Thirteen 2020 graduates from The Glasgow School of Art’s Master of Letters in Fine Art Practice programme are to come together for the first time since graduation for a special group show, Room, which will be staged in the Reid Gallery from 30 July – 13 August 2022.
The show will feature new work in media including painting, printmaking, drawing, textiles and performance by Mousa AlNana, Alanna Blake, Louise Emily, Svetoslava Georgieva, Hayley Harman, Claire Kidd, Le Liu, Esyllt A Lewis, Georgie Mac, Niamh McGuinness, Harriet Orrey-Godden, Suri Park Woo and Vivian Ross-Smith.
“This will be the first time that this group has shown work together in a physical space since studying together on the MLitt Fine Art Practice at The Glasgow School of Art,” says the group’s coordinator, Vivian Ross–Smith. “Through the exhibition we will celebrate the experience of collectively returning to the gallery and sharing work with one another after a long period of displacement and distance.”
Born and raised in Homs, Syria, Mousa AlNana, came to Glasgow in 2019 and has made his home in the city. A multi-award winning artist he creates work using collage techniques, and monochromatic style. Speaking of his practice he says: I believe in art and the powerful role it plays in revolutions and storytelling. I hope one day, to leave my own unique mark on the canvas of the art world.
Emerging Irish artist, Alanna Blake, uses old and vibrant colours to interpret aspects of historical painting through contemporary imagery and figuration. Her work for Room focuses on Violet Gibson, the Irishwoman who attempted to assassinate the Italian Fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, claiming that “God had called on her to do so.” Gibson was a Christian Socialist and Mussolini embodied the antithesis of her beliefs. Blake’s work in Room poses the question of who are the enemies of socialism are in Europe today?
English artist Louise Emily’s current work includes both digital and non-digital abstract paintings, which have been heavily inspired by recollections of dreams, personal feelings, her own writings and ‘dream stories’. In Room she shows work that takes forward experimentation with textiles begun during her MLitt studies In Room Bulgarian artist Svetoslava Georgieva exhibits Same place, different time, work that uses a mixture of experimental techniques in mixed media.
British artist Hayley Harman presents Can you really smell it through my nose (1-6) – a painted series of research work which aims to question the boundaries between the fictitious and the real. Claire Kidd, an artist from North East Scotland, makes paintings that seek to unveil the mysteries present in the mundanity of everyday life. Created during times of great uncertainty, the artworks exhibited in Room explore her interaction with sleepless, uncanny and impossible ruralities.
Young Chinese artist Le Liu offers the diptych, The Zoo, in Room. The painting’s genesis lies in Le Liu’s contemplation of Rubens’ The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man which evoked a childhood memory: “I recall being taken to the city zoo after I recovered from an operation. Although now I only retain a fleeting impression of it, it’s a surprisingly happy memory which stays with me.”
Welsh artist Esyllt Angharad Lewis presents Technoleg Gwyblodau in Room. A sound piece, it flows between Welsh and English and round tensions between nature and technology, jargon and artistic expression.
Georgie Mac makes zines and illustrations that feature wonky ink drawings, and vibrant Risograph printing. The artist presents a collection of original drawings and paintings in Room that illustrate imagined myths, medieval monsters, and hybrid creatures.
Irish artist Niamh McGuinness’ work is concerned with myth, heritage, tactility and form. She works across several mediums with a focus on textiles and sculptural installation. Her work for Room is an ode to the fragments of a textile practice and an archive of a practice interrupted by the tumult of leaving Glasgow abruptly in March 2020. Painter and textile artist Harriet Orrey-Godden ran a successful textile business in Manchester prior to studying at the GSA. The body is a central theme in her work and acts as a lens through which she examines the human condition and society more broadly. Her work for Room emerged from a switch in her practice, from textiles to painting
Suri Park Woo, a South Korean artist, is interested in marginalized creatures. Her practice focuses on storytelling and takes on a surrealistic narrative. In Room she exhibits drawings on papers and fabric, drawing sculptures, drawing books and animation on a drawing cube.
Shetland-based artist Vivian Ross-Smith considers the structures of the art world from an island artist perspective. For Room, she exhibits Find Your Way Back, a work that acknowledges the artists’ conflicted feelings of returning to the gallery. Performance film and ‘wearable artworks’ are shown alongside paintings informed by textile and garment construction.
Room is supported by The Glasgow School of Art: “We are delighted to welcome this group of international artists to the Reid Gallery and host Room as part our commitment to supporting our 2020 graduates with physical shows once COVID restrictions allowed,” says Penny Macbeth, Director of The Glasgow School of Art. “
For full artists biographies see Notes for Editors
Room is open Monday – Saturday 10am-4.30pm. Entry free booking recommended Visitors are asked to please wear a face covering, unless medically exempt
Further information
Lesley Booth
07799414474 / press@gsa.ac.uk
Notes for Editors
Artists Biographies
Artists Biographies
Mousa AlNana describes, “When you look at my artwork, you can sense the humanity in its different colours and its vulnerable stages, under the rough surfaces and the delicate lines. You can see what lies between the human soul, in my collage techniques, and monochromatic style. My aspiration for my art is to touch others and speak to them. Perhaps even to act as a reflection, as if art, frames and highlights our emotions.
I was born and raised in Homs, Syria, and am now based in Glasgow, Scotland. I started my career at a young age. After graduating from Sobhi Shoieb Art Centre, I studied Fine Arts at Damascus University and graduated in 2010, and I hold a master’s degree from The Glasgow School of Art.
I have won awards and participated in many exhibitions and art workshops between Syria, Egypt, Greece, and Scotland. I have more than nine years of experience in painting and graphic design. Also, have experience being the lead art instructor in different workshops and events.
I believe in art and the powerful role it plays in revolutions and storytelling. I hope one day, to leave my own unique mark on the canvas of the art world.”
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| Alanna Blake: Study of Senigallia Madonna by Piero Della Francesca (2020 ) |
Alanna Blake is an emerging Irish artist who uses bold and vibrant colours to interpret aspects of historical painting through contemporary imagery and figuration. Graduating from NCAD in 2016 with a BA and from The Glasgow School of Art with an MLitt in 2020, both in Fine Art Painting, Blake now lives in Dublin. Blake has exhibited in group shows in Dublin, Leipzig, Brighton, Poznan, and Glasgow and has undertaken four international residencies.
Blake shares on her work for Room, “In 1926 an Irish woman named Violet Gibson attempted to assassinate the Italian Fascist leader, Benito Mussolini, claiming that God had called on her to do so. Gibson was a Christian Socialist and Mussolini embodied the antithesis of her beliefs. The piece I present for Room takes the story of Gibson’s life as a starting point, depicting scenes from her life on a series of connected tapestries. The accordion-like formation is reminiscent of a “Jacobs Ladder”, a Victorian children’s toy, and will be moved to display the work from different angles throughout the exhibition. This work begs to pose the question of what the enemies of socialism are in Europe today. Is there one significant person or ideology that represents the antonym of socialism in Europe today or is it rather a perpetuation of divisions, overuse of resources and technological developments that consequently pose the greatest threat? Using textile and the language of painting, less enigmatic situations are playfully represented through colour and form.”
Blake is on instagram @alannablake_artist
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| Louise Emily: Sweet Fruit |
Louise Emily (b.1997, Chester, UK) (she/her) currently based in Liverpool. She currently works in the realm of abstraction and colour, taking inspiration from dreams, emotions and connections between the mind and body. Emily has been expressing these ideas through painting, drawing, monoprinting and writing. Her current work includes both digital and non-digital abstract paintings, which have been heavily inspired by recollections of dreams, personal feelings, and her own writings and ‘dream stories’. She attempts to channel these different elements and express them using gestural marks and creating wounds of layered paint. Colour is still very important to her work as she believes it emphasises the emotions she aims to convey, as well as creating a visually satisfying and balanced piece.
Emily explains, “For Room, I wanted to push myself further in my practice by creating a larger digital and textile piece. I experimented with some textile work during my master’s course and found it to be successful but hadn’t managed to explore further. I have learnt how to create different types of embroidery stitches. These have added another dimension to my work, and I have found this process to be both calming and mindful. I have begun creating non digital abstract paintings again, which has been great to re-discover. All three of my pieces are inspired by my ‘dream stories’, and it is great to see them come to life in a different format.”
Emily is on Instagram @louemily_mckenzie
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| Svetoslava Georgieva: To war as a war |
Svetoslava Georgieva shares, “My work is a philosophical and tactile abstract visual research of different internal and external spaces where the meaning might be just a metaphor for life. I am using mixture of experimental techniques in mixed media searching abstract expression as endless provocation for the senses and mind, questions and non definite answers. MLitt Fine Art Practice, (Painting pathway) from The Glasgow School of Art Scotland, UK and has a BA in Fine Arts of University of Veliko Tarnovo St.Cyril and Methodius Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.”
Exhibitions:
2022–Situations and clichés, solo exhibition, Largo Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria
2022–Abstractions and light , group exhibition, Largo Gallery, Varna, Bulgaria2021 – ART&FUNcity Varna Youth festival, Art director and Curator of the festival
2020–Northern Shores, solo exhibition, Labyrinth Gallery, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2020 – Inspiration, National group exhibition of SBH (Union of Bulgarian Artists) artists, Exhibition Halls Rafael Mihaylov, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria
2020 – Viva La Vida, Group exhibition, Labyrinth Gallery- Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2020 – Royal Scottish Academy Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture, Edinburgh, UK
For Room, Georgieva exhibits Same place, different time, a personal analyses of the change, the interaction with the environment and the silent observation of the nature of life itself from a simple human perception as something moving and at the same time eternal. We are nothing but our understanding is everything, abstract fluids with given association of recognized shape. The unification of space and time. Chronotopic analysis enables to reflect upon the ontological nature of different systems or strategic landscapes so that the sense-making and consequent decision-making concerning interventions can become more appropriate.
See also:
https://www.facebook.com/UnderOneRoofVarna
Georgieva is on Instagram @Underoneroof.varna and @svetliuki
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| Hayley Harman: now flying into the gob of a pigeon amongst the clouds |
Hayley Harman (she/her) is a British artist based in Manchester, UK. She graduated from The Glasgow School of Art in 2020 with an MLitt in Fine Art Practice. Working from the perspective of painter-as-writer, Harman’s work takes the form of drawings, paintings and text where she looks to explore semiotic liminality in the form of line, shape and colour co-existing alongside language and poetry.
For Room, Harman exhibits “Can you really smell it through my nose (1-6)” – a painted series of research work which aims to question the boundaries between the fictitious and real. Facilitating the reproduction and multiple translations of text, the pieces formed are all identical in their origin of a singular, humorous passage of everyday camaraderie. Harman looks to demonstrate that it is through a process of reflecting on a predetermined plethora of ‘moments’ that shape and colour form as an example of perceived constrained lived experiences.
Harman is on Instagram @hayley.harman
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| Claire Kidd: Sylvia – Oil on Canvas (2021) |
Claire Kidd is an Artist and Maker from North East Scotland. She currently has a studio in Aberdeen, continuing her practice while teaching in the city. Kidd has undertaken a BA in Painting from Grays School of Art, which she further specialised in during her MLitt Fine Art Practice at The Glasgow School of Art in 2020. Her work has recently featured in Mall Galleries Futures, and she remains an active member of the Aberdeen Artist Society. Her work dances on the line between reality and absurdity, between familiarity and the foreign. In doing so, Kidd seeks to cross the space between herself and others.
To whom do you reveal your otherworlds? Kidd’s contributions to the exhibition Room describes her restless curiosity toward rural and subdural Scottish landscapes. Her paintings seek to unveil mysteries present in the mundanity of everyday life. Created during times of great uncertainty, these artworks explore the artist’s interaction with sleepless, uncanny and impossible ruralities. Present only in liminal space, the figures are lost somewhere between respite and reverie – grounded only by some intangible element.
Kidd is on Instagram @clairekiddart
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| Le Lui: The Zoo, (diptych), 2022 |
Le Liu (b 1996) is a young Chinese emerging artist represented by the Multi-Award-Winning Laura I. Art Gallery in London. In his last year as a student, he began to attract the attention of collectors from around the world, making Le Liu one of their most successfully selling artists. After graduating, he joined the 5th London Art Biennale and Affordable Art Fair London. Liu gained a BA in Fine Art in 2019 at Hubie University at Wuhan, and MLitt in Fine Art Practice from The Glasgow School of Art UK, in 2021. He works and lives in Coatbridge, Scotland.
Liu explains the memory behind the painting, “It’s one of a series of paintings. One day I was looking through Ruben’s paintings: The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man and one in particular caught my eye because it depicts a lot of animals, reminding me of a happy childhood memory. I recall being taken to the city zoo after I recovered from an operation, and the zoo was big and crowded with people but especially I recall the captive zoo animals, with 3 cages holding them. Although now I only retain a fleeting impression of it, it’s a surprisingly happy memory which stays with me, and is the subject of this painting.”
Liu is on Instagram @LeLiu
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| Esyllt Angharad Lewis: Bwa, performance, 2022 |
Esyllt Angharad Lewis is an artist and editor from Swansea, Wales. Her practice encompasses translation, spoken word, performance, and printmaking to explore the intersections between language and the visual. She is currently studying the final part of her MLitt in Fine Art Practice (Drawing) after pausing during the pandemic.
For Room, Esyllt Angharad Lewis presents a sound piece somewhere between voice note and poem, exploring the slipperiness of language. ‘Technoleg Gwyblodau’ flows between Welsh and English and around the tensions between nature and technology, jargon and artistic expression.
Lewis is on Instagram @esylltesylit
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Georgie Mac (they/them) is a non-binary visual artist based in Glasgow. They make zines and illustrations that feature wonky ink drawings, and vibrant Risograph printing. Their work explores feelings of cosmic angst & cosmic awe through the lens of hyper-niche fan art. Georgie draws and makes up stories about Fine Art Furbys, melancholic ghosts, curious astronauts, and unwilling vampires.
Georgie Mac presents a collection of original drawings and paintings that illustrate imagined myths, medieval monsters, and hybrid creatures. Featuring beings who are both two things at once, and neither of each alone. The works exhibited are made with a loose hand in ink and acrylic. Featuring un-restricted line work, dreamy colours, and shadows of unedited impulses. Inspired by Greek mythology, horror movies, and medieval manuscripts.
See also:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/HelloGeorgieMac
Mac is on Instagram @Hellogeorgiemac
Niamh McGuinness is an Irish artist originally from the Burren, Co.Clare. She is currently living and working in Cork city. Her education includes a BA Honours in Sculpture and Combined Media from Limerick School of Art and Design and a MLitt in Fine Art Practice (Drawing pathway) from The Glasgow School of Art. She was recently awarded the Agility Award by the Irish Arts Council and won the Screaming Pope Prize at KFest Arts Festival in June of 2022. Her work is concerned with myth, heritage, tactility and form. She works across several mediums with a focus on textiles and sculptural installation.
McGuinness’ work for Room is an ode to the fragments of a textile practice, and an archive of a practice interrupted by the tumult of leaving Glasgow abruptly in March 2020. Using an archival method of display, the artist aims to show the intricacy and merit of the discarded fragments, toiles and remnants of a cloth based practice. Created in bursts during many moves of country, home and studio; these are the ideas that sprouted, withered and morphed without the mental and physical means to be brought to their intended audience. Discarded, stained, disintegrated and forgotten these art artefacts are an archive of the studio floor and of a life in flux.
McGuinness is on Instagram @niamhmcguinness.art
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| Harriet Orrey-Godden: Chorus |
Harriet Orrey-Godden is a painter a textile artist. She moved to Glasgow in 2019 to pursue her passion for painting, studying an MLitt in Fine Art Practice at The Glasgow School of Art. For 10 years previous, she ran a successful textile business in Manchester, designing and making dolls and puppets, which she sold from a studio in Manchester Craft and Design Centre. Harriet’s creative practice encompasses a wide range of disciplines and styles but is defined by an intuitive exploration of materials, relating as much to her everyday experiences as it does to her interest in feminism, philosophy, politics, and history. The body is a central theme in her work, and acts as a lens through which she examines the human condition and society more broadly.
This project has emerged from a switch in Orrey-Godden’s practice, from textiles to painting, as well as a move from figuration to abstraction. What at first felt like a complete departure in context and way of working has emerged as a dialogue between interrelated processes. This exhibition brings together fine art, craft and design, as paintings sit alongside their applied forms, as wallpaper and textiles. Harriet’s intention is to create a delightful juxtaposition which celebrates the friction and harmony of a divergent practice.
Orrey-Godden is on Instagram @harrietorreygodden
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| Suri Park Woo_Sword of courage_creation of Heaven and Earth |
Suri Park Woo is interested in creatures that are wandering on the edge. She has been observing and collecting images and stories of ‘women’ who are considered “not favorable for survival” and of ‘animals’ who have been pushed out of the human-centered world. These marginalized creatures meet in her work to create their own stories, constituting a bizarre and magical world that may exist somewhere. She calls this narrative “the mythology of marginalized creatures.”
Based on this interest, her practice focuses on storytelling and takes on a surrealistic narrative. This consists of a few key approaches such as delicate pencil drawings, oil painting, and animation.
For Room, Park Woo exhibits drawings on papers and fabric, drawing sculptures, drawing books and animation on a drawing cube. These works include a collection of new drawing that is the culmination of the last months of work and research Park Woo has undertaken around the relationship between herself and imaginary animals.
Park Woo is on Instagram @suri.park.woo.studio
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| Vivian Ross-Smith: The Island is The Gallery, film still, Photographer Credit Stephen Mercer |
Vivian Ross-Smith is an artist who uses physical and digital space to make performance, painting, and textile work. Her work considers the structures of the art world from an island artist perspective. Exploring the textures, qualities and values of material and space, Ross-Smith’s work is as much about experiencing as it is about seeing.
Ross-Smith has a BA (hons) from Grays School of Art (2013) and MLitt Fine Art Practice from The Glasgow School of Art (2020), she lives in Shetland and works as Programme Coordinator at artist-led organisation, Gaada.
In a freeing time for her practice, Vivian Ross-Smith used site specific performance throughout the pandemic to question the accessibility of the art world and explore alternative modes of sharing art practice.
For Room, Ross-Smith exhibits Find Your Way Back, a work that acknowledges the artists conflicted feelings of returning to the gallery. Hung in a meandering installation, viewers are encouraged to experience the artwork in motion. Performance film and ‘wearable artworks’ are shown alongside paintings informed by textile and garment construction.
Ross-Smith is on Instagram @vrossmith