Zoe Beaudry | Shelley

Artist Statement

Zoe Beaudry is a contemporary figurative painter based in Detroit, Michigan. Her practice examines existential questions related to selfhood, divinity, and individuation in the 21st century. Her work is informed by her research on contemporary mysticism and philosophy of mind, fourth-wave feminism, and her spiritual practice. 

Beaudry’s paintings feature carefully rendered subjects, intentionally chosen to flout flawed social constructs, de-stigmatise corporeal existence, and advocate for the rights of all sentient beings. 

The shortlisted artwork Shelley was created as part of a series of self-portraits exploring Beaudry’s relationship with her body and gender. By depicting a traditional portrayal of the nude female without catering to the male gaze or conventional gender roles, the subject is subverted. The subjectivity of the nude female is reclaimed from a tradition of objectification. The expression captures a sense of longing, and the tattoo on the left ribcage is brought into focus, becoming a focal point for the viewer’s consideration.

Artist CV

Education

2016 – 2018 The Glasgow School of Art, MFA
2010 – 2014 Kalamazoo College, BA in Studio Art and Anthropology/Sociology

Group Exhibitions – Selection

2020
Sunny Art Prize, Sunny Art Centre, London, England

(Virtual) HOME, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL

(Virtual) New Beginnings, Bedroom Artists, London, England

(Virtual) Art in the Time of Corona, DAB Art Co, Los Angelos, CA

(Virtual) Global Pandemic, Cold Coffee Gallery

Go Figure, Hoogland Center for the Arts, H. D. Smith Gallery, Springfield, IL

Consciousness of Abstraction, ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL

2019
FBA Futures 2019, Mall Galleries, London, England

ALS Association Benefit Pop-Up Gallery, curated: Caleb Mulholland, 2112 Studios, Chicago, IL

Scicomm Science-Art Exhibition, Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, East Lansing, MI
Interdependence, curated: Karyn Stetz, Riverside Arts Center, Ypsilanti, MI

2018
MFA Degree Show, The Glue Factory, Glasgow, Scotland

Annual National Juried Art Competition, Exhibit Gallery, Morris, IL

Skip-Ad; Play, curated: Aleya Dwivedi, Savoy Centre, GY Festival, Glasgow, Scotland

No Safe Haven, curated: Evie O’Connor, The Pipe Factory, Glasgow, Scotland

2017
Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize Exhibition, Piano Nobile Kings Place, London, England

The Prince’s Trust Art Exhibition, Lyon & Turnbull, Edinburgh, Scotland

Tongue Fest, curated: Alina Baimamadova, The Laurieston Arches, Glasgow, Scotland

The Harley Open, curated: Hannah Obee, The Harley Gallery, Worksop, England

Mixed Bag, curated: Jean Paul Baptiste, Arts Centre and Theatre, Aberdeen, Scotland

Lethbridge 10,000 Small Scale Art Award, Lethbridge Gallery, Brisbane, Australia

2016
LEXICON, curated: Jenny Lam, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL

‘Dollface’ Premiere, curated: Hannah Kopen, Canvas Arts Collective, Chicago, IL

Solo Exhibitions

2019
Table Scraps, OutFront Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, MI

Synchronicity, InForm Architecture, Kalamazoo, MI

2018
Starving Romantic Release, The Forge, Detroit, MI

2014
The Holiness Collection, Light Fine Arts Building, Kalamazoo, MI

Publications

Art Hole Magazine, June 2020

Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2019 (television), Sky Arts Network, 2019

Starving Romantic (book cover), Vincent

James Perrone, 11:11 Press, 2018

WOTISART Magazine, Issue 12, 2018

Aesthetica Magazine, Issue 80, 2017

Santiago, Walter, Canvas Essentials, Canvas Arts Collective, 2016

Creative Quarterly Magazine, Issue 44, 2016