Aidan Moesby
As an artist, curator and writer, Moesby’s work is at the intersection of the visual arts, wellbeing and increasingly, technology. Site or context-specific interventions serve as a catalyst for a socially-engaged conversation and personal or communal exploration.
Current work investigates the dual crises of Climate Change and Mental Health exploring the relationships between the outer physical weather and internal psycho-emotional weather.
Curation of public events, seminars and forums to specifically engage a non-art audience and explore the work in a wider context. This diversification and cross-pollination is integral to his overall practice.
Moesby is concerned with language: literally in text based pieces, objects as metaphor and the emotional and psychological language of spaces and location. He regularly participates in panel discussions, presents at conferences, guest lectures, trains and facilitates groups and discussions.
Moesby has worked, exhibited and curated nationally and internationally working with partners such as Dundee Contemporary Arts, Newcastle University, NSUN, WIP: Stockholm, The Tetley, DASH, New Media Scotland, NHS24, ANAT, Watershed, Jadraas Art and The Sick of the Fringe.
Works a lot with Disability, Disability Arts and Inclusion in Art and cultural sttings
Education Currently Phd Candidate at Teesside University – Curating Climate Change and Wellbeing through a disability lens - Practice based curating phd as a disabled artist/curator Expected submission March 2025.
Sept ’15 MA Curating (Distinction) Sunderland University
Oct ’97 MA Art & Psychotherapy Sheffield University
Selected Projects
2024 Reframed : Disability Aesthetics and Institutional Change – curated international online symposium for British Council Visual Arts in collaboration with DAO
Mima / Towards New Worlds / Curated large touring exhibition and public programme of contemporary disabled artists - with Middlesborough Institute of Modern Art https://mima.art/exhibition/towards-new-worlds/
Kulturdirektoratet / Consultant on a project developing approaches to disability representation in the visual arts in Norway / Oslo, Norway
Oxford Light Festival University Sagacity – Periodic Table of Emotions – Digital Installation and panel talk about arts and health
2023 Non Normative Leaders conference with Culture for All. Helsinki, Finland.
Commissioned to make installations for a Mental Health Hospital by Hospital Rooms (Charity) focusing on Mental health and Climate Change
Sagacity: Periodic Table of Emotions at German Hygiene Museum Dresden as part of Happiness exhibition originally shown at Wellcome Collection.
Expert Clinic – Disability and Digital Curation – Sensefield Biennial Taiwan Lecture and Q & A.
Curating event and Chairing International Symposium with NUK Festival (Festspillene i Nord Norge) and Disability Arts Online (UK) around Access, Inclusion and Disability in a NO / UK context. Funded by British Council.
November – Lumiere Durham – commissioned neon light installations for Light Biennale exploring climate change and wellbeing
2022 Museum Without Walls. Working as curator and access consultant on a research project for the British Council around the development of an accessible digital platform for the British Council Arts Collection across Mexico, India and Turkey.
Selection panel for ‘We are Invisible We are Visible’ a day of interventions in galleries by selected disabled artists. In association with DASH (Shropshire).
NUK Festival – part of Festspillene i Nord Norge. International collaboration Working with Disabled and Non-disabled young people and Ukrainian refugees This included a presentation to cultural industry on Access, Diversity and Inclusion with reference to disability.
Selection panel member on the Future Curators Programme run by DASH to select new institutional hosts for the programme to develop disabled curators.
I was Naked Smelling of Rain – Selected for the Arts Council Curated Showcase at Edinburgh Fringe Festival https://www.horizonshowcase.uk/artists/aidan-moesby/
Breathing Space (i) and (ii). Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Commissioned to make work in response to Shakespeare. Produced Public Sculpture and Digital Moving Image.
Consultant working with the Wellcome Collection on their Social Justice Curriculum with reference to Disability, Inclusion and Diversity in the Arts.
2021 ‘I can feel the changing of the Seasons’ installation commissioned for Midland Arts Centre for the group exhibition ‘The Butterfly Effect’. Mixed Media, Moving Image, wellingtons, text.
Future Curators Program – Curated and chaired a series of lunchtime panel events with 4 guests to explore Institutional Change, Care and launch the call out for the next round of institutional and organisational program hosts for disabled curators.
2020 Picturing Lockdown, Documenting Lockdown to create an archive for Historic England as part of national project. Photography
My Weather Report. Lead Artist on a physical – digital tool to increase awareness around suicide for those at risk using weather as a metaphor. In collaboration with Studio Meineck, funded by South West Creative Technology Network
Curator in Residence, Middlesborough Institute of Modern Art with DASH – disabled curatorial development program. Curated an exhibition and public programme around it.
2019 Residency at Kulttuuri Kauppila Finland– continuing research into climate change and wellbeing
Contested Spaces’ Curated exhibition and associated panel discussions as part of Disability Arts Online associate artist programme.
Disability Arts Online Associate Artist – focusing on curating and disabled artists.
I was Naked, Smelling of Rain – developed in to full tour version. Live performative work
Selected Texts
Accessible curating https://tilaataiteilijuuteen.fi/tag/aidan-moesby/
Reflections of a curator in Lockdown https://corridor8.co.uk/article/aidan-moesby/
Language and disability https://www.shapearts.org.uk/blog/language-and-disability-rights-an-evolving-relationship
