Heidi Sundvik
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About Me.

In the last few months, since COP26 conference in Glasgow, I have been focused on glaciers in my art. My ‘Work in Progress’ is inspired by OK glacier and its surroundings, looking at it from an aerial perspective. The smooth surface of ice and snow is taken over by rough ground—beauty and devastation go hand in hand. I’m seeking to express the magnitude of the change. Memories melting away. Ice melting away. 10 years from now, will there be anything left to paint? 

Ice—glacier—Okjokull—Disappearing—Funeral—Lost
The funeral for OK glacier in Iceland was held in August 2019. Climate change had rapidly defeated the centuries old, powerfully, constantly moving body of dense ice.
A commemorative plaque titled ‘A Letter to the Future’ was placed on Okjokull. It reads, “OK is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.”

I care. It’s real. I have to deal with it. I can’t ignore it.
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Geometric Abstraction and 3D work
A fascination with shapes and Geometric Abstraction - such as the minimalist colourfield works of Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella's hard-edged shaped canvases and paintings with optical illusion by Tomma Abts - are what drive my practice. Not just 'painted' paintings, but physical, tangible,  expanded paintings with 3D elements, constantly challenging the idea of a painting as a standard rectangular form. Consideration for site-specific features and playful, sometimes unexpected colour choices form an integral part of my creative process.

In my current project of 'free to be' I cut the surfaces into geometric shapes, arrange them in various ways to explore how these contrasting shapes and forms relate to each other and how they can be connected - or in some cases disconnected. With deliberate consideration I push the boundaries of the frame and make it an active part of the work. This rebellion against the standard form is expressing a desire to be free from confining limits, of being 'put in a box' based e.g. on gender, age, outward appearance or religion. My underlying desire in this project is to  express opportunity and the outlook is to move forward with hope. 

EDUCATION

2021-  Royal College of Art, London
​MA Painting


2016-19  Art Academy, London
Diploma in Fine Art (1st)

2015-16 The Institute, London
​Art Foundation (Distinction)

EXHIBITIONS


​2022 Terra, London
2022 Soho Revue, London
2022 RCA Work-in-Progress
​2019 Leo Gallery, Open Studio, Shanghai
2019 Pure Arts 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Battle
2019 Grad Show goes South, Haywards Heath
2019 Diploma Grad Show, Newington Gallery, London
​2019 Dissolute Geometrix, London
2016 Foundation Grad Show, London

AWARDS

2019 Residency Award, Leo Gallery, Shanghai
2019 Pure Art Prize
2019 Liberty Art Award 
View My Work
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