Profile :
Reid Surmeier (b. Chicago, 2005) is an American multidisciplinary artist working across computation, painting, and sculpture. His work explores the evolving relationship between humans and computers, focusing on how both are increasingly intertwined in the processes of creating, perceiving, and interpreting reality.

 




Education :
B.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design, Painting, Providence, RI (In Progress)

2024, New York Academy of Art, Summer Undergraduate Residency, NYC 

H.S.D., University of Chicago laboratory Schools, Chicago, IL 

2023, Parson School Of Design, Summer Session, Paris, France 

Palette and Chisel Academy of Fine Arts, Student Member, Chicago, IL 



Curated Group
Exhibitions :
2025


From What is Design Autonomous?, Waterman Gallery, Providence RI

EFS Show, Waterman Gallery, Providence, RI  

After Dinner Coffee, Memorial Hall, Providence, RI


2024


Reframing Representation, Center for Integrative Technologies
(CIT), RISD

Technical Touch, 111 Franklin Street, NYC


2023


SS, Corvus Gallery, Gordon Parks Arts Hall, Chicago, IL

IHSAE Northern Exhibition, Bridgeport Art Center, Chicago, I






Awards :
SURP Scholar Award
New York Academy of Art, 2024

The Robert Erickson Award for High Achievement in the Fine Arts University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 2023

Best in Show, Design Category IHSAE Northern Exhibition, 2023

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards American Visions Nominee, Design Category, 2024


Grants : 
RISD Research SPUR Fund Award, 2025-2026


Experience :University of Chicago Laboratory Schools / Student Maker
Space Coordinator
September 2022 -May 2024, Chicago IL


Firebird Community Arts/ Volunteer Educator
March 2022 - May 2022, Chicago IL








Last Updated 25.06.04
MATERIAL (2025) :      REID SURMEIER


1. Project (1:0):





 Drawing Series: Hyperreality, Unease:
(2025)
Charcoal, Oil Mediums, and Ink on Paper:


The increasing adoption of the digital world has caused a collapse in our ability to distinguish between "reality" and "simulation." We no longer experience the world through direct perception, but instead rely on digital devices that replace reality entirely. Commenting on Baudrillard’s concept of Hyperreality, Unease reflects on the technological discontent of living within a digital world—one characterized by algorithmic consumption, isolation, and a loss of control over our ability to escape the digital space.


Dissruption, A Converation View:  (5' x2’)









Disillusionment (5' x15') (Side View)



Self Perception, A view :(5' x2’)



Still life View: (1' x1’)





Disillusionment (5' x15') (Front View)


2. Project (2:0)








 Sculpture Series: Altarpiece (Wired Devotion)
(2025)
Cured Resin, Circut boards, Matrix LED display, Expoxy, Extruded PLA, Lithium Batterys: 



The Altarpiece (Wired Devotion) asserts the dominance of technology over traditional religion, proposing that screens and algorithms have become the new objects of worship. Through its distorted, stretched frame and the use of clear resin alongside weathered digital displays, the work explores how technology warps and distorts pre-existing cultural customs, including religion, reshaping them into new forms that serve the interests of the emerging digital economy.




Altarpiece (Wired Devotion) (4’ x1.5’) (Video walkaround)


Ontological Self : (1’ x1’)





5. Project (3:0):
 Clavier: Mode d'emploi
(2025)
Machined Brass Polycarbonate and Aluminum, Circut boards, MX switches, Keycaps, M2.5 Screws:


Designed and built a fully functional ergonomic keyboard that prioritizes comfort and reduces wrist strain by spreading the hands apart. Inspired by past designs, the refined chassis combines polycarbonate, anodized aluminum, and brass, overcoming tight manufacturing tolerances through overseas CNC production. The PCB was created in KiCAD and programmed with custom QMK firmware