Louisa Chambers
Louisa Chambers is a painter with a studio based practice. She has been developing a series of works that incorporates a simple folded form. Focusing on how a folded shape can be transfigured at speed from a temporary structure (three dimensional) into a flat two-dimensional space (painting). Each form can be squashed again, folded, opened, twisted and then recorded from observation.
Recent paintings are close up studies of reconfigured patterns from found fragments of printed fabric and paper. The colours are not true to the original sources and instead are intuitively selected. She is interested in the printed patterned tessellations that are on the surface of these forms and when manipulated create other spaces, angles and areas of illusion. These works are part of on-going research into depiction and visual perception on two and three dimensional surfaces. She has exhibited both nationally and internationally, has been a finalist in numerous competitions and has worked on various public site specific commissions.
Louisa Chambers lives and works in Nottingham, UK and is a Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University. She graduated from The Royal College of Art in 2007 (MA in Painting) and University for the Creative Arts, Farnham in 2005 (BA Fine Art). She has exhibited her work throughout the UK and has been a finalist in competitions such as Nottingham Castle Open 2015, Nottingham Castle Museum (Purchase Prize Winner, Nottingham 2015), Creekside Open, APT Gallery (London 2015) and John Moores 25 at the Walker Art Gallery in (Liverpool 2008). Recent exhibitions include: ‘Transcendence,’ The Cello Factory (London 2018), ‘Manuscript – Letter Home,’ China Academy of Arts Museum, (Hangzhou, China 2018) ‘Veneer’ Wirksworth Festival (Derbyshire 2017). ‘Line and Fold’ PAPER Gallery, CAMPBASEL Revisted, A-Space (Basel 2017), ‘Razzle Dazzle’ Transition Gallery (London 2016). ‘Now for Tomorrow II’ Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery (Nottingham 2016). ‘If a pair is two, what is three? Paravent and Razzle: All that Jazz’, The Harley Gallery (Nottinghamshire 2016). ‘Autocatalytic Future Games’ No Format (London 2015). ‘In Miniature’ Small Collections Room Nottingham Contemporary (Nottingham 2015). ‘About Painting’ Castlefield Gallery (Manchester 2014).
Education
2012 PGCE (Post Compulsory Education), Institute of Education, UCL
2007 MA Painting, Royal College of Art, London
2005 BA (Hons) Fine Art (First Class Honours), UCA, Farnham
2002 BTEC Diploma in Art and Design: (Distinction), UCA, Farnham
Selected Exhibitions
2018
Trancendence, The Cello Factory London
2017
Manuscript - Letter Home, China Academy of Arts Museum, Hangzhou, China
Veneer, Wirksworth Festival, Wirksworth, Derbyshire (co-curated exhibition)
Line and Fold, PAPER Gallery, CAMPBASEL Revisted, A-Space, Basel
Retrospective, The London Arts Board, The Camberwell Arts Festival, FORTYSEVENLDN, London
Figure and Form, The Marlow Gallery, Derbyshire
Precision of Thought, SE9 Container Gallery, London
Magical Geometry, The Chapel Gallery, Lancashire
2016
Razzle Dazzle, Transition Gallery, London
Drawn For Something Else, Rogue Project Space, Manchester
Wham! Transition Gallery, The Manchester Contemporary, Manchester
Wish You Were Here, Estuary Festival 2016, Metal, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
BAD SIGNS/ Adjustments, Atkinsons-Kram Gallery, London
Now For Tomorrow II, Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Nottingham
Lift, London Arts Board, London
If a pair is two, what is three? Part 2 - Razzle: All the Jazz, Harley Gallery, Nottinghamshire
If a pair is two, what is three? Part 1 - In the Paravent, Harley Gallery, Nottinghamshire
2015
Nottingham Castle Open 2015, Nottingham Castle, Nottingham
Geometric: Wonky and Otherwise, Déda, Derby
Creekside Open 2015, Selected by Richard Deacon, APT Gallery, London
Autocatalytic Future Games, no format Gallery, London
In Miniature, Small Collections Room, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham
RCA Secrets, Royal College of Art Battersea, Dyson Building, London
(detail), The Usher Gallery, Lincoln
2014
Harlequin, Gallery No.1, Repton, Derbyshire (Solo)
50 50 50, Syson, Nottingham
Salon 6, Old Lockup Studio, Cromford
Wirksworth Festival, Wirksworth
Pareidolia, Pluspace, Coventry
Water Colour Revolution, Saatchi Gallery, London
The Summer Lodge, Bonington Gallery, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham
(detail), H Project Space, Bangkok, Thailand,Transition Gallery, London and The Usher Gallery, Lincoln
About Painting, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester
Paint Like You Mean It, Interview Room 11, Edinburgh
RCA Secret, Royal College of Art Battersea, Dyson Building, London
2013
First Come First Served, Lion and Lamb Gallery, London
Crash Open, Charlie Dutton Gallery, London
Stereoscope, Mrs Rick's Cupboard, Primary, Nottingham (Solo)
Rotation, New Court Gallery, Repton, Derby (Solo)
Discernible, Zeitgeist Art Projects, ASC Project Space, London
Needle's Eye, New Court Gallery, Repton, Derbyshire
2012
Flatland, Blyth Gallery, Imperial College London curated research project
Needle's Eye, BayArt Gallery, Cardiff
Bow Arts Open, Bermondsey Project Space, London
Equinox, Transition Gallery, London
Needle's Eye, Transition Gallery, London
2011
Contemporary Perspectives on Water Colour, Mall Galleries, London
Drawn Together, Jeannie Avent Gallery, London
2010
Melt, Mile End Art Pavilion, London
Rhizomatic, The Departure Gallery, London
Pistols and Pollinators, Accident and Emergence, London
2009
Fault Line, The Nunnery, London
Skyscrapers under the Sea, Madame Lillies, London
Drawing(s) with Dolphins, Crimes Town Gallery, London
2008
John Moores 25, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
Awards/Competitions
2016
Spectrum, PS Mirabel, Manchester Third Prize Winner
2015
Nottingham Castle Open, Nottingham Purchase Prize Winner
Creekside Open 2015, APT Gallery, London
2014
Paint Like You Mean It, Interview Room 11, Edinburgh
2013
Crash Open, Charlie Dutton Gallery, London
Midlands Open 2013, Tarpey Gallery, Castle Donnington
2012
ZAP Open 2012, Zeitgeist Art Projects, London
Bow Arts Open, Bermondsey Project Space, London
2011
Core Arts Prize, Core Gallery, London
2010
Salon Arts Prize 2010, Matt Roberts Arts Foundation
2009
Fringe MK, Annual Painting Prize
2009
Salon Arts Prize 2009, Matt Arts Foundation
2008
John Moores 25 Contemporary Painting Prize
Residences/Teaching/Projects
Current Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Fine Art (0.5), Nottingham Trent University
Current Visiting Lecturer in Fine Art, Loughborough University
2012 - 2016 Artist-in-Residence, Repton School, Derby
Press and Publications
2017
The Times, 23rd January 2017, Artists Schools Latest Big Draw by Greg Hurst
2016
Interview Feature: Floorr Magazine, Issue 1, January 2016
2015
Geometry: Wonky and Otherwise, Exhibition Catalogue, Blurb Editions
2014
(detail), Transition Editions
About Painting, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, The Skinny by Sacha Waldron
Paint Like You Mean It, IR11, Exhibition Catalogue
2013
Louisa Chambers' Stereoscope at Mrs Rick's Cupboard, Patternsthatconnect, Andy Parkinson
Ten artists you should be collecting now: Axis picks it’s up and coming talents, Culture 24
2012
ZAP Open, Zeitgeist Art Projects, Online Catalogue
Needle's Eye, Online Catalogue
Paint, Garageland 13, Feature: Are Louisa Chambers' paintings abstract? By Ruth Solomons
2011
Core Gallery Open, Online Catalogue
Salon Art Prize 2007-2011, Matt Roberts Arts Foundation
Fook, Apps for iPhone, Interview Feature
2010
The Independent, 9th November 2010, feature: Which picture is by a famous artist? Answers on a postcard by Rob Sharp
Re-title.com, Artist focus-Painting, July 2010
2009
Migration, Garageland 9, Transition Editions
Fringe MK Annual Painting Prize 2009, Exhibition Catalogue
Soft, Science Fiction and Space Travel, Issue One
Fault Line, Sarah Ellson, Exhibition Catalogue Bow Arts
A-N Magazine, issue June 2009, feature: Inside the Studio
2008
John Moores 25 Contemporary Painting Prize, Exhibition Catalogue
The Shoreditch Map, Issue September 2008, Interview Feature Education