Artist Statement
My practice is deeply rooted in process art, encompassing monumental installations as well as sculpture and drawing. A unifying thread that runs through my work is the application of repetition and accumulation to give form and substance to thoughts and mental states that are difficult to express.
Drawing a parallel to the compulsive pacing of caged animals seeking solace in repetition, my art embodies seemingly purposeless activity, restlessness, and impulsivity. Each finished piece is a remnant of the processes undertaken.
Through an unending cycle of redaction, tearing, twisting, crushing, and erasing, I engage in a relentless dialogue with my materials. The mediums I use are modest and ephemeral, mirroring sentiments of insignificance and worthlessness. I employ a distinct and uncanny palette of black and dark materials, evoking the sublime.
Bio
My most recent show was a collaboration with Nicola Turner at 195 Mare St. Hackney, London in September, 2023. Earlier in the summer, I presented my first major solo show at The Art House, Wakefield, following my installations at Chichester and Wells Cathedrals in 2022. I was also longlisted for the Aesthetica Art Prize. In 2021, I received the Gilbert Bayes Award, was named an ArtConnect Artist to Watch, shortlisted for the New Emergence Art Prize, and earned a West of England Combined Authority residency.
Born in Birkenhead, Liverpool, I now live and work in Bath, from a studio in my top floor flat overlooking the city.
Selected Exhibitions
We Are For The Dark (joint show), 195 Mare St, London, 2023
170th Annual Open Exhibition, RWA, Bristol, 2023
Kate McDonnell Processing (solo), The Art House, Wakefield, 2023
My Body In My Hands, SVA, Stroud, 2023
Wells Art Contemporary, installation, Wells, 2022
The Waste Land, online show, Open Dialogue Istanbul and Akbank Sanat, 2022 link
Gilbert Bayes Award Exhibition, CASC, Chester, 2022
Together We Rise, Chichester Cathedral, Chichester 2022
Wordplay, 44AD, Bath, 2022
Anonyme Zeichner – Anonymous Drawings, Galerie Im Körnerpark, Berlin, Germany, 2022
Materiality, Walcot Chapel, Bath, 2022
Gilbert Bayes Award Exhibition, Cromwell Place, London, 2022
Hope and Humanity, 44AD, Bath, 2022
The 3am Project, Lost Letters project, 2022 link
The Unstable Line, AIR Gallery, Altrincham, 2022
Refresh Art Award, AMP Gallery, London, 2021
Living By Bread Alone, The Art Cohort, Bath, 2021
Abstract, Fronteer Gallery, Sheffield, 2021
Boredom is not a Luxury, Craft Central, London, 2021
This Is Not A Shop, Bath Fringe Festival/Fringe Arts Bath, Bath, 2021
In the Windows, That Art Gallery, Bristol, 2020
Wells Art Contemporary, Wells Cathedral, Wells, 2019
Disordered States, Bath, 2019
Blue Monday, 44AD, Bath, 2019
Line and Point, Centrespace, Bristol, 2018
CONTINUUM, Bath, 2018
Reflection, Surface Gallery, Nottingham, 2018
The Porthleven Prize exhibition, Porthleven, 2017
Someplace, Centrespace, Bristol, 2017
The Future Can’t Wait, Black Swan Arts, Frome, 2017
Art and Text, 44AD, Bath, 2017
Awards
West of England Visual Arts Alliance Research & Development Bursary, 2023
Longlisted, Aesthetica Art Prize, 2022
Gane Trust Grant, 2022
Drawing Special Mention prize, Refresh Art Award, 2021
WECA Creating Together Residency, 2021
Shortlisted, The New Emergence Art Prize, 2021
Art Connect 'Artist to Watch', 2021
Gilbert Bayes Award, 2021
SANE Creative Award, 2020
Porthleven Prize, 2017