Chris Levine

Born in Ontario, Canada, in 1960, Levine grew up knowing he was going to become an artist and was particularly fascinated by hologram technologies. From his father, an engineer, he gained a love for science, while his mother, who painted, transmitted him a taste for figurative art and drawing.

In order to combine his two passions, Levine graduated from a design course at Chelsea School of Art and later attended Central St. Martins, gaining an MA in Computer graphics. The body of works resulting from his studies combines photography, holograms, laser work and stage design, in which light is the primary visual and philosophical protagonist. For Levine, who was also influenced by eastern philosophies and meditative practices, light holds a unique spiritual dimension.

‘Light is intrinsic to the way we perceive reality and by working with it, particularly with laser as a very pure form of light, I do get the sense of tuning into a deeper realm of awareness’, the artist has said. ‘It’s innate within us but somehow the circuits need firing up and it’s to do with energy and flow.’

Levine is perhaps most well-known for his iconic portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, produced in 2004 with a high-resolution digital camera, which moved on a 360-degree track shooting 200 images within seconds. Despite his use of cutting-edge technology, the resulting portraits are spiritual, intimate and meditative, with the face of the Queen seemingly radiating light.

The search for an art that can produce expanded states of awareness and new kinds of perception results in the generation of immersive, multimodal environments. Monumental works such as ‘Molecule of Light’ (2021), installed at Houghton Hall, Norfolk, are engineered to project light and three-dimensional soundscapes.

Levine’s unique light-based portraits and bold transformations of indoor and outdoor space have attracted a multitude of collaborators over the years, including Antony and the Johnsons, Philip Treacy, Massive Attack, Grace Jones, Asprey Jewellers, Kate Moss and Mario Testino. Levine is also the author of a striking photographic portrait of the 14th Dalai Lama, produced on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Since 2008, Levine’s portraits, sculptures and installations have travelled internationally, including in exhibitions held in London, Berlin, Singapore, Paris and Milan. His art has taken over iconic sites such as the Science Museum and the Royal Opera House in London, Radio City in New York, the Eden Project in Cornwall and MATE museum in Lima.

The artist currently lives and works in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom, where he continues to create art pieces that challenge viewers to go beyond everyday experiences.