During this curated Summer season 108 will exhibit artists Siobhan McLaughlin & Karen Thompson, who have undertaken residences in Cornwall and the North East of England. The exhibition will be at the gallery in Harrogate, from 24th June until 4th August 2023.
Siobhan McLaughlin is an artist and freelance curator based in Glasgow. Since graduating from MA Fine Art at Edinburgh University in 2019 with First-class Honours, she has been awarded the inaugural SSA Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Award, a film commission from the Tate’s British Art Network and a RSA Residencies for Scotland Award. Other recent awards include the Stephen Palmer Travel Award, Visual Art Scotland Cornwall Exchange Residency, the Henderson Bursary for Pittenweem Art Festival and an invitation to exhibit in ‘Elemental’ at the Royal Scottish Academy opening 23rd June 2023.
Alongside exhibiting regularly, McLaughlin’s curatorial practice focuses on creating opportunities for connection and opening up private, inaccessible spaces to the public. In 2022 she curated a major private collections exhibition, Alan Davie: Beginning of a Far-off World, at Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh, and is currently working with Dovecot to showcase the work of 10 recent graduates from Scottish art schools, with the aim of providing a platform for emerging artists at the start of their careers.
Her art practice combines personal experience with compositional and sustainable devices, such as sewing remnant materials, to create non-traditional landscape paintings. Through drawing, printmaking, painting and installation McLaughlin explores themes of place, memory, sustainability and ecology.
Cairn Lochan
Oil pastel and oil paint on mixed materials
50x70cm
Born in 1973, Karen Thompson originates from the coastal town of South Shields. Her artistic journey as a ceramic artist took a significant leap in 2004 when she successfully completed ceramics qualifications at Kensington & Chelsea College. Four years later, in 2008, Thompson proudly obtained her BA (Hons) in Ceramics from Bath Spa University.
Thompson’s mastery in ceramics is distinguished by a seamless fusion of historical and contemporary influences. Through her artistic expressions, she fearlessly ventures into the realms of social and political commentary, employing a powerful blend of subversion, satire, and humour. This distinct approach infuses her creations with vitality, resonating deeply with viewers on multiple levels.
Her ceramics has garnered recognition, and are placed in various private and public collections such as; The Crafts Council, The Arts Council, York Art Gallery, Scarborough Museums Trust, Bath Spa University, and Crescent Arts Scarborough.
Currently, Thompson has established her home and workplace in Scarborough, nestled in the picturesque region of North Yorkshire. It is within this inspiring setting that she continues to pursue her artistic endeavours.
More information can be found here.
Harry
Watercolour & Ink on Paper
42×59.4cm
Blue Boy
Watercolour, Ink & Acrylic on Paper
42×59.4cm
Not Zoe
Acrylic on Paper
42×59.4cm