Claudia O’Steen is an interdisciplinary artist whose work combines sculpture, video, installation, writing, and performance. Through her research-based practice, she examines shifting landscapes via navigation, exploration, perception, and failure. She creates languages to convey distance, scale, and direction- giving evidence to a process that has taken place and creates landscapes supplemented by scientific curiosity and human memory.

O’Steen resides in South Carolina and is an Associate Professor of Fine Arts at Winthrop University. She received a BFA from Watkins College of Art and an MFA in Digital+Media at Rhode Island School of Design. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally at venues such as The Russian State Arctic and Antarctic Museum, Maajaam Estonia, apexart, Flux Factory, Ohio State University, Manifest Creative Research Gallery, and Atlanta Contemporary amongst others, and has been awarded residencies across the globe at Rabbit Island, Hambidge Center, Wassaic Project, Montalvo, The Arctic Circle, and The National Centre for Contemporary Art St. Petersburg, Russia.

Claudia Osteen’s Instagram: @claudiaeosteen
Watch Claudia’s Artist Talk

During my time at the IEA I developed an installation, In Extremis, that consisted of a diorama, video projection, audio, VS display screens, found objects, dye sublimation prints, vellum, and polypropylene digital prints. This installation was captured through the IEA BlackMagic design recording studio, and by a webcam that streamed interactions with the installation to my YouTube channel.
I created an edition of 5 books, with the AP added to the IEA collection. I also did a lot of material and process experimentation that will serve as a catalyst for future iterations of this work.

This work will be exhibited in a solo exhibition at Limestone University in 2026. My time at the IEA experimental Research Residency has been instrumental in the development of this work. The residency was the perfect balance of curated installation (as proposed in my application), and experimentation and play. The combination of these things allowed me to make new connections in the work and pushed me in new directions.

Visitors to campus and students were given opportunities to visit Claudia’s studio and view her work.

Digital prints on vellum are prepared to be cut out with assistance from IEA intern.

Claudia uses the electric paper cutter to make books.

Image is sublimated onto the polyester fabric using the heat press.