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Designer
  • Artwork
  • Profile
  • Exhibitions
  • Interview
Rebecca Wright
The Slade School (BA Hons Fine Art, 2008 / 2008)
  • Reasons For Making Money
    Size (H x W x D): 76 x 56 x 0 cm
    £800.00
  • Reasons for Liking Art
    Size (H x W x D): 112 x 76 x 0 cm
    £1,200.00
  • Reasons For Being Cultured
    Size (H x W x D): 76 x 56 x 0 cm
    £800.00
  • Sculpture
    Size (H x W x D): 93 x 34 x 5 cm
    £1,000.00
  • Reasons for Making Art
    Size (H x W x D): 112 x 76 x 0 cm
    £1,200.00
  • Reasons for Looking at Art
    Size (H x W x D): 112 x 76 x 0 cm
    £1,200.00
  • Reasons for Buying Art
    Size (H x W x D): 112 x 76 x 0 cm
    £1,200.00

Profile

My recent works looks at the motivation behind people’s actions. I’m fascinated by the decisions they make, but more importantly, how they come to make them. Through my series of prints titled, Reasons... I hope to reveal what it is that really drives people to make the decisions they do.

Not all motives are equal or morally justifiable, some are the guilty, secret thoughts we have, but never actually say aloud. I want to expose these, regardless of how uneasy they may sit with the viewer. My work doesn’t attempt to resolve the
problematic issues it raises, in fact I see it as a mark of it’s success if it manages to irritate one’s conscience. Neither do I regard it as being didactic, the work merely acts as a mirror to reflect the thoughts and feelings the viewer already has.

However, when brought face to face with them in written form, a sense of honesty is forced upon the viewer as they question their position.

Contrastingly though, I aspire to make work that is visually beautiful, the result often being traditional, sculptural looking forms. Yet, each of these pieces have been constructed from such phrases that may encourage feelings of awkwardness amongst the
audience. First impressions of the work convey an aesthetic, but closer inspection uncovers a somewhat challenging content, perhaps an indication of our desire to often gloss over reality.

Exhibitions

2008 - Won Henriques Scholarship for Fine Art, UCL

2008-09 - Won KPMG Project Gold Commission

2008 - Gissings, London

2008 - Slade BA Degree Show, London

2007 - Ready To Eat Jumbo Shrimp, Woburn Sq, London

2007 - Impermanence, Shillam & Smith, Gt Titchfield St, Londo

Interview

What is your favourite film of all time?

It’s a toss up between Carol Reid’s The Fallen Idol and Julio Medem’s Sex and Lucia.

What music are you currently listening to and why?

Kate Bush for the theatre, Nick Cave for the tragedy, Neil Diamond for the good times, Kanye West for the bad and Radio 4’s Just a Minute when I’m doing the washing up.

Which living artists do you most admire and why?

Jonathan Monk’s work always make me smirk. Sophie Calle, because she exudes that perfect balance of power and vulnerability. Fiona Banner, for she can put into words what I never can. And Damien Hirst ‘cos diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

Which deceased artist do you most admire and why?

Sol Le Witt for his many wall drawings and Picasso for his many women.

Which exhibition that you have visited made the greatest impact on you and why?

I recently saw Sophie Calle’s Take Care Of Yourself at the Paris Library. For the exhibition, which was held in the vast reading room, all the books were removed. It seemed absurd to be standing in a library with no books. It gave the piece a new intensity, a sense of academia and research that wouldn’t have been noticed had it been in a gallery.

What is the question you get asked most frequently about your work and how do you answer it?

People always want to know whether I’m telling the truth in my work, whether the views I’m expressing are my own or someone else’s. My answer often differs, it depends on who is asking and what mood I’m in at the time.

What / who inspired you to be an artist?

My mum. She has a limited understanding of art and the artist. When she starts to understand, I will stop making art.

Can you tell us about where you make your art and what if any the significance of this location is?

Where I make the work has become less important of late. But I like to be around people, a throw away comment or an overheard conversation is often the inspiration for a piece. Ideas tend to come without notice, so I try to carry a notebook with me at all times, but if I’m caught short, the back of a receipt can come in handy.

What do you like most about being an artist?

The freedom it gives me to explore the things I’m really interested in. And it makes me look cool.

What is your greatest achievement as an artist to date?

Successfully making the art critic Matthew Collings laugh at my work.

What are your plans for the coming year?

Make some more art, make a film and maybe dabble in some celebrity spotting at the Frieze Art Fair.