Artist statement
I use a unique technique that I have developed to lift off the top layer of surfaces from the built environment. I capture the layers of visual histories imbued in architectural surfaces and re-present slices of our surroundings. I often work with sites that are due to be demolished, documenting histories that would otherwise be lost.
The beauty and oddness of my works draw the viewer in to discover that they are made from an ambiguous skin-like material and contain familiar stains and marks. It gradually becomes apparent that these works are made from the world around us.
I employ indirect mark-making; these works are made from surfaces that are lifted exactly as they are found, emphasising the often overlooked. The mystery of how and from what the work is made brings the viewer still closer, to discover unnerving narratives.
These works are made in response to conflicts taking place around the world, in particular to the universal theme of 'collateral damage'. The titles of my works refer to this political undertow, not to specific warring factions, but to the cost of war to civilians.
Recently I have been working with sites that have a historical connection to war. During 2012 I made a series of works in derelict buildings at Bletchley Park, lifting surfaces in the buildings used by the Code-breakers in World War Two, before their planned renovation. These works are on display in Alan Turing’s Hut at the Bletchley Park Museum from October 2012 untill May 2013.
My works are part of a tradition of artists who push the material and conceptual possibilities of the medium of paint, operating at the juncture between painting and sculpture.
Current and forthcoming events
- November 2012 - June 2013: STATION X, Bletchley Park Museum, Bletchley (more info)
- May 2013: The London Group Centenary Open 2013, The Cello Factory, London (more info)
Qualifications and training
- 2009 MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martin’s College of Art, London
- 1998 BA (Hons) Degree Fine Art, Chelsea College of Art, London
Group exhibitions
- 2013 The London Group Centenary Open 2013, The Cello Factory, 33-34 Cornwall Road, London, SE1 8TJ
- 2012 STATION X, Bletchley Park Museum, Bletchley, 2012-2013
- 2012 The Harboured Guest, 4 Windmill Street, London
- 2012 Ghost Station, curated by Art Hertz, Bletchley Park Museum, Bletchley
- 2012 STATION X, MK Gallery Project Space, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes
- 2011 Shadow Lines, Tintype Gallery, London
- 2011 54th Venice Biennale, WW Gallery, UK at the Venice Biennale, The Quaffers Pavilion, Venice, Italy
- 2011 The Florence Trust Open Studios Exhibition, Florence Trust, London
- 2010 The SE1 Summer Show, Vitrine Gallery, London
- 2010 The Barbican Arts Trust Artworks Open selected by Graham Crowley & Timothy Hyman, Artworks Project Space, London
- 2009 Creativity & Conflict, in association with Mishcon de Reya, Imagination Gallery, London
- 2009 The London Group, Menier Gallery, London
- 2007 Batteries Not Included:Mind as Machine, Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, Shrewsbury
- 2007 Image, Text, Music: Turtle - An Anarchic Salon curated by Michael H. Shamberg, Woburn Studios, UCL, London
- 2007 Turtle- The Fit, curated by Michael H. Shamberg, Nuans Gallery, Dusseldorf, Germany
Curated projects
- 2012 STATION X, MK Gallery Project Space, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes
Residencies
- 2010 Axis/Florence Trust Residency Bursary 2010-2011, Florence Trust, London
Competitions, prizes and awards
- 2010 Highly Commended for The Royal Academy Summer Show, The Royal Academy, London
- 2010 Awarded the 2010-2011 Axis/Florence Trust Residency Bursary, Florence Trust, London
- 2010 Shortlisted for the John Moores Painting Prize, Walker Gallery, Liverpool, UK
- 2009 Selected by Albert Irvin for London Group Award, The London Group, UK
- 2009 Seleted as an MAstar by Gill Hedley, Central Saint Martins, www.axisweb.org
Publications
- 2010 The 2010 Marmite Prize for Painting catalogue
- 2009 Creativity & Conflict catalogue (Mishcon de Reya in association with Central Saint Martins School of Art)
- 2009 The London Group catalogue
Web links - gallery/work/projects
Web links - article/press
