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.
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
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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.
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.
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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 |
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AWARDS
2019 Residency Award, Leo Gallery, Shanghai 2019 Pure Art Prize 2019 Liberty Art Award |
