Interview

Written By Editorial Team

Kirstie Tebbs

Kirstie is a multi-disciplinary artist exploring the philosophical ideas of presence, time and substance. The aim of her art is to showcase the idea of ‘being’ in an interactive, installation space through perception, the infinite, absence, and presence.

Currently studying MFA at the University of Hertfordshire, Kirstie is the founder of Tebbs Gallery, an online gallery with pop-up exhibitions around London. These include monthly exhibitions, worldwide artist collaborations and more. Kirstie’s work has won various awards, and has been widely published.

 

What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?

“Most people would say they’ve been an artist since childhood. I would say I’ve been a practicing artist since 2016. My mother was creative, and I remember the day I found her sketchbooks. I knew exactly who I got my creativity from. My father, as a self-employed painter and decorator, taught me how to paint and care for my tools. He funded my artistic journey until I left home. I cannot thank him enough for all he has done for me. He has inspired me and helped me pursue my artistic career, even if that meant letting me go to college 2 hours away by train, with 5 a.m. wake-ups and 11 p.m. pick-ups from work.  

Now that I have a child, she gives me inspiration to keep going with my art practice. I’m inspired by the way infants pick up implements and just explore with curiosity, without biases or looking for perfection. Such curiosity is what I aspire to find in my own practice. My daughter is literally my biggest inspiration at the moment in my artwork. She’s the one who helped me re-find my feet in my practice, after losing my way for a while.”

What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?

“I allow the process and final pieces to speak for themselves. It’s sheer experimentation. I let the materials interact with themselves, and then impart my art on top. I inquire into ‘being’, exploring the philosophical ideas of presence, time and substance. Most of my artworks take inspiration from the hidden world around us: from the cellular to the cosmos, to theoretical physics. I want people to understand that we cannot exist without the hidden world around us, but also that hidden world couldn’t exist without us.”

Which current art world trends are you following?

“As I run a gallery, I’m always looking to expand my knowledge. I try to see what is missing or lacking in the art world, or issues that need to be highlighted — such as mental heath — and incorporate them into my gallery.

In my own artwork I don’t tend to follow any trends. I just go with what inspires or excites me. Visualizing what we can’t see just explodes my mind with ideas. So I spend a lot of time following science magazines and news. I always say if I wasn’t in the art world, I would have been a scientist.”

“I think it’s very important to have favorite artists and research what is out there, and what has been in order to understand our history. But if you don’t love your own pieces, then why create them? Believe in yourself and keep trying to make your next favorite artwork.”

Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?

“I work 6 days a week for Vache Bleue Galleries and Memorabilia Framers. I run an online and pop-up art gallery. I’m a practicing artist that exhibits worldwide. On top of all that, I’m a single mother — so creativity has to flow at scheduled points. But when I’m in the creative flow, I’m reacting to the moment and I’m in it fully. I don’t plan where the ink merges, or where the lines mark, or where the cells meet. I let it choose where it goes.”

What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?

“I’m an abstract multi-disciplinary artist. I let the work choose the materials and processes that it requires. Sometimes my ideas work best as a video, or in plaster, or as a drawing. I experiment and push ideas to get them to where they look their best. There is no end point, but rather an ever-evolving practice. I’m usually in the midst of several ideas and projects at the same time.

I’ve made digital and hand-drawn proposals of what I would do if I had the time, money, and hands. From these, I choose what I can do. I find that with every step, there are another 20 avenues I could follow, and so I choose which to pursue. Sometimes I find that I go in a complete circle, finally going down an avenue I had earlier chosen not to pursue, as that is where the art is telling me to go.”

What does your art mean to you?

"My art means everything to me. It’s my sanity and my escape. I go into what I can only imagine true meditation feels like, and connect with my art. It’s how I breathe and how I let my stresses go. It provides me with a way to cope with how my life has changed so drastically over the past 6 months. Without art, life would be monotonous.”

What’s your favorite artwork and why? 

“Would it sound insane to say one of my own artworks? Most people would probably pick the work of an old master, or a contemporary legend. I always think my most recent artistic outcome is my favorite. Then I create another piece and that becomes a new favorite. It’s like a perpetual cycle.”

Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?

“I’ve had solo and group exhibitions, and my work has been published in several magazines.

Art Prizes: 

2021 - VAA Award, Longlisted. 

- Art Award, Doncaster Art Fair. 

2015 - Gibney Award, Lincoln College of Art and Design. 

2011 - Regional Finalist, ICE. 

Published In: 

2022 - Used Coffee Filter Mail Art Project, No ArtFashion. 

- Anthology V: Madrid Edition, Guto Ajayu Culture. 

2021 - Petri dish project, Tebbs Gallery, Kirstie Tebbs. 

- Issue 2, The Howling Press.  

2020 - The Postcard Project, Artists Responding To.... 

Prominent Group Exhibitions Worldwide:

2022 - Parallex Art Fair, London, UK.  

- Door To Door UK & Europe, Lite Haus Galerie, Berlin, Germany.

- The Garden of Loss & Triumph, NDSM Fuse, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

- International Art Exhibition 22, Espinosa SIR Gallery, Matina Davao City, Phillippines. 

- Used Coffee Filter Mail Art Project, No ArtFashion, The Netherlands.

2021 - Venice International Art Fair, Venice, Italy. 

- Rome International Art Fair, ItsLiquidGroup, Rome, Italy.

- The Garden of Loss & Triumph, No Vacancy Gallery, Australia.

- Pop-up public exhibition, Collective Gallery, UK.

- Boomer Gallery, Tower Bridge, London, UK.  

- The Postcard Project, Artists Responding To..., London, UK.

- Summer Showcase 2, Yellow Edge Gallery, Gosport, UK. 

- Summer Exhibition 21, D13 Gallery, Doncaster, UK.”

 
Editorial Team
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