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| ISABEL YOUNG |
Isabel Young’s work surfaces from a fascination with the underwater world and
the animal kingdom since they are separate and remote to our own environment and
our experience as humans. The work exhibited in Half-Life presents a series of
miniature portraits of animals mounted in antique frames. Limnings flourished in
Britain for almost 400 years and played an important role in society. This intimate and
intense genre, traditionally given as symbols of loyalty, love, or power, have almost
always been used to attribute the sitter with some degree of status, importance, wealth
power or authority. Young’s portraits likewise give her sitters status, and significantly
grant them personhood. The plaques that are exhibited with the miniatures add a
fictional chronicle to each individual and link each sitter to powerful and often ruthless
the animal kingdom since they are separate and remote to our own environment and
our experience as humans. The work exhibited in Half-Life presents a series of
miniature portraits of animals mounted in antique frames. Limnings flourished in
Britain for almost 400 years and played an important role in society. This intimate and
intense genre, traditionally given as symbols of loyalty, love, or power, have almost
always been used to attribute the sitter with some degree of status, importance, wealth
power or authority. Young’s portraits likewise give her sitters status, and significantly
grant them personhood. The plaques that are exhibited with the miniatures add a
fictional chronicle to each individual and link each sitter to powerful and often ruthless
Education
2000 - 2002 Royal College of Art, London, Masters in Fine Art
1996 - 1999 University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, BA (hons) Fine Art (First Class Honours)
1995 - 1996 Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education
BTEC Foundation Studies in Art and Design
Selected Exhibitions
April 2006 Between Worlds, Sartorial Contemporary Art, London
March 2006 England’s Dreaming, Bedford Row, London
Feb 2006 The Gilchrist Fisher Award, The Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London
Dec 2005 ‘Maji-Yabai!!’ ‘Fuckin’ Brilliant!!’, Tokyo Wondersite, Japan
Nov 2005 ArtFutures 2005, Bloomberg Space, London. Curated by The Contemporary Art Society
Nov 2005 Acid Drops and Sugar Candy, Transition Gallery and Foster Art, London
Sept 2005 The Unlimited Dream Company, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle, Curated by Alistair Robinson
Sept 2005 Shortlisted BOC Emerging Artist Award Exhibition, BOC Headquarters, Surrey
July 2005 Heaven and Earth, Hackney Empire Theatre
May 2005 Into the White, Hat Factory Gallery, University of Luton
March/April 2005 Pocket-Scopic, Sartorial Contemporary Art, London
March/April 2005 Under The Bridge, Castleford, Sponsored by Channel 4. Curated by Stephen Denton and Blue Wilson
Nov/Dec 2004 If you go Down to the Woods Today, Rockwell, London, Curated by Robin Mason
Oct/Nov 2004 The Horizon of Expectation, The Empire Gallery, London, Curated by Caroline List
Oct 2004 Zoo Art Fair, London
Sept/Nov 2004 John Moores 23, The Walker, National Museums Liverpool
Jan 2004 Rising Tides, Rosy Wilde Gallery, London (Solo show)
Dec 2003 Snow, Transition Gallery London, Curated by Stella Vine
Sept/Oct 2003 A Tiny New Nation London, Bowieart.com Curated by Beth Mears and Sam Dargan
Sept/Oct 2003 Vaguely Romantic, Rosy Wilde Gallery, London
May/June 2003 Rockwell, London
Nov 2002 The Discerning Eye, The Mall Galleries, London
March/July 2002 Art Projects London
2002 (ongoing) Carry on Drawing, A travelling Show of Works on Paper, Curated by Avantika Bawa
May 01/July 02 Eurostar London
Oct/Nov 1999 Clean Slate Cardiff, Curated by Paul Beauchamp & Sean O’Reilly, With assistance from Wales Arts International,
The British Council, Arts Council for Wales, Centre for Visual Arts Cardiff and UWIC
July 1998 Sherman Gallery Cardiff
Forthcoming Exhibitions
June/July 06 Half Life, Fieldgate Gallery, London
2007 Laing Solo, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle (Solo Show)
2007 England’s Dreaming, Chelsea Gallery, US
Articles/Publications
2006 The Gilchrist-Fisher Award 2006, Catalogue
2005 Fresh, The Biscuit Factory, Autumn 2005, Issue 11
“The Unlimited Dream Company.” P 12
2005 Heaven And Earth, catalogue
2005 Turps-Banana
John Moores 23 at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Issue 1, p48
Article by Alistair Robinson.
2005 The Guardian
G2, “Pick of the Week Exhibitions”. Article by Jessica Lack. April 4 2004
2005 The Basil H Alkazzi Foundation
A celebration of twenty years association between the Foundation and the Royal College of Art
2005 Fash N Riot Fluff and Anti-Fluff, Issue 3, 2005
Edited by Anne Hardy and Fiona McLean
2004 John Moores 23, Catalogue
John Moores 23 at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
2004 Mix Magazine, Spring 2004
Artist Run Culture, Isabel Young, Rising Tides
2003 Fash N Riot Kunst Chaos Kraft, Issue 2, 2003
Edited by Anne Hardy and Fiona McLean
2003 ArtReview, Volume LIV. July/August 2003
Friends In High Places by Jessica Lack, Photography by Rob Carter
Oct 2001 RCA Painting, Interim Show Catalogue
Oct 1999 Clean Slate Catalogue
The European Artists Network Conference
With assistance from Wales Arts International, The British Council, Arts Council for Wales, Centre for Visual Arts
Cardiff and UWIC
Awards and Bursaries
Jan 2006 Winner: The Gilchrist Fisher Award
July 2005 Shortlisted BOC Emerging Artist Award
July 2002 The Gordon Luton Award for Fine Art
The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers
Sept 2001 Basel H. Alkazzi Travel Scholarship to New York
2000 - 2002 Royal College of Art, London, Masters in Fine Art
1996 - 1999 University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, BA (hons) Fine Art (First Class Honours)
1995 - 1996 Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education
BTEC Foundation Studies in Art and Design
Selected Exhibitions
April 2006 Between Worlds, Sartorial Contemporary Art, London
March 2006 England’s Dreaming, Bedford Row, London
Feb 2006 The Gilchrist Fisher Award, The Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London
Dec 2005 ‘Maji-Yabai!!’ ‘Fuckin’ Brilliant!!’, Tokyo Wondersite, Japan
Nov 2005 ArtFutures 2005, Bloomberg Space, London. Curated by The Contemporary Art Society
Nov 2005 Acid Drops and Sugar Candy, Transition Gallery and Foster Art, London
Sept 2005 The Unlimited Dream Company, The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle, Curated by Alistair Robinson
Sept 2005 Shortlisted BOC Emerging Artist Award Exhibition, BOC Headquarters, Surrey
July 2005 Heaven and Earth, Hackney Empire Theatre
May 2005 Into the White, Hat Factory Gallery, University of Luton
March/April 2005 Pocket-Scopic, Sartorial Contemporary Art, London
March/April 2005 Under The Bridge, Castleford, Sponsored by Channel 4. Curated by Stephen Denton and Blue Wilson
Nov/Dec 2004 If you go Down to the Woods Today, Rockwell, London, Curated by Robin Mason
Oct/Nov 2004 The Horizon of Expectation, The Empire Gallery, London, Curated by Caroline List
Oct 2004 Zoo Art Fair, London
Sept/Nov 2004 John Moores 23, The Walker, National Museums Liverpool
Jan 2004 Rising Tides, Rosy Wilde Gallery, London (Solo show)
Dec 2003 Snow, Transition Gallery London, Curated by Stella Vine
Sept/Oct 2003 A Tiny New Nation London, Bowieart.com Curated by Beth Mears and Sam Dargan
Sept/Oct 2003 Vaguely Romantic, Rosy Wilde Gallery, London
May/June 2003 Rockwell, London
Nov 2002 The Discerning Eye, The Mall Galleries, London
March/July 2002 Art Projects London
2002 (ongoing) Carry on Drawing, A travelling Show of Works on Paper, Curated by Avantika Bawa
May 01/July 02 Eurostar London
Oct/Nov 1999 Clean Slate Cardiff, Curated by Paul Beauchamp & Sean O’Reilly, With assistance from Wales Arts International,
The British Council, Arts Council for Wales, Centre for Visual Arts Cardiff and UWIC
July 1998 Sherman Gallery Cardiff
Forthcoming Exhibitions
June/July 06 Half Life, Fieldgate Gallery, London
2007 Laing Solo, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle (Solo Show)
2007 England’s Dreaming, Chelsea Gallery, US
Articles/Publications
2006 The Gilchrist-Fisher Award 2006, Catalogue
2005 Fresh, The Biscuit Factory, Autumn 2005, Issue 11
“The Unlimited Dream Company.” P 12
2005 Heaven And Earth, catalogue
2005 Turps-Banana
John Moores 23 at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Issue 1, p48
Article by Alistair Robinson.
2005 The Guardian
G2, “Pick of the Week Exhibitions”. Article by Jessica Lack. April 4 2004
2005 The Basil H Alkazzi Foundation
A celebration of twenty years association between the Foundation and the Royal College of Art
2005 Fash N Riot Fluff and Anti-Fluff, Issue 3, 2005
Edited by Anne Hardy and Fiona McLean
2004 John Moores 23, Catalogue
John Moores 23 at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
2004 Mix Magazine, Spring 2004
Artist Run Culture, Isabel Young, Rising Tides
2003 Fash N Riot Kunst Chaos Kraft, Issue 2, 2003
Edited by Anne Hardy and Fiona McLean
2003 ArtReview, Volume LIV. July/August 2003
Friends In High Places by Jessica Lack, Photography by Rob Carter
Oct 2001 RCA Painting, Interim Show Catalogue
Oct 1999 Clean Slate Catalogue
The European Artists Network Conference
With assistance from Wales Arts International, The British Council, Arts Council for Wales, Centre for Visual Arts
Cardiff and UWIC
Awards and Bursaries
Jan 2006 Winner: The Gilchrist Fisher Award
July 2005 Shortlisted BOC Emerging Artist Award
July 2002 The Gordon Luton Award for Fine Art
The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers
Sept 2001 Basel H. Alkazzi Travel Scholarship to New York
click on image for larger view
figures in history. Reference to the historical use of animals in the human world, and the sometimes
clumsy integration of them into society, is inherent in the work. They act as memorials to past times and to
forgotten individuals from non-human species. The work in Half-Life continues Young’s long term
exploration of the nature and behaviour of animals, and the staged (or controlled) meetings between
civilisation and nature so intrinsic to contemporary life. Above all the work seeks to emphasize the
importance of animals and to promote an enriched relationship and communication between humankind
and animals.
clumsy integration of them into society, is inherent in the work. They act as memorials to past times and to
forgotten individuals from non-human species. The work in Half-Life continues Young’s long term
exploration of the nature and behaviour of animals, and the staged (or controlled) meetings between
civilisation and nature so intrinsic to contemporary life. Above all the work seeks to emphasize the
importance of animals and to promote an enriched relationship and communication between humankind
and animals.
