Laura Reeves
Image 3: Dad’s Bicycle, 2013, Found Photographs, 13 x 18cm framed
Associate Artist 2016
Laura Reeves grew up Exeter before moving to Cardiff to study Fine Art at Cardiff School of Art and Design. She graduated in 2012 and in the same year won the Eisteddfod Young Artist Scholarship and had her first solo show at Motorcade/FlashParade, Bristol. She was a participant of the Master Class at Zabludowicz Collection with seven young artists nominated by artist led spaces from around the UK, and was the first resident artist at g39’s library in Cardiff. The publication How To Start a Collection, made as a result of the residency, is now available at a variety of distributors in the UK and beyond. In 2013, Reeves was the recipient of the Jane Phillips Award, Mission Gallery Swansea. In 2014, she was selected for Standpoint Futures residency, London as the Wales based representative. She returned to live and work Exeter in 2015.
Recent shows include Worksheets at Mostyn, Llandudno and publication Honest, launched at Standpoint Gallery, London (both 2015)
Laura is currently working towards a solo exhibition at Exeter Phoenix in the summer of 2016. Her process begins with found images from a variety of sources including her own family archive the material is re-animated and often manifests as printed matter, photographic works and presentations, bringing forward the past into the present from her own viewpoint. She uses slight humour, although it’s frequently coupled with a feeling of pathos, exploring nostalgia, memory, narratives and storytelling by establishing an intimacy that engages the viewer’s shared memories and personal histories.
‘With the assistance of Exeter Phoenix I had a large scale solo show where I was able to consolidate a series of larger works alongside each other and really finalise a lot of ideas and unfinished works. Since then an organic writing group has developed which I feel provides me with a varied discussion with a really wide group of individuals. The support Matt has provided with regular meet ups has been invaluable.’
Bouquets
In August 2016, Laura Reeves showcased a solo exhibition, Bouquets, in our Phoenix Gallery. Over the course of the exhibition, Sarah Williams worked on a text responding to Laura’s show. The text, titled The Time We Spend Living and the Time We Spend Remembering, is available to download here >>