Lisa Wright's paintings hold us in the present and connect us with the past. Her intimate understanding and connection to historical painting, together with the longstanding discipline of drawing Wright has always pursued, lend authenticity and gravitas. The careful balance of both figurative and abstract elements, along with a heightened and often sensual use of colour, emphasise the vibrant and contemporary nature of the work.
Childhood adornments of bonbons, ribbons and laces may have altered considerably but what they represent has not: the inevitable and irresistible desire to escape prepubescence with the trying on of the adult persona. By pulling visual threads through time and fastening them to the present, these gently unsettling images pinch the viewer and connect them with a shared history.
After studying at The Royal Academy Schools, London, 1990-1993, Wright moved to Cornwall, in the south west of England, where she currently lives and works. Her work has featured in numerous solo and curated group exhibitions both nationally and internationally and is held in many important corporate and private collections.
Notable achievements include her appointment as the Royal Shakespeare Company artist in residence throughout the two year period of the RSC's acclaimed 'Histories' cycle of plays, culminating in an exhibition at the Roundhouse- which ran concurrently with the plays- and subsequently at the Royal Academy of Arts London; consistent selection for the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition for over 20 years; inclusion in the significant 'Art Now Cornwall', exhibition at Tate St Ives 2008 and winning The National Open Art Prize, the Hunting Art Prize, the 2013 Threadneedle Prize and most recently Future Forest- a collaborative project with Tom Piper to celebrate the centenary of The Forestry Commission.
EDUCATION
Royal Academy Schools, London (Post Graduate - Painting) 1990-93
Maidstone College of Art (First Class BA Hons) 1984-87
Elected Royal Academician (RWA) at The Royal West of England Academy 2012
Senior Lecturer at Falmouth University (1997-2015)
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2019
Infinite Forest, Coates & Scarry London
Future Forest collaboration with Tom Piper for Centenary of The Forestry Commission High Lodge Thetford UK
2018
In THe Eyes Of Each , Faction Art Projects New York
2017
Young Visionaries, PULSE Miami, Coates & Scarry
2016
New Work, CONTEXT New York, Coates & Scarry
2015
'The Unversed' Coates & Scarry, London
2013
'Drawings', Millennium Gallery
2011
'Walking Through Beautiful' Millennium Gallery
2010
'Into the Light', Beardsmore Gallery, London
2008
'The Histories', The Roundhouse and Beardsmore Gallery, London & The Royal Academy Gallery, London
2007
'Twilight Paintings', Beardsmore Gallery, London
2006
'Night Paintings', Lemon Street Gallery, Cornwall
2005
'Beach Paintings', Beardsmore Gallery, London
2003
'Pool Paintings', Beardsmore Gallery, London
Lemon Street Gallery, Cornwall
2001
Beardsmore Gallery, London
1999
Beardsmore Gallery, London
1996
Thornton/Bevan Arts, London
1995
Sadlers Wells Gallery, London
Raw Gallery, London
1994
The Royal Overseas League, London
1993
'Reflection of Two', Greenwich Theatre Art Gallery, London
SELECTED MIXED EXHIBITIONS
2019
In Edition Bo Lee Gallery London
London Original Print Fair 34 Royal Academy of Art London Advanced Graphics London
London Art Fair London Advanced Graphics London
2018
IFPDA International New York Advanced Graphics London
London Original Print Fair 33 Royal Academy of Art London Advanced Graphics London
RWA 166 Annual exhibition Bristol
2017
VOLTA BASEL Coates & Scarry, 2 person presentation with Penny Byrne
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
RWA Autumn Exhibition, The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2016
Strange Worlds - The Vision of Angela Carter RWA Bristol
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
Victoria Art Gallery and Museum, Bath
2015
CONTEXT Art Miami, Coates & Scarry, Miami
THE FUTURE CAN WAIT, curated by Zavier Ellis & Simon Rumley, London
ART CENTRAL Coates & Scarry, Hong Kong
'ANTHOLOGY' Charlie Smith Gallery, London
'Spring Masters' The Armoury, John Martin Gallery, New York
'VESTIGE' Coates & Scarry, London
Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize, London
ART 15 - Coates & Scarry, London
RWA Autumn Exhibition, The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
'Impressions' Herbert Read Gallery, UCA Canterbury
2014
The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
'Unsettled' Enys House, Cornwall
ART 14 London, Millennium Gallery
RWA Autumn Exhibition, The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
'WASH' Resort, Margate - curated by Francesca Flowers and Charles Williams
ARBORETUM The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2013
The Threadneedle Prize, London (joint Winner)
Limbo, The Coffin Store, Cornwall
Millennium Mixed Winter, Millennium Gallery
The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol. Autumn Exhibition (Evolver Prize)
1991 – 2012
(inclusive) Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London
2012
The Royal West of England Academy, Autumn Exhibition
Millennium Mixed Winter
IMS - Contemporary Cornish Paintings'-
Falmouth Art Gallery, Cornwall and Christies, London
2011
PRINT! The Exchange, Cornwall
Millennium Mixed Winter
2010
30th Anniversary exhbition, Beaux Art , Bath
Reality Check, Newlyn Art Gallery, Cornwall
The Lynn Painter- Stainers Prize, London
2009
The National Open Art Competition, Pallant House, (1st Prizewinner)
The Threadneedle Art prize, London
The Lynn Painter-Stainers Prize, London (Prizewinner)
Cornish Perspective, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
10th Anniversay exhibition, Lemon Street Gallery
2008
The National Open Art Competition, Chichester / London (2nd Prize winner)
Crossing Over, Beaux Art, Bath
The Threadneedle Art Prize, London
2007
Art Now Cornwall, Tate Gallery St. Ives
2006
The Sovereign European Art prize, London
'To the Edge', Beardsmore Gallery, London
NSA Exhibition, Goldfish, Cornwall
2005
‘Critic’s Choice’, (Norbert Lynton), NSA, Newlyn Art Gallery, Cornwall
25th Anniversary Hunting Art Prizes, London (Prize winner)
2004
Invited artist, Hunting Art Prizes, London
2003
Hunting Art Prizes, Royal College of Art, London (First prize winner)
‘Critic’s Choice’, (Joan Bakewell), Newlyn Art Gallery, Cornwall
2002
‘The Space Between’ two -person exhibition with Mark Surridge) Merriscourt Gallery
Hunting Art Prize, Royal College of Art, London
‘Ten’, Beardsmore Gallery, London
‘From the Heart’, Newlyn Art Gallery, Cornwall
2001
Lemon Street Gallery (two-person exhibition with Mary Mabutt), Cornwall
2000
Hunting Art Prizes, Royal College of Art, London (prizewinner)
Cheltenham Open Drawing Exhibition, Cheltenham, Humberside, Switzerland
Merriscourt Gallery, (four-person exhibition), Oxfordshire
AWARDS AND PRIZES
2013
Threadneedle Prize- joint Winner
Evolver Prize - The Royal West of England Academy
2009
The National Open Art Competition-First prize
The Lynn Painter- Stainers Prize - Runner-up prize
2008
The National Open Art Competition- Second prize
2005
25th Anniversary Hunting Art Prizes- Most Popular Painting Prize
Shortlisted for the Sovereign European Art Prize
2003
Hunting Art Prizes- First prize
Arts Council of England Award
2000
Hunting Art Prizes-Regional Award
The Villiers David Award (Fine Art-shortlisted)
1996
Young Artist Award- NEAC
1994
The Winsor & Newton Young Artist Award
1993
The Royal Overseas League Travel Scholarship
WH Patterson Fine Arts Award
The George Isted Prize (RA schools)
1992
The Royal Academy Premiums Painting Prize
COLLECTIONS
Linklaters
The Jerwood Foundation
Guinness
UNILEVER
BUPA
AstraZeneca
The Royal Shakespeare Company
Threadneedle
Private collections worldwide
PUBLICATIONS AND REVIEWS
2015
This is Tomorrow - The Unversed - Review by Lizzie Lloyd thisistomorrow.com
After Nyne -'Redefining the Means of the Gaze' by Claire Meadows afternyne.com 3/10/15
Warholian - 'Lisa Wright Explored Puberty and Adolecence' by Anneka French warholian.com 24/9/15
Widewalls - 'Moves the Viewer Through Different Time periods' by Amy Lin widewalls.com 23/9/15
Aesthetica - 'The Unversed at Gallery 8' aestheticamagazine.com 28/9/15
Art Daily - 'The Unversed' artdaily.com 5/10/15
After Nyne - 'The Children that Wanted to Grow Up' afternyne.com 24/5/15
Fresh Paint Magazine - 6/5/15 freshpaint.com
2013
Drawings, Millenium Gallery
2011
Walking Through Beautiful, Richard Davey, Millennium Gallery
2010
Into the Light, Bruce Russell, Beardesmore Gallery
2009
The London Magazine, Naomi Woodis (Aug/sept)
2008
The Histories, Michael Bird & Tom Piper, Beardsmore Gallery
2007
Twilight Paintings, Anna Moszynska, Beardsmore Gallery
Art Now Cornwall, Susan Daniel- Mc Elroy Tate Publications
St. Ives 1975-2005: Art Colony in Transition, Peter Davies
2006
The Inaugural Sovereign Art Prize
The Hunting Art Prizes, 25 years of First Prize Winners by William Packer
Night Paintings, Virginia Button, LSG Gallery
2005
Beach Paintings, William Packer, Beardsmore Gallery, London
2003
Pool Paintings, Pip Palmer Beardsmore Gallery, London
Galleries Magazine, February issue, review by Pip Palmer
Nicholas Usherwood, critical essay to review work, Lemon Street Gallery, Truro, Cornwall
2002
The Space Between Merriscourt Gallery, Oxfordshire
Catching The Wave, contemporary art and artists in Cornwall, by Tom Cross
2001
Exhibition Catalogue Beardsmore Gallery, London
Newlyn Society of Artists members’ book, NSA publicaton
1999
Catalogue, Beardsmore Gallery, foreword by Michael Farr
1997
Catalogue, BUPA Arts Collection, curated by Contemporary Arts Society
1996
Royal Overseas League Catalogue
1994
Working on a Large Scale, The Artist (October)
Contributor, Drawing the Nude, Diana Constance, Apple Press
Royal Overseas League Catalogue
1993
Preview, RA Magazine
Working with Traditional Drawing Media, The Artist magazine (January)
Royal Overseas League Catalogue
1992
Working with Oils, The Artist magazine (June)