Contemporary painter navigating themes of 'Pastoral Occultism' and 'Uncanny Enchantments'. I paint with oils on wood and stretched fabric, usually linen or canvas.
'Heretic' is a new body of work, mainly oil paintings, focused on hereticism, accused 'witches', and the pathologization of female expression of emotion, appearance and behaviour.
'Suburban English Magick' is an ongoing project, observing and archiving the habits, superstitions and behaviours of pastoral semi-rural England. In addition to paintings and research documents, I have also produced live art performances and audio installations for this project.
My practice is informed - and inspired by - looking to the past to see into the future: searching for answers, collecting information, disseminating, making sense and order. Of particular interest is religion, mortality and sexuality in a social history context (hereticism, witchcraft, martyrdom); loss, and letting go; sense of self, and, of place.
Through my work I aim to invite the viewer in to a world they might already know, but not often consider.
For press release and full CV including public engagement and curation projects please send a request by email.
instagram.com/marielouiseplum
2020
#VirtualVisions for the William Blake Festival
www.blakefest.co.uk
2018
Moore Plum - Paintings, Music & Things, Stash Gallery at Vout-O-Reenee's,
London.
Imitation Solero - group exhibition curated by Broken Grey Wires, The Soup Kitchen, Manchester.
2017
Suburban English Magick - solo exhibition, live painting & audio installation, CCCA, Coventry.
2016
Silver Linings - group exhibition, curated by The Unseen Emporium/Victoria Tischler, Koppel Project, London, UK.
One Bare Foot Square - group exhibition, curated by Uncooked Culture, Amsterdam Outsider Art Museum, Netherlands.
What Goes On In the Mind - Mental Spaghetti/AIMS group exhibition, Town Hall Gallery, Oxford, UK.
The Mind Machine - Mental Spaghetti group exhibition, Menier Gallery, London, UK.
2015
Mental Spaghetti Roadshow - group exhibition, Studio 3 Arts, London, UK.
2014
New Folk Visionaries - Pack of Wolves group exhibition, E17 Art Trail, London, UK.
2012 - 2013
Once Upon Again - Pack of Wolves group exhibition, Winns Gallery, London.
Also shown at Milkwood Gallery, Cardiff, Wales.
2011
H A P P Y L A N D – Sole exhibiting artist at Postcards Festival, Jacksons Lane Theatre, London, UK
2010
Space Made Live - Small Media Large curated group exhibition for West End Festival, Category 'A' Bank Repository, Glasgow, UK.
Selected Performances
2015-2016
Roving Diagnostic Unit - Performance tour with Bobby Baker and Daily Life Ltd, Shuffle Festival, London, UK, and, William Morris Gallery, London, UK.
2014
The Lights Are On - Live painting and recorded audio performance, group exhibition, Fox Court, London, UK.
2014
Running With Wolves - masked performance tour, Pack of Wolves group exhibition, Fox Court, London, UK.
2010
Mask! - Masked performance and installation, curated by Sarah Ruff, The Old Police Station, London, UK.
2018
Royal College of Art – Guest lecturer, 'Fr-iction' Visual Comms PHD group
Queen Mary University - Guest lecturer, Creative Arts & Mental Health
2016
Workshop Residency – series of drawing, printing, crafting workshops, Free Space Gallery, London, UK
William Morris Gallery 'Late' - performance for Daily Life Ltd, William Morris Gallery, London, UK
''Diagnostic Portrait of a...' - drawing workshop for Daily Life Ltd, Vestry House Museum, London, UK
The Dragon Café/Mental Fight Club – Panel guest, ReThink Psychiatry
2014
39 Hoe Street - drawing workshops for The Big Draw, London
2013
Bournemouth University – Guest lecturer, 'Mental Health in the Media'
Running with Wolves - Mask-making workshop, Stockholm Fringe Festival, Netherlands.
2010
Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival – Illustration workshop, Edinburgh, Scotland
Published Work
My work has been published in Caterpillar Magazine, Thrill Murray Colouring Book, Middleboop Magazine, Forest Fringe, Big Team Scribble, 69 Love Songs Illustrated.
Selected Press
'Creating Happy': About Mental Spaghetti | Laura Barton, The Guardian
The Mind Machine, exhibition Review | Judith McNicol, Raw Vision
The Mind Machine, exhibition Review | Colin Hambrook, Disability Arts Online
What Goes On In the Mind, exhibition Preview | Oxford Mail
What Goes On In the Mind, exhibition Review | The Oxford Times
Grants for the Arts, award by Arts Council England
Inspired by... - group exhibition, Victoria & Albert Museum, London