Artist Statement
Rebecca Spooner specialises in contemporary art in rural places. Since 2013 she had researched and instigated PEAK, an initiative that develops opportunities for contemporary art in the Black Mountains and Welsh Borders for the benefit of the region’s artists, communities and visitors.
Previous to this Rebecca was an exhibiting artist in Wales for over ten years. Her rich installations combined film, photography, projection and found objects and explored the romanticism of nature, in particular the representation of women, wild animals and the British landscape.
(PEAK is an Arts Alive Wales project - an educational arts charity based in Crickhowell, Powys. www.artsalivewales.org.uk)
CV & Education
Qualifications and training
2007 - Bolex 16mm film course, NoWhere Labs, London
2004 - MA Fine Art, University of Wales Institute Cardiff
2002 - First Class BA (Hons) Fine Art, University of Wales Institute Cardiff
1999 - First Class Foundation in Art and Design, University of Wales College Newport
Solo exhibitions
2012 - West Coast Collage , Mission Gallery - the [...] space , Swansea
2011 - Hearth & Hill , Test Bed, Oriel Davies Gallery, Newtown, Powys
2008 - The White Stag, g39, Cardiff
Group exhibitions
2013 - Setsuko Hara, Oriel Sycharth Gallery, Wrexham
2012 - Brzeska's Eagle, g39, Cardiff
2010 - Do I Have to Paint You a Picture?, Morgan Arcade, Cardiff
2009 - Open Empty Spaces, Hole In The Wall, site-specific, Cardiff
2009 - State of the Estate, Penpont manor house and grounds, Brecon, Powys
2008 - 6&7, Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno
2007 - Dark Victories, Tactile Bosch, Cardiff
2006 - Experimentica 06, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff
2006 - Lines and Strata, contemporary Welsh drawing, Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan
2005 - Coagulation, Tactile Bosch, Cardiff
2005 - In Absentia, lens based exhibition, House 5, Chapter, Cardiff
2005 - One Night Stand - joint curator with Ricahard Bevan, G39, Cardiff
2004 - MA final show, Howard Gradens, Cardiff
2004 - Perfectly Normal, Tactile Bosch, Cardiff
2002 - BA final show, Howard Gardens, Cardiff
2002 - Super 8 film festival, Station, Bristol
Public commissions
2010 - The birds, the grass, the trees, the lake. , LOCWS International , Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea.
Projects
2009 - AA2A, Artists Access to Art Colleges, Hereford College of Arts, Hereford
2008 - NAN New Collaboration Bursary, a-n The artists information company, Wales
2007 - Artinnit - small art works responding to the theme of cinema, Artist's Network , Pontypridd
Competitions, prizes and awards
2013 - Creative Wales Award, Arts Council of Wales, based at artist's studio in Powys
2008 - Awarded an Individual Production Grant to create a new body of work for exhibition in autumn 2008, Arts Council of Wales, Cardiff
2007 - Awarded an Individual Project Grant to produce a new 16mm film installation, Arts Council of Wales, Cardiff
2007 - Travel Award to attend Wales at the Venice Biennale 2007, Wales Arts International , Cardiff
2005 - Awarded a 'Good Ideas' artist residency by Cywaith Cymru/Artworks Wales, Newport Museum and Art Gallery, South Wales
2003 - Research Award plus payment of tuition fees by the AHRB, to complete a full time MA in Fine Art, UWIC, Cardiff
