Molly Kent
Degree: Fine Art MA (First Class Honours)
University: The University of Edinburgh/Edinburgh College of Art
Graduation Year: 2020
New Blood Art Commentary
Notable Achievements 2021
See Investable Artists II
See Investable Artists I
Kent’s internationally exhibited work relies on paradox and is designed to overwhelm. On the one hand it incorporates organic shapes and soft fabrics as she works with labour-intensive traditional crafting practices. On the other its content is highly influenced by the Glitch Art aesthetic: acidic colours and short phrases have a strong, disruptive presence. Kent’s love for craft shows; also in evidence, is the modern preoccupation with tensions between craft and art. Her work is of its time in the way that the craft of rug making originally was. Bold and challenging, it’s a clear statement about contemporary living which the viewer can use to reflect on their own relationship with technology and their inner critic – only more relevant in the wake of the isolation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is exciting emerging art, reflecting the times the artist is coming of age in: she was selected in November 2021 for the New Artist of the Year, chosen by judges under the brief, ‘Where do we go from here? Is there to be a ‘new normal’, and put on display with 10 other shortlisted artists at the Saatchi gallery.
Molly has recently been working with paint on paper in addition to textiles. These small scale but vividly rendered works employ a surrealist turn to externalise internal drama: a state of mind’s terrain depicted in the high contrast of bright colours and deepest black.
Artist Statement
My practice sits in the field of textile art with and emphasis on representing notions of mental and physical health through mediums such as rug tufting and weaving. I portrays contemporary existence regarding social-media and internet living and the effects this has on our perception of self. This stems from my personal experiences of her mental health condition CPTSD, but also reflects on wider anxieties and fears that have come to attention as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
My series 'Doubt in the Digital Age' which is ongoing aims to create pieces that intend to overwhelm the senses, mirroring the feeling of doubt, through the juxtaposition of colour, phrases and form. Taking the domestic form of the rug and shifting it in presentation, the objects I make climb walls, morphing before us resembling viral/bacterial forms. This plays on the idea that doubt can be perceived as a disease that, over time, shifts and morphs to continue its hold over us.
Solo Exhibitions
(2022) Dreams, Edinburgh Central Library, Edinburgh, Scotland
Group Exhibitions
(2021) 123rd SSA Annual, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, Scotland
(2021) UK New Artist of the Year, Saatchi Gallery, London, England
(2021) Final, now Over - again, Unit 1, London, England
(2021) Royal Scottish Academy 195th Annual, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, Scotland
(2021) Adjust / Adapt, City Art Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland
(2021) Vlieseline Fine Art Textile Award Showcase, NEC Birmingham, Birmingham, England
(2020) Holiday 2020, AWAY Gallery, Canada
(2020) Winter Exhibition FLOW, Visual Art Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland
(2020) ECA//10Design, 132 Princes Street, Edinburgh, Scotland
(2020) Buffering, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, Scotland
(2019) WORD OF MOUTH, Venice Biennale pop up, Venice, Italy
(2019) WORD OF MOUTH, Grau Projekt, Melbourne, Australia
(2019) Fine & Dandy, Edinburgh Central Library, Edinburgh, Scotland
(2019) SETTLE DOON, Bonnyrigg Settlement Project, Bonnyrigg, Scotland
Competitions, Prizes & Awards
(2019) Barns-Graham Travel to Italy Award
(2020) Paintbox Yarn Sponsorship
(2020) Degree Show Purchase Prize - University of Edinburgh Art Collection
(2020) 2nd Place - Roy’s Art Fair Degree Show Competition
(2020) Loomshop Gallery Award
(2020) Visual Arts Scotland Graduate Showcase - Finalist
(2020) RSA NEW CONTEMPORARIES 2021
(2020) Vlieseline Fine Art Textile Award - Shortlisted
(2020) I-D and Artsthread Global Design Graduate Showcase - Shortlisted
(2020) Visual Arts and Craft Makers Award - Creative Scotland & City of Edinburgh Council
(2021) SSA Award
(2021) FromNow Award
(2021) UK New Artist of the Year - Shortlisted
(2022) RSA Art Prize
(2022) MacLaine Watters Medal
(2022) Edinburgh Printmakers Graduate Residency Award
(2022) Barns-Graham Travel Award
(2022) Ramsay Cornish Prize
(2023) John Byrne Award (Shortlisted)