Ms Kate Bright
Lecturer
Slade School of Fine Art University College London
London WC1E 6BT
Biography
Included in the British Art Show 1990 my paintings have been exhibited widely in both the UK and internationally.
Selected exhibitions:
Dumbpop, Jerwood Gallery, London/Metropolitan University Gallery, Leeds, UK
Another Country: The Constructed Landscape, Lawrence Rubin Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, New York, USA
Taro Nasu Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Exploration of the Environment-Landscape Redefined, Barbara Gillman Gallery, Miami USA
Shimmering Substance, Cornerhouse, Manchester, and Arnolfini Gallery Bristol
Getting away from it all, Emily Tsingou Gallery, London, UK
Backwater, Laing Art Gallery and Museum, Newcastle, UK
Kate Bright, Casa Centro de Arte de Salamanca, Spain
Bright, New Art Gallery, Walsall
Vitamin Art, Turin, Italy
Represented by Locks Gallery Philadelphia Kate Bright lives and works in London.
Research Summary
Colluding with mass culture the paintings explore the value of the sublime and the illusory aspects of ‘straight’ painting. Extending the landscape genre through this use of unorthodox materials, the collage element (my understudy for the twinkle of frosty snow, white horses crashing on the beach and the lazy ripple of the boating lake) enforces a low grade interactivity onto what might appear to be the static familiar genre of landscape painting.
Highlighting the underlying artificiality of paint the trompe-l’oeil and the figurative, the work confronts the viewer to re-assess the notion of painting and what might make a landscape painting contemporary.
Exhibitions
In Deep
2012Locks Gallery Philladelphia
Solo show of Six large paintings 5' x 7' and 5' x 5' with 7 smaller works exhibited 24" x 24' at Locks Gallery Philadelphia. Paintings were concerned with the depiction of pools and the water's surface and reflections whether from the dark ghostly shadows of an underground lake to the bright dayglo of the reflected artificial light of a competition swimming pool. Using glitter, glass and thick varnish to augment the painting and re-enforce the presentation of illusion. The paintings further the dialogue between the figurative image presented and the expectation and understanding of the audience. IN addition to the exhibition I was invited to talk at Moore College of Art's "In Conversation" programme interviewed by Barry Schwabsky. Also I spoke about the exhibition to freshmen at Tyler School of Art as part of their 1st Semester programme.
Sparkle and Glitter
2009Locks Gallery Philadelphia U.S.
Between The Woods
2008Locks Gallery Philadelphia U.S.
The exhibition Between the Woods was a solo show at the Locks Gallery in Philadelphia in 2008. There were five large canvas’ measuring 5’ x 7’, 3 smaller paintings measuring 3’ x 3’ a catalogue published by the gallery with an essay by Judith Stein entitled Post-Ironic Landscapes. The paintings are made with the addition of glitter collaged to the surface of the painting. Referencing Warhol, RobPruitt and Karen Klimnick’s use of the collaged material they “Collude with mass culture” (Stien) the paintings explore the value of the sublime and the illusory aspects of ‘straight’ painting. Extending the landscape genre and enforcing a low grade interactivity onto what might appear to be the static familiar genre of landscape painting. The paintings confront the viewer into re-assessing the notion of painting and what might make a landscape painting contemporary. The political notion of the landscape underpins the conceptual basis of the work. The physical remove from the land is seen as a gateway for our desire to further embrace it culturally. As compensation for our lost relationship with the great outdoors and the enforced exile of the artist, (removed from the subject in the studio) liberties can be taken in re-making the connection with nature as the subject of the works. This cultural mis-use of the landscape is permitable and liberties can be taken as the addition of glitter, seen as a kitch material used by the hobbyist or for the Primary Class Christmas Project ,is the perfect understudy for the natural phenomenon it represents in the painting. A visual pun and a great mimic. Paintings in this show Grotto 2008 and Copse 2008 were exhibited in 'Water' at the Sun Valley Centre For The Arts Idaho in 2010
10 Years
2007Emily Tsingou Gallery London
Collection
2006Taro Nasu Gallery Tokyo
Kate Bright
2005Locks Gallery, 600 Washington Square South, Philadelphia
Kate Bright Accadueo
2004Vitamin, Turin, Italy
Kate Bright
2004Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Post Flat
2003Locks Gallery, Philadelphia
Kate Bright
2003New Art Gallery, Walsall
Backwater
2003Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle
Getting Away From It All
2003Emily Bingou Gallery, London
Kate Bright
2003Centro de Arte Salamanca, Spain
Tailsliding
2002Turku Art Museum, Finland, toured to Brno House of Arts, Czech R
Conquistadores of the Useless - Art and Mountains
2002Alpine Club, London
Shimmering Substance
2002Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol
Tailsliding
2002Vilnius Contemporary Art Centre, Lithuania, Museum of Contempora
Publications
Commission with Vital Arts to make a limited edition print.
The print Snowfall 2013, mixed media, is to be made available to fund arts programmes for patients and staff and other health related charities.
Commission for Barts Health NHS Trust
Three Paintings commissioned by the Royal London and St Bartholomews NHS Trust. UP 2010 Acrylic & glitter on canvas, 123 x 153 cm. OVER 2010 Acrylic & glitter on canvas, 91 x 91 cm. HONEYSUCKLE SNOW 2010 Acrylic & glitter on canvas, 31 x 31 cm. All Painting now are part of the prestigious collection managed on behalf of the trust by Vital Arts. The paintings have since been included in the BBC Your Paintings web site, a national archive of works held in public collections. Your Paintings is a joint initiative between the BBC, the Public Catalogue Foundation (a registered charity) and participating collections and museums from across the UK.
