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CV • EXHIBITIONS • COMMISSIONS • PROJECTS

  • Elected Academician of the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, 2024​
  • Selected member of the Royal West of England Academy Artist Network, 2019

Public Collections:
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  • The ProCreate Project Archive of work by artist mothers, 2023

Exhibitions:
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2024
  • RBSA Prize 2024, The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists. 2nd Sept - 12 Oct
  • The Royal West Of England Academy 171st Open Exhibition, RWA, Bristol. 14th Sept - 5th Jan 2025
  • The 25th South West Academy Annual Exhibition, Kennaway House, Sidmouth. 29th Oct - 9th Nov
  • ​​Evolver Prize 2024, ACE Arts, Somerton, + publication in Evolver edition 138.
  • East Quay Open: About Identity, East Quay, Watchet.
  • ​​South West Academicians’ exhibition, Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Honiton.
  • Delamore Arts, Delamore Estate, Cornworthy.
  • Mothers of Invention, The Mount Without, Bristol. An exhibition of work by Bristol-based artist-mothers.
  • English Riviera Women’s Open, Artizan Gallery, Torquay.
  • Melville Public Art Commission, Melville Heritage Area, Torbay, Devon
2023
  • Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City, The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol.​ National touring Arts Council exhibition, curated by Turner Prize-winning artists and cultural activist Lubaina Himid CBE, from the Arts Council Collection. The exhibition included invited Bristol artists including Valda Jackson MBE and Beth Carter RWA.
  • The 24th South West Academy Annual Open, Kennaway House, Sidmouth.
  • Turning Points - Through the Eyes of Bristol Women Artists, The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol​.
  • The Royal West of England Academy Photo Open, RWA, Bristol.
  • Procreate Project Public Activations, Lewisham Shopping Centre, London.
  • Women in Photography, The Glasgow Gallery of Photography. An exhibition of international women artists working in the medium of photography.
  • ​​Bath Society of Artists 118th Annual Exhibition, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath.
  • Portishead Arts Festival, North Somerset. Site-specific installation of ‘Freedom of Movement’ triptych, consisting of 3 life size canvas panels of a female figure. These were installed in the window of Muse, a women’s boutique, hanging amongst the mannequins and women’s clothes: drawing contrasts and associations, creating a dialogue about women’s lives.
  • RWA Secret Postcard charity auction, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol.
2022​​
  • Spotlight Commission, Residency & Installation, Ambassador Theatre Group, Arts Council England, Arts & Heritage, Artizan CIC. Princess Theatre, Devon.
  • ​​​Above and Below - In association with Prof Corinna Wagner (University of Exeter); the UK Climate Resilience Programme & the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC); in association with Marcus Verget’s Time & Tide Bell Project.
  • ​​​Evolver Prize Finalists’ Exhibition, Ace Arts, Somerton; plus publication in Evolver Magazine 126.
  • Bath Society of Artists 117th Annual Exhibition, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath.
  • English Riviera Summer Open Exhibition, Artizan Collective, Devon.
  • RWA Secret Postcard charity auction, RWA, Bristol.
2021
  • Wish You Were Here, Bristol. Community film screening.
  • Bath Society of Artists 116th Annual Exhibition, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath.
  • The 22nd South West Academy Annual Open Exhibition, Kennaway House, Sidmouth.
  • ​The English Riviera Open. Prize winner: ‘Innovation in Digital Practice’.
2020
  • The VAO Visual Art Open Emerging UK & International Artists Awards Finalists exhibition, Chester. Final stage finalist: digital and photographic category.
  • Artizan Collective Winter Exhibition, Artizan Gallery, Devon.
  • The 21st South West Academy Annual Open Exhibition, Kennaway House, Sidmouth. Prize winner.
  • ​The English Riviera Summer Open, Artizan Collective, Devon.
2019
  • Small & Mighty, Black Swan Arts, Frome.
  • The English Riviera Open exhibition, Artizan Collective, Devon.
2003
  • Degrees of Separation, ’a’ gallery, London SW19. An exhibition of WSA graduates juxtaposing artists’ new works alongside images from their degrees and MA shows.
1998
  • Camden Arts, Swiss Cottage Library Gallery, London.
1997
  • Sculpture in the Park, Cannizzaro Park, London.
1996
  • Cannizzaro Sculpture, Cannizzaro Park, London.
1995
  • The Mythic Garden, Stone Lane Sculpture Gardens, Chagford, Devon.

Commissions:

Melville Cultural Heritage Installation (2024)
The brief: Drawing on local expertise and community storytelling to create a heritage narrative unique to the historic and ancient Melville area of Torquay, on the South Devon coast. The installed panels will celebrate the significant historic and cultural associations of the area, focussing on the great literary figures who have links to the area - Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, Alfred Lytton - and the diverse and vibrant community of the present day. This project will continue an extensive piece of place making and public realm work that has been undertaken. The trail will tell Melville’s unique cultural heritage story across 10 artworks in ten locations.

Ambassador Theatre Group and Arts Council England | Commission, residency & installation (2022)
The brief: to explore and celebrate the life of regional theatres after 500 days of pandemic-forced closure; a commission to create artwork specifically focusing on some of the regional theatres in the international Ambassador Theatre Group, which owns and operates theatres across the globe, from Broadway to the West End. The project was made possible by an award from the Arts Council Culture Recovery Fund, facilitated by Arts & Heritage and ably supported by Artizan CIC in Torbay. 12 selected works from the project archive are currently installed and on public display at Devon’s largest theatre, the Princess Theatre.

Arts Projects:

  • ArtPort | Portishead Arts Festival

- Instrumental in the artistic and strategic development of ArtPort, a community arts festival on the Severn Estuary, near Bristol, UK.
- Marketing Director: strategy, social media, PR.
- Experience in the commissioning and execution of community arts projects and art installations.
- Arts project management, curation, commissioning and installation experience; artist liaison; community liaison.

  • ArtStories
Together with award-winning film maker Barry Wilkinson of BW Film, we conceived an ongoing series of original, documentary short films profiling the artists of North Somerset. Click on images to watch:
©️ Mellony Taper 2024. All rights reserved.