NOEMI CONAN

Noemi Conan’s arresting portraits mediate on self-identity, exploring growing up in Eastern Europe in the mid-90s. The feverish paintings depict sex workers perceived by young Conan as ‘forest faeries’. Hyper-feminised, the women stare indifferently back at the audience as observed become the observer. Acting as commentary on the pressures placed on women during this period of Eastern European history, the artist questions some of her childhood experiences. Set against a flat expanse of Polish woodland the ‘spirits’ are unnaturally cast in the red glow of the rear-view car light, leaving an eerie impression. In the series made during her time on the residency, Conan has begun linking her figures to various Slavic mythological creatures: the Werewolf, the Siren, the Vampire. Exacerbating the work’s connection to storytelling as the artist attempts to consolidate the present with childhood memories and dreams.

Conan’s work has been exhibited internationally throughout the UK and Europe. Her work is in the collections of Soho House London, Glasgow School of Art and the Urban Nation Museum in Berlin. She has been selected as one of Bloomberg New Contemporaries in 2021, has been featured in the John Moores Painting Prize in 2020, the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2021 and the Royal ScottishAcademy Annual Exhibition. She holds a BA (Hons) in Painting and Printmaking from the Glasgow School of Art. Currently enrolled in the Turps Studio Programme (2022-2023)