Shift Exhibition & Residency — Vane Gallery,Gateshead
Gateshead, 2012
When I began my residency at Vane in January 2012, I didn’t know where the work would lead. What I did know was that I wanted to let the gallery itself shape the process. Over the course of a month, I worked directly in the space — responding to its scale, surfaces, light, and atmosphere — allowing the work to emerge through making, movement, and attention.
By the time Shift, my first solo exhibition, opened in August, the gallery had become both studio and collaborator.
Working with space
I’ve always been drawn to the textures and patterns of the world — the marks left by architecture, the surfaces shaped by use, weather, and time. For Shift, I wanted to bring those observations into the gallery in a way that felt alive and physical.
Using subtle colour, layered marks, and responsive materials, I began to guide both the eye and the body. The work invited visitors to move through the space slowly, discovering changes in perspective as they navigated the room.
Process-led installation
My process is physical and intuitive. I shred, crush, nail, tape, pin, tear, and collage materials — letting them speak to each other and to the space they occupy. Paintings spill out of their frames, objects interact with walls, floors, ceilings, and sometimes the air itself feels charged.
I’m interested in blurring the boundaries between painting, sculpture, and installation, creating environments that feel provisional, responsive, and slightly unstable — as if they could change at any moment.
Light, movement, and experience
Light plays a crucial role in my work. Reflections, shadows, and shifting surfaces alter depending on where you stand and how you move. The experience isn’t just visual — it’s bodily. The work asks to be encountered, not simply observed.
For me, Shift was about creating a space that encouraged pause, wandering, and sensory awareness — a place where colour and movement could be felt as much as seen.
“Pockets of space choreographed by cut and torn painted scraps.”
— Robert Clark, The Guardian Guide
Looking back
This residency and exhibition taught me a great deal about space, materials, risk, and trust. It confirmed the importance of working responsively, allowing uncertainty and intuition to play an active role in the making process.
Shift remains a significant moment in my practice, shaping how I approach installation and site-responsive work today.
For further reading , you can read my artist story over on the Vane website here or view my Installation here