 | into the midst of things. DiverseWorks, Houston, TX. Three-person show, curated by Rachel Cook.
2016 | Cartography of Ghosts (Open Sessions 9). The Drawing Center | New York, NY. Curated by Lisa Sigal and Nova Benway.
2016 | Friendly Fire. Station Museum, Houston, TX.
2016 | Southern Constellations. American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC. Curated by Victoria Reis and Tim Doud.
2014 | Organized Love: Ideas on Non-Violence. The African American Library at the Gregory School, Houston, TX. Curated by Danielle Burns.
2013 | Coming Through The Gap In the Mountain on an Elephant: A New Worlds Fair. Texas Southern University Museum, Houston, TX. Organized by Robert Pruitt
2011 | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: A Response by African-American Artists. Mountain View College, Dallas, TX. Curated by David Kirkland.
2011 | Museum as Hub: Alpha’s Bet Is Not Over Yet. New Museum, New York, NY. Organized by Steffani Jemison and Jamal Cyrus.
2011 | Communograph (Round 35). Project Row Houses, Houston, TX. Curated by Ashley Hunt.
Performances and Public Readings (selected)
2026 | Poems for Rainwater/Los Poemas para la Lluvia. Parque Primavera, Oaxaca, Mexico.
2016 | MAY (Martinez, Agu, Yates) at Lean, Bleak. Alabama Song, Houston, TX.
2015 | 12 Minutes Max: A Guided Meditation. DiverseWorks, Houston, TX.
2015 | They, Who Sound. Avant Garden, Houston, TX.
2014 | Adding a Beat: Hirsch Library Project. Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX. Organized by Hanna Yoo.
2014 | Fig Pudding Performs!. DiverseWorks, Houston, TX.
2013 | Celebration Mix. University Museum at Texas Southern University. Organized by Robert Pruitt.
2012 | Girlband. 14 Pews and Super Happy Fun Land, Houston, TX.
2012 | Damp Earth. Performance broadcast live online - Low Lives 4. Curated by Jorge Rojas.
2011 | “Regina Agu: With and for: “Black Mo'nin',” by Fred Moten.” Museum as Hub: Alpha’s Bet Is Not Over Yet. New Museum, New York, NY and Book Club Book, Project Row Houses, Houston, TX.
(selected)
2025 | Creative Impact Award. United States Artists, supported by the Joyce Foundation.
2025 | Creative Accelerator Fund grantee. Illinois Arts Council.
2025 | Artist in Residence. Bemis Art Center, Omaha, NE.
2025 | Artist Cohort. Saas-Fee Summer Institute of Art, Paris, France.
2023 | Joyce Award winner with Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2022 | Artist in Residence. Nawat-Fes, Fes, Morocco.
2022 | Artist in Residence, Jackman Goldwasser Residency, Radicle studio resident. Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL.
2019 | Artist in Residence. A Studio In The Woods, New Orleans, LA.
2018 | Artist in Residence in partnership with For Freedoms. Joan Mitchell Center, New Orleans, LA.
2018 | Support for Artists and Creative Individuals Grant. Houston Arts Alliance, Houston, TX.
2018 | KGMCA-PRH Fellowship for A Psychogeography of Emancipation Park. University of Houston - Center for Arts and Social Engagement and The Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts + Project Row Houses, Houston, TX.
2017 | Lawndale Artist Studio Program 2017-2018. Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX.
2017 | Artadia Award - Houston.
2016 | SEED Grant for Alabama Song, Houston, TX. The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
2016 | Open Sessions 2016-2017. The Drawing Center, New York City, NY.
2015 | Associate Artist in Residence with Master Artist Julie Ezelle Patton. Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL.
2015 | Southern Constellations Fellow and Artist-in-residence. Elsewhere, Greensboro, NC.
2014 | The Idea Fund Grant for Friends of Angela Davis Park, Houston, TX.
2012 | Individual Artist Grant - Emerging. Houston Arts Alliance, Houston, TX.
2011 | Associate Artist in Residence - Master Artist Rick Lowe. Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL.
2010 | Artist in residence - School of Latitudes. labotanica, Houston, TX.
(selected)
2026 | Guest Critic. “Art Theory Practice.” Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
2025 | Guest Presenter. “Pool V Workshop.” Milwaukee, WI.
2025 | “Lecture in Photography: Shore|Lines.” Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2024 | “Art, Activism, Policy, Power: Conveying Migration Stories.” Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2023 | Lecture. “Passage.” Macalester College. St. Paul, MN.
2022 | Artist Talk. “To Ponder: Bethany Collins and Regina Agu.” Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL.
2021 | Artist Talk (online). “Regina Agu in conversation with Nora N. Khan.” Fotofest.
2021 | Visiting Artist Lecture, Graduate Seminar (online). “Archiving Poetics.” University of Houston.
2021 | Panelist. “Alternate Assembly, Curatorial Forum Presents: Weathering Regional Landscapes.” Hosted by EXPO CHICAGO and ICI (Independent Curators International).
2020 | Panelist. “Towards a Fossil-Free Culture.” Common Field Convening (online).
2020 | Artist Talk. “Passage.” New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA.
2019 | Podcast Guest. “Expanding Monuments with Regina Agu; New Monuments for New Cities Part 5.” Monument Lab.
2018 | Lecture. “KGMCA-PRH Fellowship: A Psychogeography of Emancipation Park.” University of Houston, Houston, TX.
2018 | Conference presentation. “A Psychogeography of Emancipation Park.” ASAP/10 Conference, hosted by the New Orleans Center For The Gulf South at Tulane University and Pelican Bomb, New Orleans, LA.
2018 | Lecture. “Letters to Akilah.” Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX.
2018 | Presenter, “Time Lapse: Uncarcerating the Imagination.” CounterCurrent Festival, presented by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, Houston, TX.
2018 | Panelist. “The Artist as Cultural Producer.” MATCH Houston, sponsored by Center for Art & Social Engagement at the University of Houston and Fotofest, Houston, TX.
2017 | Visiting Artist, Senior Studio. Rice University, Houston, TX.
2017 | Visiting Artist. “The Archival Impulse.” IART, University of Houston, Houston, TX.
2016 | Visiting Artist Lecture. “Art of the 21st Century and its Future.” Rice University, Houston, TX.
2016 | Visiting Artist Lecture. “Collaboration Among the Arts.” University of Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, Houston, TX.
2016 | Visiting Artist Lecture. “Studio VU Lecture Series.” Vanderbilt University Department of Art, Nashville, TN.
2016 | Artist Talk. “Sea Change (Round 45).” Project Row Houses, Houston, TX.
2016 | Panelist. “Exploring Experimental Practice and Resources in Southern Cities.” American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, D.C.
2015 | Panelist. “Alt.Models - Next Generation Alternative Spaces.” Leadership in the Arts Summit, University of Houston, Houston, TX.
2022 | Co-organizer, “Listening In, Letting Go: Shoop Collective.” Arabic Language Institute in Fes (ALIF) Riad, Fes, Morocco and American Arts Center, Casablanca, Morocco.
2019 | Organizer. Passage sound performance by Megan Easley. New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA.
2017 | Co-organizer, Situation Mixtape. DiverseWorks, Houston, TX.
2017 | Organizer and Artist Talk. “Sea Change with Dr. Jens Figlus.” Galveston Art Center, Galveston, TX.
2015 | Organizer. The Undercommons Reading Group. Houston, TX.
2015 | Organizer. WOC Reading Group for A Living Index. Elsewhere, Greensboro, NC.
2014 | Co-founder. paratext. Houston, TX.
2014 | Co-organizer. Friends of Angela Davis Park. Houston, TX.
2013 | Founder. WOC Reading Group, Houston, TX.
2013 | Co-director and co-organizer. Alabama Song, Houston, TX (2013-2017).
Agu, Regina. “Reprise,” Haunt Journal of Art (University of California, Irvine, CA, 2018).
Agu, Regina. A Living Index (paratext, Houston, 2015).
Agu, Regina. "Notes on Gumbo," Sugar and Rice, Issue 4: Road Trips (Houston, TX, 2015).
Agu, Regina. On | Off. Book Machine Houston (onestar press, Paris, 2014).
Agu, Regina. "Visible Unseen," Nyx, a nocturnal, Issue 8: Skin (Goldsmiths, University of London, UK, 2013).
Agu, Regina (co-author). “Ideas/Thoughts/Actions/Ramblings.” Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL. 2011. Flux Factory, Brooklyn, NY, 2012.
Agu, Regina. "Index, With and for: 'Black Mo'nin',' by Fred Moten," Book Club Book (Future Plan and Program, Project Row Houses, Houston, 2011).
2025 | Susan Aurinko, “Deep Waters: A Review of Regina Agu at MoCP.” Newcity Art.
2023 | “Art 50 2023: Chicago’s Artists’ Artists.” Newcity Art.
2023 | Janice Bond, “From Collaboration to Active Empowerment: Fueling Houston's Flourishing Civic Art Landscape.” Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Arts, Winter/Spring 2024, Issue 36.1.
2022 | Allison K. Young, “Visuality and the Plantationocene: The Panoramas of Regina Agu.” Journal of the Association of Historians of American Art, Spring 2022, Issue 8.1.
2020 | Allison K. Young, "Between Two Gulfs: Ecological Politics and Black Geographies in the Work of Regina Agu." IRAA (International Review of African American Art), Volume 29. No. 4.
2020 | Zachary Fine, “Swampland Sublime: The Landscapes of Louisiana.” New York Review of Books.
2019 | Edited by Katie Pfohl, "Acadia Revisited: Regina Agu in conversation with Ryan N. Dennis.” Inventing Acadia: Painting and Place in Louisiana. Yale University Press.
2018 | Catherine D. Anspon, “Houston’s Most Successful Community Experiment.” PaperCity.
2017 | Molly Glentzer, “Regina Agu gets the drift at Project Row Houses.” Houston Chronicle.
2014-2017 | Co-director, Alabama Song, Houston, TX
2014-2015 | Artist Board President/Board of Directors, DiverseWorks, Houston, TX
2013-2014 | Board of Directors, Aurora Picture Show, Houston, TX
Private collections