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LONDON, UK
PORTFOLIO

Painting & Mixed Media | Printmaking | Sculpture

BIOGRAPHY

After completing a BA honors degree in painting, I pursued a printmaking postgraduate degree in the UK, where I am from. It was during this time that I was impacted by the German Expressionists, whose works, particularly in printmaking, left an indelible impression on me. I dedicated many subsequent years to developing my work in etching and other forms of printmaking. Today, printmaking continues to be a medium that intrigues me and is hugely influential in the way I approach my painting and sculpture.

During my years in Chicago (2010 – 2016) I was able to expand my work in both printmaking and painting — often combining elements of both in one piece. To develop a painting or drawing I use my prints as the starting point, which are often worked into a painting using collage and printed impressions from fabrics and embossed papers. I then use printmaking tools, such as rollers, squeegees and scrapers, to apply paint. My clay-based sculptures are also layered and imprinted with fabric patterns; a variety of stampings and tooled marks give their surfaces the appearance of “etched lines.”

People are the subjects of my work and I am intrigued by moments that, despite initially appearing quite commonplace, are (for me) charged with great significance and meaning. My inspiration is drawn from experiences or predicaments I encounter in daily life, such as social gatherings, images from social media and words from a song or a poem. All these generate ideas for themes that I can build upon, “dress-up” and weave into my work. I compose figures either in groupings or as a single figure or just a face. My aim is not to create exact likenesses, but rather to create prototypical or archetypal figures whose personality or identity is both partly exposed and partly hidden beneath the surface. Everything about the way I work (both technique and subject) is motivated by the desire to reveal or “bring something to light.” Thus my process involves layering then scraping back, building then excavating; otherwise, peeling back layers to “carve out” and reveal something hidden beneath the surface.

It is through these painted, sculpted or printed figures that I wish to project recognizable aspects of human experience. I want to compel and to draw the viewer in for a closer look beyond the surface.

“It is through these painted, sculpted or printed figures that I wish to project recognizable aspects of human experience. I want to compel and to draw the viewer in for a closer look beyond the surface.”

CORINNA BUTTON: ON HER PROCESS

QUOTED TEXT

“Button’s remarkable show” (‘About Face’ Chicago 2012) Her “layered figures are not only giant in their size however. They are colossal in their presence as every character reveals a different narrative and persona, creating a magnificent allure and aura.”

— CHICAGO GALLERY NEWS 2012

“Combined with mastery of execution, Corinna Button conquers our imagination by placing a perennial mirror into our collective human experience.”

— SERGIO GOMEZ CURATOR; ‘ABOUT FACE’ 2012

“Corinna explores the social interactions and relationships of both individuals and groups of people, often women and in threes, with gentle humour and a grain of grit. The effect is to leave you smiling with the residue of some kind of shared experience”

— BATH CONTEMPORARY 2012

“The roots of Corinna’s work may be in German Expressionism – The darkness, the colours, the bold, solid forms, the sense of something just out of reach …this is exciting, tantalizing work”

— SUE ROE, AUTHOR OF ‘THE PRIVATE LIVES OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS’ AND ‘ GWEN JOHN- A LIFE’ 2008

“It is not often I visit an exhibition which changes the way I look at the world”

— HELEN PARROTT (ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND) 2008 ‘ON THE PULL’ SOLO EXHIBITION)

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2020

Caught in a Fast Lane – Cupola Gallery, Sheffield UK

2017

Interfaces’ – Hyde Park Arts Centre, Chicago (Featuring sculpture, printmaking and painting)
Media made Great, Chicago ‘Caught in an act II ‘ (Featuring sculpture, printmaking and painting)

2016

Caught in the Act Cupola Gallery, Sheffield UK
Watching you, watching me Sculpture and painting. Pistachio, Chicago

2014

Moments of Being, Gallery C, Dubuque, IA, USA
University of Illinois , ULC Health in the Arts clinic , Chicago USA

2013

Brumfield Contemporary Gallery – Boise, ID USA

2012

Painting & Prints. Bath Contemporary. Bath,,Somerset, UK
About Face, Centerline Gallery –Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL USA.

2011

Flight of Fancy’, Gallery 19 – Minneapolis., USA

2010

Riverside Gallery, Barnes – London, UK
Feast, Cupola Gallery – Sheffield,Yorkshire, UK.

2009

Chelsea Arts Club, London – UK
Brumfield Contemporary Art – Hastings, Sussex, UK
Painting on a plate, printing onto Canvas, Impact, University of West of England, Bristol, UK

2008

Rose Theatre, Featured Artist, Kingston-U-Thames, Surrey, UK

2007

Gathering Storm, Gallery Kaleidoscope – London, UK
On The Pull Cupola Gallery – Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK

2005

Good Vibrations Kew Gallery – London, UK

2001

Frantic Wrenn Gallery, Northampton, UK

1999

Windsor Art Center, Windsor, Buckinghamshire, UK

1996

TamTam Gallery Budapest, Hungary

1994

Paris Bank, Luxembourg
The Custard Factory, Birmingham, UK

1991

Ross Gallery, Wellington, New Zealand

Selected International Juried & Group Exhibitions 2010- 2019

2019

‘Not Just Another Pretty Face’, Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago. USA

2017

Sydney Contemporary: Paper Contemporary, Australia
Shakespeare: A celebration, Kwan Fong Gallery of Art and Culture, Cal Lutheran University, California, USA

2016

‘Not Just Another Pretty Face’ Hyde Park Art Center , Chicago, USA
Human rights Institute, Keane University Gallery, New Jersey USA

2015

In The Meantime, Featured Artist, Gallery 19 – Chicago, USA
Artists interpret Shakespeare, Addington Gallery, Chicago USA
Artress, Research House for Asian Art, Curator Shuting Zheng, Chicago, USA
Breaking Criminal Traditions, Curator; Chuck Gniech, Bridgeport Art Center – Chicago, USA
Art Taipei, International Art Fair, World Trade Center – TAIWAN
Chicago Invasion,’ Blue Rider Gallery, Taipei, – TAIWAN

2014

Art Miami, Art Spot International Art Fair, Curator Sergio Gomez – Miami, USA
Artists Interpret Shakespeare, Elmhurst Museum – Elmhurst, USA
Twelve, 15th and West gallery – Chicago, USA
Artists Interpret Shakespeare with The Chicago City Chamber Choir Northbrook, USA
Breaking criminal traditions, Highland Park Art Center – Chicago, USA
Cultural Exchange, City hall, Busan – KOREA
Away from this inverted world, Curator, Michiko Kobayashi, Bridgeport Art Center – Chicago IL. USA
Transient Life, 33Contemporary Art. – Chicago, IL. USA

2013

Breaking Criminal Traditions, Beverley Art Center, – Chicago, IL. USA
Not Just Another Pretty Face Hyde Park Art Center – Chicago, IL. USA
Off Center Chicago Art Department, Curator; Mike Nourse, – Chicago, IL. USA
Voices from the Warehouse Voices Gallery – Dubuque, IA . USA
Front and Center – Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago, IL. USA

2012

Public Vs. Private, Woman Made Gallery – Chicago, IL. USA
Face Mask, 33 Contemporary Art, Chicago – Chicago IL. USA

2011

Being Human, Union Street Gallery, Curator Dan Addington, – Chicago, IL. USA
National Portrait Exhibition, 33 Contemporary Art – Chicago, IL. USA
Milwaukee Arts Festival, Calling Home & Loss of Space, Spudnik Press,

2010

Mothers, Curator; Rachel Epp Buller Woman Made Gallery – Chicago IL. US
Centerline 10 ,Curator; Oscar Friedl. Zhou B Art Center – Chicago, II.

Selected Juried & Group Exhibitions UK & Europe

2020

ING ‘ Discerning Eye’, Mall Galleries. London
The Royal Academy Summer Show, Royal Academy Of Art, Piccadilly, London

2019

ING ‘ Discerning Eye’, Mall Galleries. London
The Prince’s Trust Auction, Highgrove House, Doughton, Gloucestershire. UK
Art On A Postcard, WeWork, 8 Devonshire Square, London. UK

2018

Burton Museum, Devon; RE Original Prints Summer exhibition
National Open Juried exhibition of Original Prints, London –Chief Curator; Jennifer Ramkalawon from British Museum.
Summer show For Arts Sake Gallery, London

2017

London Original Print Fair; The Royal Academy.
The Masters – ‘The One Off’ monoprints. Curator Morgan Doyle RE

2016

The Masters – Etching Curated by Royal Acadamician; Norman Ackroyd , Bankside Gallery, London, UK

2015

The Masters – Relief prints, Curator; Angie Lewin RE, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
In Print International Printmaking Biennale, Gallery 11 – Hull, Humberside, UK
Prints and Plates, Cupola Contemporary Gallery – Sheffield, Yorkshire, UK
National Original Print, Bankside Gallery London, UK

2014

RE Painting & Printmaking – Bath Contemporary, Bath, Somerset, UK

2013

TEN Printmaking & Painting, Curator; Jane Stobart, Bankside Gallery, London, UK
Flourish’ Curator Printmaking awards –West Yorkshire Printmakers, UK
Royal Society of painters & Printmakers, Burton Museum in Bideford, Devon, UK

2011

The London Original Print Fair Royal Academy of Art, London, UK

2010

International print exhibition Open Space Gallery, St Penryn, Cornwall, UK

2009

Royal West of England Academy Bristol. Avon., UK

2008

Hicks Gallery- London, UK
A Century of Sheffield Art, Millennium Galleries, Sheffield, UK
Design Center, Leeds City Museum Gallery,UK
New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, UK

2006

Kingston Open – Stanley Picker Gallery- Kingston-U-Thames, UK

2004

Mother West end Art Center, Aldershot, UK

2005

RAC Gallery, RAC Club, London, UK
Gallery One, Barnes, London, UK

1999

Open Print Biennale, Atrium Gallery, Queensway London, UK

2001

International Print, Yale Gallery, Wrexham, Wales

2003

Royal Academy Summer Show; London. UK

2000

The Discerning eye, Mall Galleries-London, UK
International Printmaking, Mall Galleries, London, UK

1999

Open Print Biennale, Atrium Gallery, Queensway London, UK

1998

Sefton Open, Atkinson Gallery, Merseyside, UK

1996

Galerie Rose , Hamburg, Germany
Federation of British Artists, National Print exhibition, Mall Galleries, London UK

1995

KunstGarden , Denmark

1994

Rothenstein Trophy, Scarborough, and London, UK

1993

Galerie Editions Simoncini, Luxembourg

1992

National Theatre, Curator Jill George Gallery London, UK
The Royal Festival Hall, London, UK

1990

US / UK Exchange Printmaking, Curator; Norman Ackroyd, Barbican, London, UK
National Museum of Fine Art, Malta

Awards, Reviews & Publications & Commissions

2019

Not just another pretty Face, commissioned project. Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago

2018

Printmaking Taday Ppublication’Creative Collaborations

2017

Featured in New Art Examiner Publication; ‘ Work that Caught our Eye’

2016

‘Art by Design’  Feature in Modern Luxury Design  Publication, Chicago
NewCity Art Publication Review ‘Interfaces’ solo show, Chicago
Blouin Magazine article ‘Interfaces’ solo show
Dry Red Press Publishing Award
Not just another pretty Face, commissioned project. Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago

2014

First Prize for painting. The Art Slam, Voices Gallery, Dubuque.
Urban Confusions Journal publication, Issue No4

2013

Not just another pretty Face, commissioned project. Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago
The Examiner, article review, Mary Osborne, Chicago
The Boise Weekly article review
Not just another pretty Face, commissioned project. Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago

2011

Chicago Gallery news article review “About Face’ solo show
Extraordinary Sketchbooks, Jane Stobart published 2011 by A&C Black

2010

Short-listed for Printmaking prize A4 International open Print exhibition’ Cornwall

2009

Hector Purchase Prize, Printmaking UK

2007

University of Aberystwyth prize, Wales
Printmaker’s Secrets book (Published by A&C Black) UK
Art London,article review
Hilite, Magazine, article ’Smirting’ Germany

2006

Artists and Illustrators UK Magazine article

Collections

The Victoria and Albert Museum London
Jiangsu Art Museum, China
Ashmolean Museum Oxford
BBC Sheffield UK
Castle Lesley, Ireland
University Of Aberystwyth,Wales UK
Croydon School of Art

Held in private collections worldwide

Photography Credits

Image 1
Diego Martirena
Maplewoodphotography.com

Image 2
Detleff Koertge
deviantart.com

Image 3
Joseph Kayne
josephkaynephoto.com

Image 4
Diego Martirena
Maplewoodphotography.com

Image 5
Peter Fraterdeus
Fraterdeus.com