Artist Statement
I present abstracted narratives, which make the viewer question their ideas of portraiture. In my work, I am enamoured with the concept of capturing the edge of a scene. This is in order to reveal the role that context, the presence of and the lack of, has in our lives and how it influences our perceptions and perspectives. As Ezra Pound declared "Literature does not exist in a vacuum", so the same may be said about perception.
I hope to encourage people to be more open-minded through my amalgamations of collage and painting with a focus upon similarities and juxtapositions existing in a large and absurd universe. Often, I intersperse these compositions with aspects of colour, in vibrant blocks or in abstracted expressions.
Alongside collage, this allows me to enact a concept of doors and windows as a metaphor for the human condition and psyche. This is furthered through my practice of layering not only collage and paint but automatic drawings and writings too. This is an exploration of the unfathomable depth of contextual forces surrounding us with an idea of delving deeper whilst also being able to step back or look out at a bigger picture.
CV
Education
2020 - 2021 University of Sunderland
Masters in Fine Art
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BIO
Katie Stewart
Born in Dundee, Scotland
Lives & works in Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
EXHIBITIONS / PUBLICATIONS
Solo
2023 Barista Boho - North Shields, Newcastle Upon Tyne
2022 NE29 - North Shields Library - North Shields, Newcastle Upon Tyne
2019 Catch 21 - Sunderland
2018 - Ongoing - Lovaine Community Garden - North Shields, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Group
2023 Origins - Photosynthesis Magazine - California - Link
2023 Urban Jungle - Fronteer Gallery - Sheffield - Link
2023 Cultivart Zine - Vivienne Westwood, 1941 - 2022, pp. 10-11
2022 Artist Talk Magazine, pp. 36-37, 48-49 - Link
2022 Haus A Rest Zine - Link
2022 Sumy Nona Zine - Link
2021 Northeastcvan Takeover - Link
2021 Virtual Art Exhibition - North Tyneside Libraries and Community Centres - Link
2021 Where We Are Now - Winter Gardens, Sunderland - Link
2021 Sound - Gas Gallery, North Shields, Newcastle Upon Tyne
2021 Paint the Town in Sound - Online Exhibition - Link
2021 Shrine - Online Exhibition - Link
2020 Frederick Street Gallery - Sunderland
2019 Love & Peas - Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
2018 The Beacon Centre - North Shields, Newcastle Upon Tyne
2018 Tynemouth Metro - Tynemouth, Newcastle Upon Tyne
2017 The Old Lowlights - North Shields, Newcastle Upon Tyne
2016 The Harsh Times Zine - Newcastle Upon Tyne