Lottie Reay lives in London and is currently Head of Art at St Dunstan's College, Catford, London.
I am interested in the volatile and mischievous nature of materiality and language and how it can be manipulated and disrupted to raise broader questions about the unstable nature of identity, desire and sexuality. By repurposing found ephemera alongside made objects I pose questions about how and why we assign meaning and value to the objects and materials that surround us. I am fascinated by the powerful capacity and agency objects have, quickly generating associations of place, people, time, sounds and smells. I reimagine the banal and commonplace within a domestic arena, using materials such as glass and food to play with our expectations. There is seriousness and silliness, a hint of the familiar yet bizarre, of celebration and melancholy.
I believe that by examining materiality through a queer lens it challenges normative assumptions, raises questions about acceptance and the inherent power structures within heteronormativity, and prompts new and generative ways of exploring the complexity of the queer experience.
Education
2020 - 2021 MA Fine Art (Distinction), City & Guilds of London Art School
2006 - 2007 PGCE Art & Design Secondary (Distinction), Manchester Metropolitan University
2003 - 2006 BA Embroidery (First Class Honours), Manchester Metropolitan University
Teaching
2021 onwards Head of Art, St Dunstan's College, Catford, London
2012-2020 Head of Art, Woldingham School, Surrey
2007-2012 Art Teacher, Woldingham School, Surrey
Freelance Life Drawing and drawing sessions for private clients
Open Studios
July 2019 Brockley Open Studios
May 2017 Havelock Walk Open Studios, Forest Hill
Nov 2015 Havelock Walk Open Studios, Forest Hill
Group Exhibitions
2021 "Dear Brockley" Postcard Project, Fabric Experiments, Lewisham Art House
2020 Fabric Magazine Exhibiton, Lewisham Art House
2019 "GIFC & VELVET ROPES: London", House of Vans London, Oslo and Gothenburg
2019 Brockley Open Studios, St Peter's Church, Brockley
Publications
Fabric Magazine, 2020
From Design to Stitch, 2012, Sandra Meech
Lectures
2021 LDG X CGLAS MA Artists Talk: A Masters in the Art of Lockdown, London Drawing Group, online lecture