About
b. Jersey, Channel Islands., 1965, Lives and works Jersey / London.
Art Education 1996 - 1998 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Goldsmiths College London 1995 - 1996 Foundation in Fine Art & Design, City Lit, London |
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Work
+ 25+ year career in Technology: Programmer, Analyst and Computer System Designer.
+ Full time fine furniture maker training 2012 - 2013
+ Professional Artist from October 2014.
+ 25+ year career in Technology: Programmer, Analyst and Computer System Designer.
+ Full time fine furniture maker training 2012 - 2013
+ Professional Artist from October 2014.
Time practicing as a professional artist: *
* Denoted by first time I was in a show outside of the art school environment.
* Denoted by first time I was in a show outside of the art school environment.
Biography
Rachel Ara
(b. 1965, Jersey, Channel Islands)
Ara is a conceptual and data artist who explores the relationships between sex, gender, technology and systems of power. She graduated with a Fine Art degree from Goldsmiths College, London, where she won the prestigious Burston award. As a multi-disciplinary artist, she has a diverse skill set acquired from working 25 years in the tech industry to being a trained cabinet maker and combines them to make unique and often surprising installations and sculptures. The works are nonconformist with a socio-political edge that often incorporates humour and irony with feminist & queer concerns.
In 2016 she won the Aesthetica Art Prize 2016 for This Much I’m Worth, the self-evaluating artwork. Pulling on her experiences as a computer system designer, the digital sculpture draws on data and complex algorithms to calculate its own value in real time. In 2018 she was featured on the cover of the FT Wealth for her monumental version of the sculpture “This Much I’m Worth” that she engineered and built incorporating over 80 pieces of neon and a homemade animation system made from recycled materials.
In 2018 Ara was made Artist in Residence at the V&A Museum in London responding to their data. That year she also showed at the Whitechapel Gallery (“This Much I’m Worth (UK Version)”), Barbican Centre (“American Beauty, a Trump L’Oeil”), Humber Street Gallery (“The Ancestors)” and the V&A (“Transubstantiation of Knowledge”).
This year she is showing works at the MMCA in Seoul (Vertiginous Data), MAK Vienna (Vienna Biennial 2019), V&A and completing her first public sculpture commission in London (colLAB).
Ara currently lives and works in London.
Rachel Ara
(b. 1965, Jersey, Channel Islands)
Ara is a conceptual and data artist who explores the relationships between sex, gender, technology and systems of power. She graduated with a Fine Art degree from Goldsmiths College, London, where she won the prestigious Burston award. As a multi-disciplinary artist, she has a diverse skill set acquired from working 25 years in the tech industry to being a trained cabinet maker and combines them to make unique and often surprising installations and sculptures. The works are nonconformist with a socio-political edge that often incorporates humour and irony with feminist & queer concerns.
In 2016 she won the Aesthetica Art Prize 2016 for This Much I’m Worth, the self-evaluating artwork. Pulling on her experiences as a computer system designer, the digital sculpture draws on data and complex algorithms to calculate its own value in real time. In 2018 she was featured on the cover of the FT Wealth for her monumental version of the sculpture “This Much I’m Worth” that she engineered and built incorporating over 80 pieces of neon and a homemade animation system made from recycled materials.
In 2018 Ara was made Artist in Residence at the V&A Museum in London responding to their data. That year she also showed at the Whitechapel Gallery (“This Much I’m Worth (UK Version)”), Barbican Centre (“American Beauty, a Trump L’Oeil”), Humber Street Gallery (“The Ancestors)” and the V&A (“Transubstantiation of Knowledge”).
This year she is showing works at the MMCA in Seoul (Vertiginous Data), MAK Vienna (Vienna Biennial 2019), V&A and completing her first public sculpture commission in London (colLAB).
Ara currently lives and works in London.
Artists Statement
Reading Art History, I realised I was less critically engaged with the writings of Carl Andre than with the accusation that he pushed his wife, fellow artist Ana Mendieta, out of a skyscraper window. I’m interested in the conspiracy of silence, hidden agendas and their repercussions, especially in terms of the normalisation of violence against women in our culture.
My work starts with an initial concept that evolves through long periods of research and developmental processes; construction, deconstruction, intuition, experimentation even sporadic mishaps that require a hands on approach. As I work I gain a deeper understanding of possible materials and methods which help to refine the idea. Prototyping each piece in the studio, by building maquettes, pilot tests or by computer based 3D Modelling (CAD).
I am able to draw on some solid skills having worked as Computer Systems Designer for 25 years, I’m also a trained cabinetmaker and have worked with electronics and photography. My choice of media is, in the end, the one that is most able to articulate my ideas. I’ve incorporated, for example, 16mm film, neon, found objects, sound, metal, wood, photography, electronics, programming and CAD into previous projects and each project has a learning curve within it.
My desire to make art is driven by both a need to work with my hands and a need to question the world around me.
It is essential that the final piece is well executed and engaging. I acknowledge that making art is a privilege and with that comes some responsibility. The finished piece should hopefully raise more questions than it answers and those questions should be questions that are worth asking.
Awards
+ Winner of the inaugural CoLAB commission for Sculpture: Women Make Sculpture, 2019
+ Arts Council Funding 2019
+ V&A VARI Artist in Residence 2017/8
+ Near Now Fellow 2017/8
+ Elected Academician at the Royal West Academy, 2017
+ Invited Member - Royal British Society of Sculptors, 2016
+ Finalist for the Lumen Prize 2016 and Touring Show
+ Main Winner Aesthetica Art Prize 2016
+ Second Prize, Anise Gallery, London, 2016
+ Winner of the BUOR award @ Plymouth Other Open, 2015
+ Inspire Award (Joint Winner), (FremantleMedia Ltd), 2012
+ The Neville Burston Award for painting, (Goldsmiths & RA), 1997
+ Winner of the inaugural CoLAB commission for Sculpture: Women Make Sculpture, 2019
+ Arts Council Funding 2019
+ V&A VARI Artist in Residence 2017/8
+ Near Now Fellow 2017/8
+ Elected Academician at the Royal West Academy, 2017
+ Invited Member - Royal British Society of Sculptors, 2016
+ Finalist for the Lumen Prize 2016 and Touring Show
+ Main Winner Aesthetica Art Prize 2016
+ Second Prize, Anise Gallery, London, 2016
+ Winner of the BUOR award @ Plymouth Other Open, 2015
+ Inspire Award (Joint Winner), (FremantleMedia Ltd), 2012
+ The Neville Burston Award for painting, (Goldsmiths & RA), 1997
Exhibitions, Talks ans Screenings
2021
- ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London 12.11.2021 - 21.11.2021
- Woolwich Print Fair, London, 11.11.2021 - 14.11.2021
- LGB Alliance, London, 21.10.2021
- Creative Resistance, FiLiA, Portsmouth, 17.11.2021
- The Unseen Museum, Seoul Musem of Art, April - Sept
- College of Arts at Chung-Ang University (Speaker), 6.5.2021
- Lecture Series - Cambridge RF University (Speaker), BOOK HERE
- Keynote Speaker UAL London, , 26.2.2021 - BOOK HERE
- Speaker (Fine Art Research Guest Lecture) , Oxford Brookes, 3.3.2021 (Book Via @Brookesfineart Instagram Account)
2020
- Outrageous Algorithms, Solo Presentation, MoVA, London / Scotland / Jersey / Portugal / Spain [5.09 - 14.11.2020]
- FACETS talk, Coventry University, [29.10.2020]
- FLUX LIVE: Autonomy, Ars Electronica Festival [09.2020]
- 50 Women Sculptors (Publication), Aurora Press, [10.2020]
- Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, De Montford University, Leicester [Re-opens 29.08 - 25.09]
- Testing Times, Solo Presentation, MoVA, London UK [22.05 - 01.09.2020]
- colLAB public sculpture commission , "Dissent Module (Escape from Semiramis)", Slade & UCL, London, UK [2020]
- Milk Talks (Talk) , Creativity in Confinement, [02.06.2020]
- Soho Radio (Interview), View Magazine [25.05.2020]
- Arts Council of England award [05.2020]
- <PANDEMIC>
- Working Drawings & related Screenprints acquired by the V&A London [01.2020]
- TBWDP (Jerwood) Drawing Prize (Panel Talk @ Working Drawings) , Trinity Buoy Wharf, London, UK [25.01.2020] - BOOK HERE
2019
- Contains Art (Talk), Watchet, Somerset, UK [11.12.2019]
- Oxford Brookes Fine Art Lecture Series (Talk), Oxford Brookes, Oxford, UK [19.11.2019]
- Future of the Art Market Unconference (Talk), Somerset House, London , UK [13.11.2019]
- Modern Panic (Talk), Truman Brewery, London, UK [13.11.2019]
- "This Much I'm Worth (Korean Version)", V&A, London, UK [23.09.19 - 14.10.19]
- "Transubstantiation of Knowledge" shortlisted for Experimentation and Innovation Lovie Award [10.2019]
- TWB Drawing Prize (formally Jerwood Drawing Prize) , London and UK Venues [From 09.2019]
- Encode (Keynote Speaker), Data Conference as part of LDF, Microsoft Reactor, London [18.9.19]
- London Design Festival, V&A, London [14.09.19 - 22.09.19]
- Art Technicians Conference (Keynote Speaker)l, UAL, London [13.09.19]
- AI & Art Futures (Showing in Prototype Lab) , UCL, Barbican Centre, London [12.09.19]
- Vienna Biennial 2019, Uncanny Values - Artificial Intelligence and You, The Mak, Vienna, Austria [29.5.19 - 6.10.19]
- OK Corral, Copenhagen, Denmark [01.09.19 - 31.09.29]
- MMCA (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art), Vertiginous Data, Seoul, Korea [23.3.19 - 28.7.19]
- Event TWO, RCA, London [12.7.19 - 17.7.19]
- The Annotated Reader, curated and published by Ryan Gander and Jonathan P. Watts, The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, UK [20.6.19 - 14.7.19]
- Invasive Media at the RCA (Speaker), London [15.07.19] - (Sold Out)
- EVA (Electronic Visualisation in the Arts) Symposium (Speaker), London [08.07.19]
- Artquest ASSIST Award, Award for Assistant [07.2019]
- National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design (Speaker), Oslo, Norway [2.05.19 - 3.05.19]
- RES | FEST 19 (Speaker), The Courtauld Institute of Art, London [26.04]
- Artists Talk @ Syracuse University [10.04.19], London, UK
- Artists Talk @ MMCA Seoul, Korea [22.03.19] - (Sold Out)
- Awarded grant from Arts Council of England [28.02.19]
- Artists Talk @ Leeds Art University [29.02.19], Leeds, UK
- Awarded a-n bursary [28.02.19]
- Winner of the inaugural coLAB commission for Sculpture: Women Make Sculpture, London due November 19 [13.02.19]
- London Art Fair (Panellist), Re-imagining Residencies: Catalysing creativity to disrupt cultural spaces forms [16.1.19]
- London Art Fair (Panellist), Performing the Digital: Approaches to collecting and acquiring new art forms [17.1.19]
2018
- Lunchtime Lecture @ V&A, "The Digital Distraction" Talk , V&A, London, UK [21.11]
- ING Discerning EYE (Invited Artist) , Mall Galleries, London, UK [15.11 - 25.11]
- Mozilla Festival (MozFest) 2018, Ravensbourne, London, UK [26.10 - 28.10]
- The Annotated Reader, Contributor, (Ryan Gander|J P Walls) , Cork St Galleries, London, UK [02.10 - 13.10]
- A Portable Hole, The Bomb Factory, London, UK [04.10 - 14.10]
- London Design Festival, "The Making of TOK", Talk , V&A, London, UK [18.10]
- London Design Festival, "The Transubstantiation of Knowledge" , V&A [15.10 - 23.10]
- Measures of Life (Group Show), Humber St Gallery, Hull, UK [21.6 - 4.10]
- London Open 2018, Whitechapel Gallery, London , UK [8.6 - 26.8]
- Barbican G Floor Commission, Barbican Centre, London, UK [24.05 - 31.12]
- Manspreading (Screening), GRRL HAUS Cinema, Berlin, Germany [22.5]
- Aesthetica Symposium (Speaker) , York, UK [18.5]
- Lumen and V&A Digital Futures (Speaker), Politics of Code in Art, UAL, London, UK [16.5]
- Codes of Practice: Deciphering Technology in Contemporary Women's Art , Speaker, Courtauld Institute, London [10.5]
- Manspreading (Screening), CINEMQ, Shanghai , China [19.4]
- Courtauld Institute (Speaker), Res | fest , Somerset House, London [25.4]
- Arte Laguna Prize (Finalist Showing), Nappe Arsenale Nord, Venice, Italy [18.03 - 08.04]
- Royal West Academy (Panelist), There's No Such Thing as A Women Artist [08.3]
- London-Worldwide Comedy Awards (Special Mention for Manspreading), London, UK [24.2]
- BBC Radio 4 (Interview), The World this Weekend - The Economy of Contemporary Art [21.1]
- V&A Friday Lates (Showing), Symbols and Secrets, V&A, London, UK [26.1]
- London Art Fair (Panelist), Curating Gender and Gender identity in Art [18.1]
- London Art Fair (Showing with Anise Gallery), London, UK [17.1 -21.1]
2017
- Nasty Women: Architecture, Anise Gallery, London SE1 2YR [26 Oct - 10 Nov)
- TECHNIQUE at IBM, Southbank, London [19/10]
- FiLia 2017 Conference, Institute of Education, London WC1H 0AL [14 Oct - 15 Oct]
- RWA Annual Open (Academician), Royal West Academy, Bristol [01/10 - 03/12]
- Barcelona Short Film Festival, Spain [2 Oct 2017]
- North Portland Film Festival, USA [Oct 2017]
- TECHnique at the V&A, par of the V&A Digital Design Weekend [24/09]
- Nasty Women, Stour Space, Hackney, London [22nd September - 24th September]
- Drawings for Sculpture, 20-21 Arts Center, Yorkshire, UK [10/06 - 14/10]
- Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize, Kings Place, London, UK [18/05 - 22/10]
- Les Femmes Underground Film Festival, USA [2 Sept 2017]
- Queering Minimalism, Newcastle, UK [13th July - 17th August]
- Controlled Realities, Anise Gallery, London SE1, UK [13 June - 3 August]
- V&A Digital Futures, Hackney House, London, UK [11 July]
- EVA Conference, Covent Garden, London, UK [11th July]
- Nasty Women, Byker Centre, Newcastle, UK [April 7th - 23rd]
- BAWIFM Short Showcase, San Francisco, USA [13th April]
- DRAWN 2017, Biannual, Royal West Academy, Bristol UK [31 March - 1 June]
- Transgender, Gender and Psychoanalysis - An Exhibition, Draper Hall, London, UK [5 - 12 March]
2016
- Postcards: Anise Gallery, London SE1 [9 December - 11 December]
- Lumen: Caerphilly Castle, Wales UK [23rd - 28th November]
- FCA, Canary Wharf, London [17th December]
- [ALLOY]:Inaugural, No Format Gallery, London, UK [3 - 13 Nov, London]
- XART Splitta, Berlin. Germany [9th November]
- Lumen Global Tour - Berlin, London, Shanghai, New York
- RWA Candidates Show, RWA, Bristol, UK [9th October - 27th November]
- Lumen Tour, Hackney House, London, UK [29th September - 30th September]
- Directed By Women Film Festival, New York, USA [12th September 2016]
- WOTEVER DIY Film Festival, London, UK [4th September 2016]
- Summer Salon 2016, LUBOMIROV / AngusHughes Gallery, London, UK [24/07– 14/08]
- Anonymous, Art Platform, London, UK [2 June - 5 June 2016]
- Modern Makers IV, No Format Gallery, London, UK [2 June - 5 June 2016]
- Sixty, LUBOMIROV / AngusHughes Gallery, London, UK [May 13 - May 22 2016]
- Sixty, LUBOMIROV / Art Athena , Athens, Greece [26 May - 29 May 2016]
- Aesthetic Art Prize, York St Mary's, York UK [14 April - 29 May 2016]
- 7 Deadly Virtues, Fish Factory, Cornwall, UK [3 March - 19 March 2016]
- Shad Thames, Anise Gallery, London SE1 [19 January - 28 January]
Recent Publications
- Market Cafe Magazine (Data Viz). [11.2021]
- 50 Women Sculptors (Publication), Aurora Press, [10.2020]
- FAD Magazine, Outrageous Algorights [10.2020]
- 100 Sculptors of Tomorrow, Thames and Hudson [09.2019]
- Museums and Digital Culture , Springer, [17.05.19]
- Eva Conference Publication, [07.2019]
- Vertiginous Data Catalogue (HARDBACK) , MMCA [03.2019]
- Aesthetica Magazine, Article on 100 Sculptors of Tomorrow, August 2019
- Lots more but need to update e.g South Korean National Newspapers, Wallpaper Magazine, FT etc....
Photograph of RA in Studio @ Andy Porter