Art on a Postcard International Women’s Day Auction - Curated by CURA Art

About 

Ptolemy Mann established her studio after graduating from Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art in 1997. Her unique approach to hand-dyeing and weaving wall-based artworks has evolved over a twenty-five-year period. She dyes the long skeins of thread and then weaves them on a loom, embedding colour into the cloth itself. Exquisite dynamics of colour move across their fine surface, creating a painterly sweep. Mann makes large-scale pieces that demonstrate a deep understanding of craftsmanship and precision through an abstract narrative. The term ‘chromatic minimalism’ has been applied to her work, and abstract expressionism and architecture are crucial influences. In recent years, Mann has been making huge gestural paintings on watercolour paper and canvas exploring the connections between thread and pigment. Mann is interested in the relationships between colours and their affective potential. For her, painting is an expression of the material and emotional worlds. In 2021 Mann made the bold decision to combine her weaving and painting practices in the Thread Paintings, applying spontaneous brushstrokes of acrylic paint directly onto a carefully hand-woven surface. Optical effects and natural phenomena inspire her to explore the possibilities of her chosen materials: dye, thread, paper and paint. Through their rapid and/or laborious application, she creates a multi-layered meditation on light and colour. 

Education 

1995-1997 
Master's Degree in Constructed Textiles Specialising in Woven Textiles, Royal College of Art, London  

1992-1995 
Bachelor of Arts, Hons. Degree in Textile Design Specialising in Woven Textiles, Central St Martins College of Art & Design, London 
1991-1992 
Foundation, Maidstone College of Art 

Solo Shows 
2023 
Unconscious Color, Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida, USA 

2022 
Thresholds, Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida, USA 
2019  
Circadian Rhythm (Commissioned Triptych), Tate Modern Gallery, London 

Bauhaus / Handwerk, Gallery Lau, Munich, Germany 

Group Shows 
2020 
Art Geneve, Art Fair, Geneva, With Taste Contemporary 

2019 
miart, Art Fair, Milan, With Taste Contemporary 

2018 
The Most Real Thing, Roche Court @ The New Art Centre 

2014 
crafted, The Royal Academy, London 

2013 
Modern Makers, At Chatsworth House Presented by Sotheby’s 

2010 
Inspired By – The Legacy Of Anni Albers, Ruthin, Wales 

Gallery Representation 

Represented by Taste Contemporary in Geneva, Gallery Lau in Munich and Findlay Galleries in the USA. 

Statement about AOAP Submitted Artwork 

I recently did a painting residency in Copenhagen and these paintings were made there. Momentary gestures of colour intended to capture the feeling of the place at that specific time. 

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