Artist Statement:
In my personal work, I aim to question capitalism from within the perspective of the arts community. In a broader sense, this is a paradox in itself because the art community itself could not exist without the hierarchy within capitalism providing me with time and space to work.
Form follows content. Content or idea precedes design.
The materials I use are every day, in the sense they are cheap and found everywhere. The ideas are to do with self-image and vanity; to do with the socialist ideals violently confronting a need in humanity to stand out, peacock power! In this way the medium is the message, but I also aim to be proficient in a variety of mediums so that I can choose the one most suitable to a given idea.
I studied in Czech Republic to experience a post-capitalist mode of thinking. An artist community where people make no money from their work; Artists really living on the breadline. I aim to confront my own greed, to question my own constructed realities, and to make light of my own vanity. Like the Robin Hood of the art world I aim to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Every bit of money I make from my art only goes into a bank account to help proliferate new ideas and make more art. I am also an art teacher, so that is how I live.
Artist CV:
Employment Experience
Teacher at Wingfield Academy, Rotherham
(09/2013-present)
- Designing and delivering a KS3 curriculum to excite and inspire young artists.
- Helping GCSE pupils to achieve 87.5% three levels of progress, and 47.6% four levels of progress.
- Organising trips to the National Portrait exhibition.
Teacher at St Andrew’s School, Croydon
(09/2012-06/2013)
- Designing and delivering a KS3 curriculum to excite and inspire young artists.
Art Technician at Anish Kapoor studio, Camberwell, London
(06/2012-09/2011)
- Making Anish Kapoor’s concrete sculptures with a 3d printer.
- Developing new ideas and forming a new body of work.
Cover supervisor and Art As/A Level Essay specialist at Sir John Cass secondary school, Stepney Green, East London
(09/2011-06/2012)
- Working one-to-one with Bengali A level pupils to help them write essays in conjunction with their artwork.
- Marking essays and feeding advice back to pupils.
- Helping pupils annotate their sketchbooks.
- Preparing teaching sessions and resources on writing art essays.
- Organising trips to the National Gallery, Tate Britain, the Whitechapel Art gallery and the Saatchi collection.
Exhibition invigilator at the British Pavilion in Venice Biennale
(06/2011-07/2011)
- Explaining Mike Nelson’s work and contemporary art to a varied and diverse public.
Relevant Voluntary Experience
Exhibitions co-producer on the ICA Student Forum
(06/2010-07/2012)
- Organising an event about Art Education with a group of Art Educators.
Answering the questions
- What does it mean to put a monetary value on education?
- What does it mean to experiment for experiment’s sake?
- What does it mean to work within a group?
Exhibition and Development Intern at the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow Museums
(09/2010-12/2010)
- Applying for funding to purchase works by local artists through the Art Fund and NFA
- Collating, researching and filing object files on recently acquired works for the collection
- Researching and Co-curating a historical show for 2012 about the collection, Glasgow itself and the Gallery building.
Development Intern at Whitechapel Gallery
(12/2010-04/2011)
- Providing a comprehensive administrative support to the Development Department
- Processing and updating memberships
- Formatting funding applications for both exhibitions and development
Education
MFA at Prague Academy of Fine Arts (2010) Pass
BA (Hons) in Visual Communication at Leeds College of Art, 2:2 (2006)
Foundation Course in Painting and Drawing at Leith School of Art, Edinburgh (2003)
Additional Training and Memberships
“How to get outstanding results from GCSE Art”, AQA, London (2015)
Current Member of NSEAD, National Society of Art and Design Educators.
‘Future of Arts Funding’ seminar, House of Commons (2011)
‘Time Management’ seminar, Guildhall (2011)
Advanced Czech, Charles University, Prague (2008-2010)
‘Access for the Arts’ seminar, Whitechapel Gallery (2011)
Health and Safety, Gallery of Modern Art (2010)
