Ophelia Arc
Ophelia Arc
CV | Press | Exhibitions
Ophelia Arc’s work confronts us with the fragility of embodiment. This is not the embodiment of dynamic athleticism and agency, it is an embodiment of viscera and flesh. Both dermal and subterranean, excavating the amorphous parts within. The surfaces are scratched and bloodied, marked by tattoos that serve here as the scars of memory. There are sores, sutures, and lesions, and bandages on scarred knees, reflecting the wounds of childhood. We peer into the artist’s mouth and encounter unnamable organs.There are allusions to medical realms that promise little hope of cure. There are umbilical cords that simultaneously nourish and bind.
Ophelia Arc (b. 2001) is a research-based multidisciplinary artist based in New York, NY. Working across sculpture, video, and installation, Arc explores psychoanalytic themes rooted in personal experiences and memory. Her work is included in major private collections and has been exhibited in galleries including Lyles & King, 81 Leonard, Kates-Ferri Projects, No Gallery, Marinaro, and Collarworks. Arc’s thesis exhibition opened in May 2025, and was followed by a solo show at Lyles & King in New York City in summer 2025. Arc’s work has been featured in publications such as Artspiel, ArtNews, ArtNews China, IMPULSE Magazine, L'Officiel, Textiel Plus, Visionary Magazine, and Whitehot Magazine. She earned her BFA from Hunter College in 2023 and her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2025.
Ophelia Arc
i myself am a strange loop, 2024
Hand dyed yarn, hand dyed ribbon, tulle, lace and dr marten boot
14 x 8 x 68 inches
35.6 x 20.3 x 172.7 cm
Ophelia Arc, The Natal Lacuna, Installation View at Lyles & King, NY
Ophelia Arc
spider map I (with memory plots),2025
Foam tile mats, dye process from The Natal Lacuna, nylon thread, welded ring, metal O rings, the artist's hair with hand dyed ribbon, earth magnet, nails, and tattooed lenses with the artist's prescription
48 x 48 inches
121.9 x 121.9 cm
Ophelia Arc
memory house (I, II & III), 2025
Tattooed plexi glass on hospital room divider
78 x 68 inches
198.1 x 172.7 cm
(Variable)
Ophelia Arc
reaD into a loWly Key, (i hope you are doing well), 2025
Hand dyed yarn, dye stained gauze, Alex and Ani sparkle unicorn bangle charm, tattooed doll arm (right), magnets, thread, and tulle on stretcher
Frame: 20 x 16 1/2 x 4 inches
50.8 x 41.9 x 10.2 cm
Overall: 42 x 29 x 6 inches
129 x 73.7 x 15.2 cm
Ophelia Arc, The Natal Lacuna, Installation View at Lyles & King, NY
Ophelia Arc
totality trap, 2025
Hand dyed yarn, thread, tulle, tattooed doll arm (right), chain and welded hoop
30 x 17 x 17 inches
76.2 x 43.2 x 43.2 cm
(height variable)
Ophelia Arc, The Natal Lacuna, Installation View at Lyles & King, NY
Ophelia Arc
self embodiment conflict III, 2024
Crayon, graphite, Arcoroc Canterbury Dinner Plate rubbing, photos of the artist's mouth and graph paper
44 x 75 3/4 inches
111.8 x 192.4 cm
Ophelia Arc
starvation motive, 2024
Hand dyed yarn, thread, tulle, $30 in quarters, specimen cup, and IV pole
Dimensions variable
Ophelia Arc
self embodiment residual, 2024
Residual from self embodiment conflict I, II & III (Crayon, graphite, Arcoroc Canterbury Dinner Plate
rubbing, photos of the artist's mouth, graph paper, making tape, and reference photo) on wood panel
12 x 9 x 1 inches
30.5 x 22.9 x 2.5 cm
Ophelia Arc
transitional object III, 2023
Hand dyed yarn, doll leg (left), tattoos (left leg), acrylic teeth, ribbon, tulle, ink, and latex
24 x 12 x 6 inches
61 x 30.5 x 15.2 cm
Ophelia Arc
cradle and consume, 2024
Hand dyed yarn, acrylic teeth, incompatible knot and jack chain
12 x 10 x 36 inches
30.5 x 25.4 x 91.4 cm
Ophelia Arc, The Natal Lacuna, Installation View at Lyles & King, NY
Ophelia Arc
anniversary effect (congratulations on 10 years of mapping airless space), 2025
Screen grabs from a video of The Outlook NYP 2010, reproduction of letters from the artists mother, photo of artist's dollhouse and accessories, photos from artist's childhood home, photos of the Bloomingdale Hospital/Westchester Division from New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center Archives Digital Collection (early 1900’s), thread, graphite, and crayon mounted on panel
24 x 36 x 1 1/2 inches
61 x 91.4 x 3.8 cm