︎

N. KARELIA

E.E.T.

CHRIS GYLEE

ARTIST & WRITER
INSTAGRAM  / EMAIL  /  ARCHIVE


BIOGRAPHY & CREDITS




Chris Gylee (1983, Stockport UK) read Drama & Theatre at Royal Holloway University and completed his post-graduate training in Theatre Design at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2006. He has been based in Berlin since 2014, and rural Finland since 2023. He has exhibited his scenographic designs at the Society of British Theate Designers national exhibitions Transformation & Revelation (2011) and Make: Believe (2015), including the Prague Quadrennial (2015) as part of the UK entry, and at the V&A in London. Alongside his solo practice Chris also regularly makes performance, installation, film and publications together with Aslan and collaborators as ONCE WE WERE ISLANDS. In 2022, KARELIA — A Queer Forest Fantasy in Two Parts (made as ONCE WE WERE ISLANDS) was shortlisted for the Stückemarkt (Theatertreffen 2022). From 2017 to 2020 he co-ran the artist residency programme The Watch, together with Dominique Hurth and Jo Zahn in a former GDR watchtower in Treptow, Berlin. In 2020 The Watch was awarded the Berlin Senat prize for Project Spaces & Initiatives. Chris’s poems have been selected for publication by TUO TUO (Feral series), Under The Radar (Nine Arches Press), Frozen Sea, Powders Press, Tidskriften Astra, & Change, Fruit Journal, Ink Sweat & Tears, and GARLAND (Fifth Wheel Press). His micro-chapbook Ten for ‘A’ was published in 2024, and his second, Songs for Our Future Selves, will be out in summer 2025 (both Ghost City Press). In 2023 his work was long-listed for the Cuírt New Writing Prize.



20
25

— With Forest in Our Mouths / Once We Were Islands
— Echo Ballads // Pasián Esba / Once We Were Islands (solo exhibition), Lou gallery
— The Deep / limited edition publication, Once We Were Islands
— Songs for Our Future Selves / poetry micro-chapbook, published by Ghost City Press
— Seedling / Once We Were Islands
— Field Guide / Once We Were Islands with Joni Judén, Loisti gallery
— Safehouse / Once We Were Islands
— A Cloud Full of Skies: Moon Letters / forthcoming publication with Kit Gee



20
24

— With Forest in Our Mouths / Once We Were Islands 
— Finding Animal / Research project, cont.
— Like Déjà-Vu But The Other Way Around / Once We Were Islands (solo exhibition), Titanik
— Thick Time / Once We Were Islands
— Ten for ‘A’ / poetry micro-chapbook, published by Ghost City Press
— Remembering Colours / Once We Were Islands
— Helialá — A Gathering of Poems / publication, Once We Were Islands
— Palace of Ash & Rain / Once We Were Islands
— Saari Residence / Once We Were Islands



20
23

— The Crossing film adaptation / Once We Were Islands
— Self Portrait as Heliotrope / #TakeHeart research project
— Big Bangs & Black Holes / Once We Were Islands
— Old Growth / poetry pamphlet (manuscript)
— The Lure / poetry pamphlet (manuscript) 
— Finding Animal / Research project
— FERAL poems / published on Tuo Tuo Arts



20
22

— 12 Months — A Year / Once We Were Islands, for It’s About Time festival

— FORTY / #TakeHeart research project; poetry collection
— The Crossing / Once We Were Islands
— Homecoming — Greatest Hits! / Once We Were Islands
— Caretakers (AT) / voiceover script, film dir. Jo Zahn



20

21

— QUEER TONGUES — A Documentary / Once We Were Islands
— From A Chapbook (2021) / for Impermanence
— Don’t Look At Me, Close Your Eyes / Once We Were Islands
— KARELIA — A Queer Forest Fantasy in Two Parts / Once We Were Islands
— 12 Months — A Year / Once We Were Islands, for It’s About Time festival
— Moon Letters - part II / with Kit Gee



20

20

— Dogs of Love: A Guide to Manifesting Queer Histories in the Body / with Aslan, published by Circadian — Tante Tod and the Fraudulent Delaying of Sadness / Once We Were Islands
— caretaking 2020-1990 / The Watch, Berlin Art Week
— We Come With Nothing / Once We Were Islands
— QUEER TONGUES  / Once We Were Islands
— Moon Letters - part I / with Kit Gee

20
19


— not good alone / Hanna Hegenscheidt, Ulrich Huhn
— Karma Accelerator / Once We Were Islands
— Dogs of Love / Once We Were Islands
— Transmissions / The Watch, Cashmere Radio
— These Magnificent Bodies / Once We Were Islands

20
18

— AIDS Follies (asst. dir.) / Johannes Müller, Philine Rinnert

— Dedications / Once We Were Islands
— Songs of Love and Rage / Claire Vivianne Sobottke, Silke Bake

— Actions for the Worthless Body / Once We Were Islands


20
17

— Pink Book (publication) / INTERNATIONAL NOTICE
— Karma Accelerator / Once We Were Islands
— We Need To Talk About Britain: A Vigil for Brexitland / Once We Were Islands, Rachael Clerke
— Banner Making / Once We Were Islands
— The Eternal Return / Clément Layes, Public in Private

— The Watch (publication) / The Watch


20
16

— Five Dancers II / Once We Were Islands
— HAUS #99 [last days] or Score Cycle for a Building Facing Demolition / Once We Were Islands
— MBody (conceptual design project) / Anna Nowicka, Ola Ososwicz
— Watchtower residency / Once We Were Islands, Laura McAtackney 


20
15

— Five Dancers I / Once We Were Islands
— Make:Believe / SBTD, Prague Quadrenniel, V&A 
— Play/Rough (conceptual design project) / Emily Lim
— A,B,C,D,E,F. / Once We Were Islands


20
14

— The Wardrobe / Emily Lim
— The Kilburn Passion / Emily Lim
— Death and the Ploughman / Tom Bailey
— Minotaur / Toby Hulse
— Bread and Butter / Jennifer Bell


20
13

— The Rivals / Christopher Scott
— Dracula / Amy Leech
— Hot Air / Heather Williams
— Cheese [a play] / Dan Barnard, Rachael Briscoe
— Twin Towns and Sister Cities / with Toria Banks


20
12

— Another Fine Mess / Emily Lim
— I Could’ve Been Better / Idiot Child
— Thin Ice / Jonathan Young
— Signage for refurbished Bristol Old Vic / Tom Morris, Emma Stenning 


20
11

— Divine Words / John Wright, Toria Banks
— Fixer / Dan Barnard, Rachael Briscoe
— Little Baby Jesus / Ché Walker


20
10

— Henry V / Emily Lim
— Colörs / Dan Barnard, Rachael Briscoe
— Tattoo / Jens Peters
— Oliver Twist / Amy Leech
— Bonnie & Clyde / Tid


20
09

— A Laughing Matter / Richard Cant
— Then, Voyager / Jon Rowe
— Out of Touch — A Trilogy / Tid
— Shooting Rats / Dan Barnard, Rachael Briscoe


20
08

— Hamlet / Jonathan Miller
— The Taming of the Shrew / Andrew Hilton
— The Red Man / Tid
— Fanshen / Roland Smith


20
07

— Othello / Andrew Hilton
— Much Ado About Nothing / Andrew Hilton
— Not Knowing Who We Are / Toria Banks


INSTAGRAM  / EMAIL  /  ARCHIVE