Charlie Arsenault graduated with an Honors Distinction Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018. After completing the Apprentice Program at Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery in 2016, Charlie helped facilitate many of their exhibitions including documenting four iterations of Rapid Pulse International Performance Art Festival and over 100 more performances for the gallery across the U.S.. In 2019 he performed in Power Ouch Performance Festival at Links Hall, a festival highlighted by Scapi Magazine, New City Stage, and See Chicago Dance. Charlie co-founded and co-directed the curatorial collective The Neighbors in 2020, where he began making intricate online exhibitions. More recently, Charlie has accepted an Artist in Residence position at {}() {}∆‡!(){} (pronounced No Nation) Tangential Unspace Art Lab where he will produce inter-disciplinary performance shows, public health harm reduction events, and generally share his and {}() {}∆‡!(){}’s resources with the Chicago artistic and transgender communities.
In 2022 Charlie started his crochet line Lumps N’ Organs. He uses his 17 years of experience with the medium to make all freehand gowns, horned balaclavas, ornate plant hangers, mesh shirts, stuffed packers, and more alongside his personal, organ-based crochet practice.
Charlie began his hand poked tattoo practice in 2017 and since 2021 has put out over 52 pages of hand drawn flash. His popular tattoo motifs include folded over and embracing figures, rows of teeth, and abstracted line and color organs.
EMAIL INSTAGRAM CROCHET TATTOO