About Blandine Bardeau
From entangled concoctions, rise beings from another world. My pieces reconcile the man-made plastic paraphernalia with their organic counterparts, a world where jellyfish has morphed with plastic jewellery, where composted peppers grow neon wool yarns and where flower petals grow out of shower puffs.
My pieces are almost always a mixed-media approach to creating art, combining drawing, collage and painting. Often working on paper -sometimes mounted on canvas or wood-, translucent polyester and canvas, I like to use my background in fashion & jewellery design to present artworks that draw influences from many different and eclectic places. I love artists such as Joan Mitchell, Picasso, Cy Twombly and Annette Messager.
I was born and raised in Toulouse, in the South of France, and I now work and live in South East London. I first came to London to study a BA in Fashion Design Womenswear at Central Saint Martins, and a few years later, after working as a free-lance jewellery designer, I went on to study an MA in Painting at the Glasgow School of Art. I was commissioned to design and make jewellery for the windows at Selfridges, Oxford Street, London, as well as Menswear jewellery pieces for the Mugler Paris Fashion catwalk show, Spring-Summer 2012. My Fine Art work has been exhibited in Paris, Helsinki, Glasgow and London, and has been bought by private collectors around the world (New York, Seattle, Australia, UK...). I was longlisted for both the SaatchiArt Online Painting Showdown in 2015 and the Signature Art Prize in 2014. I was a runner-up for the Secret Art Prize, organized by Curious Duke Gallery, London, in 2014. I have also been published in Magazines and catalogues, and in 2009 I was awarded the Colin Barnes Drawing Prize, in recognition of excellence in drawing. In 2007, I won the Louis Vuitton Bag Design Competition, organized by Central Saint Martins. I also assisted Andrew Kerr in setting-up his solo exhibition “So Ensconced” (Nov 11/ Jan 12) at Inverleith House, Edinburgh.
Exhibitions:
Past Group Shows & Art Fairs:
-Affordable Art Fair New York, with CaigerArt Contemporary and Liberty Galleries 29th March-2nd April 2017
-Affordable Art Fair Battersea, London, with CaigerArt Contemporary Gallery. 9th-12th March 2017
-The Other Art Fair, The Old Truman Brewery, London. 6th-9th October 2016. The Other Art Fair is the leading UK Artist Fair.
-The Affordable Art Fair, London Hampstead, with Caiger Contemporary. 16th-19th June 2016
-Group Show with ArtSmart Contemporary “Launch #1 Pop-up Week,”, 10th-15th March 2016, Space W10, London
-The Affordable Art Fair, London Battersea, with Caiger Contemporary Art. 10th-13th March 2016
-The Other Art Fair, Old Truman Brewery, 15th-18th October 2015, London. The 10th edition of the fair included works by Tracey Emin. Judges include: Mary Rozell, Gavin Turk, Dr Stephanie Buck, Dr Sven Hansen and James Birch.
-"When Opposites Attract" two people show with Rod McIntosh, organised and curated by Caiger Contemporary Art, 14th-20th September
-"Autumn Showcase" Caiger Contemporary artists group show, 21st-27th September
-"Introducing" Group Show at Curious Duke Gallery, London. 6th-29th August
- The Affordable Art Fair, 11th-14th June 2015, London, Hampstead. As Part of Caiger Contemporary
- "In Coversation", a co-curated show with NOHO Artists, 27th May 2015, 7 Dials, Covent Garden, in partnership with Balthazart.
- The Other Art Fair, 23rd-26th April 2015, London, Victoria House. Selection Committee included Gavin Turk, the Courtauld’s Dr Stephanie Buck and Mary Rozell, Director of Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute New York.
- Caiger Contemporary Spring Showcase, 13th-19th April 2015, Studio 657 Fulham, London, Group Show.
-12th-15th March 2015: Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London, as part of Caiger Contemporary
-13th February-14th March 2015: "Painting the Future", DegreeArt Contemporary Collective exhibition, Vyner Street, London
-30th October 2014- 28th February 2015: “Lunar” Group Exhibition at Curious Duke Gallery, London, 173 Whitecross Street.
-Windsor Contemporary Art Fair, 8th& 9th November 2014, as part of Caiger Contemporary Gallery, London.
-16th-19th October 2014: "The Other Art Fair" Old Truman Brewery, Selection panel included Polly Morgan, Sophie O'Brien, Anita Zabludowicz and Omar Kholeif.
- 26th September-5th October 2014: "Precious" Deptford X, ArtHub Gallery, London.
- 4th-27th September 2014: "Secret Art Prize Exhibition", Curious Duke Gallery, 173 Whitecross Street, London.
- 8th-13th September 2014: “Autumn Showcase”, The Gallery On The Corner, Battersea, as part of Caiger Contemporary Art Gallery
- 2014: The Other Art Fair, 24th April-27th April 2014. Ambika P3. Selection Panel: Tracey Emin, Charming Baker, Zavier Ellis, Rob and Nicky Carter.
- 2013: "Toastmasters Finland", Arkadia International Bookshop, Helsinki.
- 2013: Group Show at The Glue Factory, Glasgow.
- 2012: Masters of Letters in Fine Art Practice Degree Show, Bermondsey Project Space, London.
- 2012: "Masters Degree Show", The Lighthouse, Glasgow.
- 2012: "Masters Degree Show", The Mackintosh Building, Glasgow.
- 2010: "Converse, You're here", Garage de Turenne, Paris.
Solo Shows
- 2010: “Fluorescent Monkeys”, Beyond the Valley Gallery, London.
- 2010: "Metropolis Ridiculous", Selfridges Windows Display, Oxford Street, London
