Zena Blackwell
Cardiff
I'm a painter based in Cardiff and am inspired by the chaos, humour, beauty & dark dayz of motherhood
I am a painter based in Cardiff, Wales, UK. I exhibit regularly and have work in private collections around the World. I completed my MA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins, London, and my BA at Wimbledon College of Art.
My practice investigates the mad, anxiety-ridden and messy moments of raising children and keeping house. I present playful and colourful paintings that scrutinise the wide-ranging spectrum of emotions experienced in motherhood. My work can be beautiful and humorous but also sinister and menacing, often leaving a heavy feeling of disquiet. My paintings have been described as being ‘psychologically charged'.
I presented my first solo show consisting of over 30 works at Cardiff MADE in November 2018 after winning first prize in the Summer Open Exhibition the year before (for which I secured a £5k Arts Council of Wales Award). The exhibition was included in a list of the top 5 UK exhibitions by a-n magazine and Wales Arts Review included it in a top 10 list of the best Welsh Visual Arts for 2018. I was selected to exhibit at Y Lle Celf at the Eisteddfod in 2018 which was held at the Senedd (Welsh National Assembly building), Cardiff Bay
CV
Education
Turps Correspondence Course (2021-22)
MA Fine Art Central Saint Martins, London, UK
BA Fine Art (hons) Wimbledon College of Art, London, UK
?
Collections
National Library of Wales
Work in private collections in USA, France, Japan, Australia and UK.
Awards and Grants
2022
Shortlisted for the BEEP Painting Prize
2021
Shortlisted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2021
Arts Council of Wales 'Create' Award of £2025 for Turps Correspondence Course 2021-22
2020
Arts Council of Wales £10,000 awarded to Contemporary Cymru for HOUSEHOLD NAME
Arts Council of England £3,800 awarded to Contemporary Cymru for HOUSEHOLD NAME
2019
3rd prize PAINT at PS Mirabel, Manchester
2018
Arts Council of Wales Grant of £5000 towards the cost of 'Seen Not Heard'
2017
1st prize Cardiff MADE Summer Open
Exhibitions
Solo Shows:
2022
A Delicate Balance : Solo show at Canfas, Cardigan
2018
Seen Not Heard: Solo Exhibition at Cardiff MADE, Cardiff
Group Shows:
UPCOMING & CURRENT:
The Hearth Gallery, Llandough Hospital (11.10 - 21.11.22)
THE OTHER ART FAIR, Truman Brewery, London (13 - 16.10)
Catalyst: Painters from the Turps Banana Correspondence Course, Oriel Canfas, Cardiff (21.10.- 6.11.22)
Art on a Postcard Auction, London (27.10 - 10.11)
?
2022
A Generous Space, Hastings Contemporary, Hastings
A Room of Her Own, Irving Contemporary, Oxford
BEEP Painting Prize 2022, Elysium Gallery, Swansea
Collecting - exhibition of new acquisitions at The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth
Otherworlds at Cardiff MADE, Cardiff
A Women's Place is Everywhere, The Cello Factory, London
Draw : Wales, Wales Week in London
I contributed a drawing for a sketchbook feat. work by prominent Welsh artists inc. Shani Rhys James & Kevin Sinnott auctioned for Velindre
Made in Roath open @g39, Cardiff
The Sketchbook at Llantarnum Grange, Cwmbran
Y Lle Celf, National Eisteddfod, Tregaron, Cardigan
Body, Stitch, Soul at Studio Cennen, Llandeilo
A Celebration of Welsh Contemporary Painting at Red House, Merthyr Tydfil
Ebb and Flow, Studio Cennen, Llandeilo
?
2021
Truth : Myth : Dreams at Studio Cennen, Llandeilo
Cardiff MADE Winter Exhibition at Cardiff MADE, Cardiff
Without Borders - Elysium Gallery (the exhibition traveled to Japan, Norway, USA, Venice, Canada, and back to Wales)
Household Name Virtual Exhibition
Household Name: Group show curated by Contemporary Cymru
Elysium Gallery, Swansea with Laura Ford, Cherry Pickles, Zoë Gingell, Fern Thomas, Adele Vye and Raji Salan
Cambium at Cardiff MADE
2020
Coming Up For Air - Oriel Canfas, Cardiff (part of BEEP Biennial)
Telling Tales (Three person show with Lara Davies and Rhiannon Davies) - Bay Art, Cardiff
Arcade Studio Exhibition at Arcade Campfa, Cardiff
A View From The Edge : Contemporary Landscape in the Digital Age, Cardiff MADE
2019
Cardiff MADE Winter Show
AGORED19 at Galeri, Caernarfon
Present X Correct showcase by Contemporary Cymru at Corsica Studios, London
Y Lle Celf at The Eisteddfod, Llanrwst
PAINT at PS Mirabel, Manchester (awarded 3rd prize)
Empower Me! at g39, Cardiff
Arcade Studios at Bath Fringe Arts Festival, Bath
Tactile Bosch in Japan, Korea and Taiwan
The Mutterscream: Crepuscular Lush, Jacob’s Market, Cardiff
Viridis: Spring Show at Cardiff MADE
2018
Winter Show: Cardiff MADE
CSAD Auction at g39, Cardiff
Seen Not Heard: Solo Exhibition at Cardiff MADE, Cardiff
Made in Roath Open at g39, Cardiff
Y lle Celf, The Eisteddfod, Senedd, Cardiff
Filia (feminist conference in Manchester. Exhibition traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil)
2017
Ankle Biters at Made in Roath, Cardiff
MADE Summer Open Exhibition, Cardiff, curated by Zoe Gingell (won 1st Prize)
2016
‘Domestic Bliss’ at Made in Roath, Cardiff
2012
‘ArtLabBern’ Switzerland: My Beautiful Son project, Bern, Switzerland
Clit Rock’ My film Pleasure Max was shown at this regular anti-FGM event, London
2011
Central Saint Martins MA Degree show, London
New Pretenders’ Bargehouse, London (Interim MA degree show)
Pre-2010
Selected works at The Glass Bar, London
‘Slap & Tickle’ at The Yard Bar, London (curated)
Wimbledon Library group show
Open Studios
2019
Cardiff Open Studios
2016
Cardiff Contemporary Open Studios
Made in Roath Festival Open Studios
??
Press/Printed/Online/Books/Interviews
2021
Poetry Wales - 2020 #4 featured on the cover of the Summer 2021 issue
Axisweb - New Art Highlights
Axisweb - Five 2 Watch
Saatchi Art - The Color Catalogue (digital & printed copies distributed to 250K US collectors)
Photographed by Bernard Mitchell for the Wales Arts Archive
Obsessed With Art - Bathroom Art - ‘Fibre, Back, Plastic’ featured
2020
FAD - Preview of HOUSEHOLD NAME
Chapter Arts Newsletter - highlighting 6 artists taking part in #artistsupportpledge
2019
The London Reader
Axisweb - Highlights (December)
Together and Sunspell – interview and photos
Axisweb – one of five painters to watch (January)
Axisweb – Highlights (April)
2018
A-N – ‘Seen Not Heard’ included in Top 5 UK exhibitions of the week
Western Mail Newspaper - double page feature
Wales Arts Review – feature
Wales Arts Review – included in a list of 10 of the Best of Welsh Visual Arts 2018
Around Town Magazine ‘Cardiff People’
Galleries Magazine
Cardiff Students
Buzz Magazine
Cardiff Times review of Seen Not Heard
BBC Wales – Eisteddfod review mention.
‘Painting of the Day’ - Contemporary British Painting
Axisweb - Highlights
Saatchi Art – Curated collection
Cardiff Life Magazine
Radio Cardiff ‘Pitch Illustration Radio’ hour-long interview
2017
Cardiff Life Magazine
‘Under the Radar’ - Artslant global mailout
Lumin Journal
‘Painting of the Day’ Contemporary British Painting
2009
Flying Graphics, Monsa, Barcelona
2008
Fly By Night, Thames & Hudson, London
Historical
a-n Magazine Degree Show Special
Misc
2017-present day – Founded Contemporary Cymru
2010-2013: Curated the Art in the Bar programme at Corsica Studios
2011: Tour guide at the Hayward Gallery for Tracey Emin retrospective
2009-2012: – Assistant to Sacha Craddock
2007 – 2011: – Assistant to Frith Street Gallery Director, Jane Hamlyn
2005: Judge and award presenter at The London Short Film Festival, ICA, London
2000: Showcased recent work on the TV series ‘Young, Gifted & Broke’
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