about

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Divine Southgate-Smith has developed a transdisciplinary practice that comprises photographic collage, sculpture, moving-image, performance, writing, spokenword, and 3D animation. Her/their approach to art-making is medium non-specific and collaborative, allowing her/them to explore complex narratives through various mediums and disciplines, whilst navigating speculative spaces where things are abstracted, contextualised, de-contextualised, voiced, or silenced. Questioning the traditional equation between sight and understanding, Southgate-Smith invites us to observe and examine visual representations of the future whilst in constant dialogue with the past. Her/their artwork touches on themes of oppression, stereotyping, intersectionality, empowerment, and joy, while referencing and questioning articulations of black, queer, and female experience. Her/their practice relies on research and intuition, often turning to literature, music, imagination, community, and archive material as primary sources of inspiration and creation.

In 2022 she/they received her/their Postgraduate Diploma from the Royal Academy Schools (The Royal Academy of Arts, London), having previously completed her/their undergraduate study in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins (London, 2017).

Selected shows include; TEETH KISSIN’, presented at Soup by Hector Campbell, London, United Kingdom (2023) DAWA, Curated by Latif Samassi, presented at 3537, Dover Street Market, Paris, France, Globalisto. Fragments of a Community, Curated by Mo Laudi, presented at 31 PROJECT, Paris, France, Galerina x Arcadia Missa, Ways of Living 3.0, presented at Arcadia Missa, London, United Kingdom (2023), Of Mythic Worlds, Curated by Harold Offeh, presented at Sainsbury Center for Visual Arts, Norwich, United Kingdom (2022), FEŸ, presented at Feÿ Arts, Château du Feÿ, Villecien, France (2022), 144, presented at Reference Point, 180 Strand, London, United Kingdom (2022), The Practice of Listening presented at Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom (2022), FRENTE n2 presented at Desterro, Lisbon, Portugal (2019), Europe Under Construction, presented at SCHRILL, Braunschweig, Germany (2019), (Putting words) in my mouth presented at Galeria Foco (2019), Mellifluous Elephant presented at Casa da Dona Laura, Lisbon, Portugal (2019), PADA STUDIO presents Capitulo presented at Auditório Municipal Augusto Cabrita (2019), Feedback presented at The Switch Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal (2019), Dis (Places) presented at Galeria Foco, Lisbon, Portugal (2019) Permanent collections include; The Royal Academy of Arts, London, United Kingdom, Casa Do Design, Porto, Portugal, Lexus Private collection, Brussels, Belgium, Award nominations include; Frame Awards (2021) Mullen Lowe Group Nova Award (2017), International Takifuji Art Award (2017), The Art Academy Drawing Prize (2014)

Expertise:

Poetry, Archival Research,

Creative Direction,

Moving Image,

Sculpture & Furniture,

CGI Animation,

3D Sculpting & Render,

Set Design

Achievements:

2023 SOHO House Mentorship Program (Mentee)

2022 Thamesmead Creative Studio (Guest Speaker)

2022 Royal Academy of Arts (Summer Show Judge)