Antonia Beard

Info

Antonia is a London based artist with a background in textile design. Her textiles background has had a huge impact on her philosophy to art making. She spent time in Cambodia studying ancient textile techniques at the IKTT - the Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles. Learning from Kikuo Morimoto and the artisans of the forest village, she understood how traditional textiles embody the landscape of a place, in a process that is deeply linked to the natural habit and cultural interaction. This perspective has fused with her passion for the sweaty, urban dance-floors of London and her upbringing in agricultural Berkshire, to create work that is rooted in the process of experience and material narratives. 2018 has resulted in a series of site specific projects lead by this philosophy, listening carefully to what can be discovered through each scenario, studying the connections that underpin our material and metaphysical existence. Process is used as a way of seeing, preparing the mind to a state of consciousness that directs the work.   

ABOUT | CV

Antonia Beard (b.1991) investigates the dynamics between natural and manmade phenomena through the creation of objects, installations, photography and artist books. After spending her formative years in the textile industry she became interested in the procurement of materials and the complex social and geological narratives contained within different objects and landscapes. Her site-responsive works connect the elements available at any given site, whilst simultaneously challenging the standard interactions of that environment. Each gesture in the making process is a nod to a conversation, moment or snippet of information gleaned from the casual and daily encounters that develop throughout her inquisitive and collaborative research.

Antonia lives and works in London, she graduated in 2013 with a degree in Textiles from the University of Arts London. Recent residencies include The Sustainable Darkroom, London Alternative Photography Collective, UK (2020) and High House Working Residency, Norfolk, UK (2020). She has exhibited at Groundwork Gallery, Norfolk, UK (2019); Houghton Festival, Houghton Estate, Norfolk, UK (2017, 2018, 2019); Lay of the Land, West Cork, Ireland (2019); Manifesta 12, Palazzo Abatellis, Palermo, Italy (2018); Biennale Urbana, Venice, Italy (2018); Royal College Art, London, UK (2018); Calle Del Forno, Venice, Italy (2017). She has presented her research for the Architecture and Urbanism group at Leeds University (2020), Mortiz Feed-Dog Fashion Film Festival, Barcelona (2019) and the University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy (2018).