Biography
Coco Morris (b. 1997) is a painter based in Hastings. Her work explores colour/form relationships and abstract painting languages. She graduated from City and Guilds of London Art School in 2019 with a BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree and was awarded the Painter-Stainers Scholarship in 2017 and the Chadwyck-Healey Prize for Painting in 2019. Selected exhibitions include Group shows at Grove Collective in 2021, Warbling Gallery in 2021, Terrace Gallery in 2021, a duo exhibition at Soho Revue Gallery in 2022 and a solo show at Lorfords Contemporary in 2022.
Artists Statement
Coco’s work is about the practice of painting, it explores colour-form relationships and the tensions and boundaries that exist between different painting languages and genres. This means the subject matter, style of painting, point of inspiration and the process can be quite different between each painting.
Anything goes – The paintings can be improvised and experimental or thoroughly planned out. They move between styles and subject matter. Despite the variation in approaches the works do have reoccurring compositions and motifs that are echoed across Coco’s practice. All of the paintings emerge and are resolved through the action of painting. The works occupy a space where opposing narratives sit together; abstraction and figuration, minimalist and abstract expressionist references, planned and experimental. Scale, subject matters, colours and the emotional tone of the works are different which presents curatorial contrasts and connections across paintings.
Compositionally the paintings are balanced – but ever so slightly off – awkward shapes don’t line up, as if the image has been agitated. The colour/form relationships are at times bold, using opaque and clashing colours, but they can also be very subtle as light and surface come into play. A single colour might be applied in a wash to create different tones and luminosity, or used impasto to give saturation and body. They interact to create visual sensations; optical illusions of backlit and absent colours and vibrating edges. Layers and textures create painterly depth and a sense of weight giving these paintings a tactile quality with the hand of the artist evident across all the works.
Exhibitions and Awards
2023 Exhibition and auction for ‘Queer Spaces’
2023 A series of Group Exhibitions with Art For Charity Collective
2023 Group Exhibition ‘Shapeshifters’ at Irving Contemporary Gallery
2022 Duo Exhibition at Soho Revue Gallery
2022 Group Exhibition at The Little Scarlet Door in collaboration with Soho Revue Gallery
2022 Solo Exhibition ‘Through The Looking Glass’ at Lorfords Antiques
2022 Solo Exhibition ‘Odds And Ends’ at ASC The Cube Gallery
2021-2022 ‘Human Concern’ at The Artists Contemporary
2021 Made an Honorary Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Painter Stainers
2021 ‘A Tiny Bit Of Fire’ at Warbling Collective Gallery
2021 ‘Summer Exhibition’ at Grove Collection Gallery
2021 ‘Flirting With The Boarder Guards’ at Terrace Gallery
2021 ‘Small Pleasures’ at All Mouth Gallery
2021 ‘Nature’ Online Exhibition
2021 Group Exhibition at Landsec Old Broad Street
2021 ‘Exhibit #5’ at Fluffy Crimes Gallery
2021 Group Exhibition at The Hari Hotel London
2020 ‘Life On Venus’ at The Tub Hackney
2020 ‘After Hours’ at Bowes-Parris Gallery
2020 ‘Walk On By’ Online Exhibition
2020 ‘Way Out’ at La Grange Gallery
2020 ‘Painters Stainers Sale’ Digital Exhibition
2019 Group Exhibition at Bargehouse (OXO Tower Wharf).
2019 Awarded the Chadwyck-Healey Prize for Painting.
2019 ‘City and Guilds of London Art School Degree Show’.
2019 Group Exhibition at The Newington Gallery.
2018 Group Exhibition at DAM Mother.
2018 Exhibition/Shortlisted for The Skinners Company Travel Prize.
2017 Group Exhibition at Crypt Gallery.
2017 Shortlisted Group Exhibition for The Painter-Stainers Scholarship.
2017 Awarded The Painter-Stainers Scholarship.
All rights reserved (c) 2019 Coco Morris.
Coco Bluebell Morris 