Emily Little is a visual artist born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand. She grew up in the UK and began painting landscapes in acrylics and watercolours in her early teens. Contemporary to this period, she was introduced to the world of the studio potter, which influenced and stimulated her interest in form. She later studied painting at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland under Dame Elizabeth Blackadder (1931-2021).
Her migration to Italy furthered her study of light and colour in her painting. After winning a place to study at the Scuola dell'Arte della Medaglia at the Italian Mint in Rome, she was able to develop her sculptural techniques as well as further her understanding of three-dimensional space, composition and form. At the Mint, amongst other sculptural techniques, she was introduced to bas-relief and casting, the latter inspiring her interest in multiple forms and series.
Her current work sees a fusion of her broad range of experiences.
Emily is constantly looking for new ways to present space in more experiential terms, where the process of mapping the work surface runs parallel to the exploration of an external or imaginary topography. In her recent work, this has led to an affinity in her working procedures and techniques with approaches and methods in contemporary textile art.
“I explore everyday materials for their tensile, tactile, chromatic and "virtual" (transparency and shadow) qualities, pushing the material to see what is possible. I often use recycled elements and consider the environmental impact of the piece itself.
“My personal technique is the result of research on materials that have allowed me to combine my experiences of sculptural and pictorial processes.”
“My current work has evolved as an alternative to less sustainable, traditional sculptural processes such as casting, firing or welding, at the same time, it questions the notion of permanency in sculpture.”
She has exhibited in Scotland, England, Ireland, Finland, France, Italy and Belgium.
She has attended residencies in Spain, Ireland and Finland.
Selected Solo exhibitions
2016 Centre Technique du Papier, Grenoble, France.
2016 KulturriKauppila, Ii, Finland.
2014 Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr, County Galway, Ireland.
Selected Collective exhibitions
2022 Minitextil Le Beffroi di Montrouge, France.
2021 30° Minitextile, Pinacoteca di Como, Italy
Artedamangiare, Milan. Una Sedia per Ursula. On-line exhibition + catalogue
2020 Galerie Albert 1er, Bruxelles, Belgium
The Society of Scottish Artists, Contemporary Open, Edinburgh
The Royal Hibernian Annual, Dublin
2019 5° Festival Internazionale Dei Depuratori, Milan
Catharine Miller Contemporary Art Gallery, London
MAF Museo Acqua Franca, Milao
The Lost Gallery, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
2013/19 Royal Watercolour Society Annual Exhibition, Bankside Gallery, London
2018 ArtParks International Sculpture Festival, Guernsey
2017 Leinster Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
Royal Watercolour Society, Bankside Gallery, London
2008/13 The Royal Society of Scottish Watercolourists, RSA Galleries, Edinburgh, Scotland
2011 The Royal Hibernian Annual 2011, Dublin, Ireland
2007/11 Visual Arts Scotland Annual Exhibition, RSA Galleries, Edinburgh, Scotland
2009 Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
2006/7 Glasgow Art Fair John Green Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland
Residencies
2016 KulturriKauppila, Ii Finland: Three-month artist in residency.
2014 Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr, County Galway, Ireland.
XXIII Seminario de Sargadelos (one-month ceramic residency) Lugo, Spain.
Awards/Prizes
2019 Collezione Civica Trame d’Autore, Comune di Chieri (TO)
2007/2009 Dorothy Duff Memorial Prize (Visual Arts Scotland, UK).
Finalista Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust per scultura.
Prix du Conseil General de Versailles per pittura al 124ème Salon de Versailles, France
Training
Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, London, UK. 1. Fusione in bronzo 2. Stampaggio e fusione
Workshop one-to-one su fabbricazione della carta e filigrane realizzati a mano. Cartiere Miliani, Fabriano
Corso triennale, Scuola dell’Arte della Medaglia, Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Roma
BA Hons Painting and Drawing, Edinburgh College of Art, Scotland
Events at Rome Art Week
2022
2021
2019
2018
Participants are solely responsible for managing their own data and for obtaining the necessary authorizations related to the use of the information and materials published.
