Somerville
Georgia Somerville
Contact - art.gsomerville@gmail.com
Studio - AR06 Second Floor Studios, Moulding Lane,
Deptford Foundry - Contact for Studio visits
Drawing upon the legacies of psychoanalysis, trans-feminism and Queer theory, Somerville’s multimedia immersive experiences transcend the everyday, the banal, and offer mysterious worlds of shimmering magnetism and kaleidoscopic hues. A world in which every turn reveals a secret or casts a shadow over another, yet to be fully seen. With a magpie-esque sensibility she is drawn towards a maximalist expression; fixating on all that glimmers –plastic which glows like silk; the swirl of a latex curtain as the actor takes their final bow; a glimpse of a face in a darkened mirror (who is there?).
New Zealand lies on the boundary of two tectonic plates, so earthquakes were a common phenomenon in Somerville’s formative years. As the ground beneath her feet shifted and tormented her, she found solace, and stability, by forging her own wonderous dreamscapes. The dichotomy of earthly existence and heavenly wonder continues to be a through line in her work. And now, in London, she draws upon the vibrant energy of Queer nightlife and her own psychological exploration, which was borne by a recent period of spiritual awakening and psychosis. It’s within these realms where the work exists and where the complexities of the (trans)human experience are investigated. By creating these worlds, these hollows of splendour, and by utilising state-of-the-art technology through projections and 3D printed objects etc, Somerville dissects the intersection of technology and (queer)feminist activism, connecting the earthly with the divine, mystery with intrigue, hysteria with fairy tales, and ritual with magic.
For Somerville, contemporary art is a medium in which to challenge the biases of ingrained patriarchy in contemporary society, particularly those aimed at marginalised groups. As Somerville once walked on the shaking New Zealand soil, these groups today (as before) continue down wobbly political grounds. Her practice aims to offer spaces of resistance, spaces of utopian ceremony, in which the search for an otherworldly sense of (dis)order takes place.
She has exhibited internationally with shows at Chambers Gallery (Christchurch), Suite Gallery (Wellington), Antoinette Godkin (Auckland), Deptford X (London), Proposition Studio Gallery (London), and Hoxton 253 (London). She obtained her MFA at Goldsmiths(2024) and holds a BFA from Ilam School of Fine Art, Canterbury University, NZ.
2019 - 2024 - Masters Fine Art at Goldsmiths University London
2022- Current Public Mural Euston Station, council commission
2015-2021- Represented by Antoinette Godkin Gallery, Auckland, New Zealand
2010-2015 Bachelor of Fine Arts at Ilam School of Fine Arts Canterbury University
2015 - Finalist “Parkin Prize” Group show
2014 - Select exhibition for selection of work for University’s permanent collection
2009 - Outstanding Scholarship design top 10 New Zealand
2008 - Art cup - Middleton Grange Highschool, New Zealand
2008 - Textiles cup - Middleton Grange Highschool, New Zealand