EMMA BLACK
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ABOUT


Picture
I'm a visual artist and freelance illustrator from the UK, living in rural England.

I graduated in 2012 from the University of Westminster with a First Class honours degree in illustration, and in 2016 from the Cambridge School of Art with a MA in Fine Art.

I work primarily in oil on wood, graphite on bristol board and a graphite/digital mix for my fine art; whereas my illustrations are primarily graphite and digital.​

​Statement
The unknown, whether an aspect of the physical world or a limitation of the human mind, is the main starting point for my work. Using mainly traditional media and autobiographical themes, my practice explores notions of The Uncanny, human subconscious and our relationship to death and the natural world. 

My current work investigates whether death is the necessary fate of every living creature or simply a regular, but perhaps avoidable, contingency within life itself. Caught between life and death, figures discover instead a way to transform into new beings; the non-living object merges with the living, forming a sensory coexistence. Their anatomy changes and nature embraces them, they claim new adornments and identities seeking not to be afraid of their differences, owning and embracing both their strength and fragility.

Visually my work features, but is not limited to, an intricate and dark mix of flora, fauna and portraiture; creating surreal balances between life and death in an unfamiliar way and capturing a moment of anatomical transformation. 


​Education
MA Fine Art
Cambridge School of Art,
2015-2016.

BA (Hons) Illustration
University of Westminster,
​2009-2012.

Exhibitions
Upcoming:

Ritual Deluxe, 2021 - at WOW x WOW, Online.
9th Anniversary Show, 2021 - at Arch Enemy Arts, USA.
The Knowable Unknown, 2021 - at WOW x WOW, Online.

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Past:
Ride The Sunrise, 2020 - at WOW x WOW, Online.
8th Anniversary Show, 2020 - at Arch Enemy Arts, USA.
Parallel Truths, 2020 - at WOW x WOW, Online
​Ghosts Aflame, 2020 - at WOW x WOW, Online.

CONTEXT Art Miami, 2019 - with Spoke Art, USA.
Small Wonders 8, 2019 - at Arch Enemy Arts, USA.
STILLEVENS, 2019 - at Arch Enemy Arts, USA
​Channelling the Unseen, 2019 - at WOW x WOW, Online
Phantasms, 2019 - at Gristle Art Gallery, Brooklyn USA.
​Eternity's Engine, 2019 - at WOW x WOW, Online.
Bute Street Film & Art Festival, 2019 - Luton, UK
MicroVisions 2, 2019 - at WOW x WOW, Online.
Flora & Fetish, 2019 - at Hudson Hughes Gallery, Online.

Surreal Salon 11, 2019 - at Baton Rouge Gallery, Baton Rouge USA.
Mini Masterpieces, 2019 - at Revolution Gallery, Buffalo USA.
​Thicket, 2019 - at Crucible Gallery, Online.
"20", 2019 - at Penumbra Gallery, Portugal.

Zodiac: An Astrology Art Show, 2018 - at La Bodega Gallery, San Diego USA.
Epilogue, 2017 - at Gallery 9, Cambridge UK.
Postcards from the Jurassic, 2017 - at Grejczik Gallery, Scarborough UK.
Midlands Printmakers Open, 2016 - at The Henderson Gallery, Nottingham UK.
Cambridge Original Printmakers Biennale, 2016 - at The Pitt Building, Cambridge UK.
Ekstasis, 2016 - at The Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge UK.
Sustainability Art Prize, 2016 - at The Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge UK.
Brooklyn Biennial Submissional, 2015 - at The Cotton Candy Machine, New York USA.
Helsinki Bus Station, 2015 - at Changing Spaces, Cambridge UK.
English Toy Spaniels, 2014-15 - at The Kennel Club Art Gallery, London UK.
D&AD New Blood, 2012 - at Old Spitalfields Market, London UK.
Identity, 2012 - at Ambika P3, Baker Street, London UK.
The Chicken or the Man? 2012 - at East Gallery, Brick Lane, London UK.
The Story so Far, 2011 - at London Gallery West, London UK.
Fairs & Festivals
Shake Bristol, 2020, Rough Trade, Bristol UK.

Brighton Illustration Fair, 2017 The Sallis Benney Theatre, Brighton UK.
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On Paper Festival, 2016
The Anteros Arts Foundation, Norwich UK.

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Selected Features:
Wacom
​Juxtapoz
Design Juices
Doodlers Anonymous

Cross Connect Magazine

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© Copyright 2019 Emma Black
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