Born in Glasgow, I have spent most of my adult life in the City of Lancaster, U.K. Having developed as an artist over a number of years, I decided to formalise this and graduated with a First Class (Hons) Degree in Art Practice and Theory from Lancaster University in 2006.
As a Conceptual Artist my work is eclectic both in method and materials – being led by what best conveys my artistic message. I have been influenced by the Art Critic John Berger who writing about the painter Francis Bacon concluded that rather than only painting to shock, Bacon was foreseeing the "pitiless" world we live in today. This pitilessness sparing "neither the planet itself nor anyone living in it." Much of my art practice now explores the idea of us living in a "pitiless" world and addresses issues around what we are doing to both the planet and ourselves. Berger goes onto define the present historical period as "a time of the wall", noting that although the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 many have since been erected. In conjunction to these he believes that walls of separation exist within us all. Exploring walls in all their guises has become a pre-occupation within my work. In much of my art practice I like to apply the
strategies of mass production - see e.g. my Installations "Brick Books" and "Bauhaus Bricks". These and the flower production for Floating English Garden and my new body of work on the theme Children and War are labour intensive. I seek help and run workshops to get multiples made. By involving others in my art production I am questioning the intrinsic value of the unique work of art.
Since graduating I have created two touring Photographic Art Exhibitions – "What Makes Me Laugh?" (WMML) and "Sweet Dreams" which both depict positive images of Muslims. WMML was my response to the backlash in the U.K. against Muslims after 7/7. I was granted an Arts Council Grant to research and develop SWEET DREAMS which was my response to racial attacks on women who wear the niqab at the height of the Veils Row in the U.K. in 2006. It exhibited in Liverpool, where it was supported by the Cornerstone Art Gallery as part of the City’s European City of Culture and Independent Biennial Celebrations.
I was offered an Art Residency by Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre from October 2007 until March 2008 and created and end of Residency Exhibition entitled "Watching Walls". An installation from this exhibition was featured at Lancaster Town Hall in January 2008 as part of the City’s Holocaust Memorial Day. From October 2008 until March 2009 I was sponsored by the Chaplaincy and created an Installation entitled - FLOATING ENGLISH GARDEN to raise awareness about Bangladesh in relation to Global Warming I also created installations to commemorate the 7th Anniversary of Guantanamo "CUPS" and "EGGSHELLS REVISITED" - a work about Domestic Violence on request from the production team of "Vagina Monologues".
My art installation "Bauhaus Bricks" became part of the International Project "Bauhaus 90 Years/90 Days":
http://bauhaus9090.org/2009/july/19.
This year I have had two solo exhibitions: "Fractured" and "Tipping Point?"
The former was on display at the Conference entitled "Fractured Images & Broken words - a multi-disciplinary Post Graduate Symposium hosted by the Department of English and Creative Writing, Lancaster University which featured plenary speaker Professor Terry Eagleton.
The latter was a commission for the National Justice and Peace Network 2010 Annual Conference called "Our Daily Bread" - This was held at the Hayes Centre, Derbyshire.
Presently I am working on a body of work with the theme "Children and War".
Christine Dawson
Artist
