° 1973

Lives in Chicago (US).

Zachary Cahill is an American interdisciplinary artist based in Chicago. He studied at the University of Chicago, Masters of Fine Arts (2005-2007) and at Cornell University, Bachelor of Fine Arts (Ithaca, New York, 1991-1995).  His work examines the nature of propaganda, state power and its relation to the individual, religion, and a variety of forms of socio-political infrastructures. Cahill’s practice focuses primarily on a fictional nation, the USSA, as a metaphorical tool for investigating real-world political narratives. Through boldly colorful, fantastical, and quasi-authoritarian projects, the artist plays with the objects, places, and rituals that make up a society. Since 2010, the USSA has incorporated installations, paintings, sculptures, séance performances, video works, artistic writings, and a variety of ephemera; which have focused on several zones of ideological indoctrination including: an orphanage, a gift shop, a wellness center, the state farm, a state church/assembly, and a postal service.

His work has been exhibited in numerous venues in the United States and Europe, including the Berlin Biennale, Germany; ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany; Regina Rex, New York; Threewalls, Chicago; the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Contemporary Art Brussels (CAB), Belgium, among others. His writings have appeared in Afterall, Artforum, Critical Inquiry, Frieze, Mousse and other arts and academic publications.