Talk #116

Katie Tomlinson

Katie Tomlinson (b. 1996, Teesside) lives and works in Manchester and London. Her new paintings explore power and consent within our intimate relationships. Woven through Tomlinson's paintings are layers of meaning and cultural and art historical references. They invite and encourage multiple readings acknowledging the nuance in the discussions she initiates. As a viewer we flit between enjoyment, reassured by their nostalgic familiarity, bathing in their warm glow, and feeling disquieted by an undercurrent of darkness that flows through them.

She is currently undertaking an MA in Painting at the Royal College of Art supported by the Basil H. Alkazzi Scholarship Award. She graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Manchester School of Art in 2018. Recent exhibitions include: At Least Buy Me Dinner First, Brooke Benington, London (2023), Buried in Affection, Galerie Supermarkt, Tokyo (2022); Fayre Share Fayre, The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester (2022); A star is just a memory of a star, Brooke Benington, London, online (2022); Stories, Barkley Gallery, Manchester (2022); RAW, Soho Revue, London (2022); Fight the Moon, Paradise Works, Manchester (2022).

Katie's Bunker Talk discussed the development of her practice since studying at the Royal College of Art and her most recent solo exhibition 'At Least Buy Me Dinner First' at Brooke Benington, London. The talk also focused on early-career, professional and employability advice for undergraduate Fine Art students.