About
Artist Leigh de Vries explores identity, the perception and representation of mental health, and our inner emotional lives in contemporary culture. She uses a range of media, including sculpture, photography, text, video, and sound, to create interactive installations that engage the audience and encourage dialogue around mental health and taboo emotions.
de Vries has developed two areas of practise: “short term projects”, meaning individual or sterilised visual artworks of limited temporality; and “long term projects” or durational, participatory artworks that evolve over many years. While short term projects are noted for their knife sharp acuity to address what she calls “social time-specificity”, long-term projects seek to remove the boundaries between art and life.
Her current focus is on creating works of “arte util” or useful art-artworks that serve a practical function in society and exist within “real” situations outsides the confines of the art world and its accepted systems of production, distribution and consumption.
Selected Exhibitions
2024 ‘FEEL ME’ - Installation, Trapholt Museum, Kolding, Denmark
2022 ‘IT'S OK’ - Large Typographic Sculpture, Site Gallery, Sheffield UK.
2021 ‘A RELATIONAL SPACE’ - Large Typographic Sculpture, Clifton Park Museum, UK
2021 ‘RELOAD KINDNESS’ - Typographic 3D Mapping Projection on Minster, UK
2021 'SEE ME' A Virtual Reality Exposure Experience, BDD Foundation & OCD Action UK
2018 ‘IDENTITY’, ZebraOne Gallery, London UK
2017 ‘Body Dysmorphic Disorder Explored’ Exhibition, UCLA Los Angeles, USA
2016 ‘Love Is Louder’, Exhibition, Coterie Gallery UK
2015 ‘Exposure: MyBrokenReality’, Installation, UK
2015 'Exposure’, BDD Foundation, University of London, Brunei Gallery, London, UK
2014 ’Strange’ Video Installation, South Place Gallery, London, UK
2014 ‘Strange’ Video Installation, Red Gallery, London, UK
SELECTED COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS
2017 TALKEX17 - Projected #Leighisms, in association with Rotherham Open Arts Renaissance, UK
2017 Gozra Lozano ‘DECADEnce’ featuring Leigh de Vries, La Fresh Gallery Madrid
2015 VOYD Falk Klemm Video Installation London-UK
2014 Fernando Carpaneda, Coquetel de reinauguração da Galeria Almeida Prado
2013 Art Takes Times Square, Fernando Carpaneda, Leigh de Vries, displayed on giant LED screens NY-USA.
ACHIEVEMENTS:
2023 Awarded Developing Your Creative Practice, Arts Council UK
2021 Awarded Grants for the Arts, Arts Council UK
2015 Awarded Grants for the Arts, Arts Council UK
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
2018 ‘Breaking Boundaries For Museums’ by Ironbridge Museum Trust & Arts Council England UK
2016 ‘How To Use The Arts To Engage Young People’ by Ironbridge Museum Trust & Arts Council England UK
2016 ‘National Eating Disorders Awareness Week’ by Syeda UK
2015 ‘The Cultural Prescription – How Can The Arts Support Health & Wellbeing’ by Museum Development Yorkshire & Arts Council England UK
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Photo Credit: Emily Price