CV:

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Olana Light

Portsmouth, United Kingdom

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Memberships:

 

• Member Royal Society of Sculptors

• Studio Member Art Space Portsmouth

• Member Society of Scottish Artists

 

Education:

 

2024  A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC), UAVHUB

2021 - 2022 Artist Professional Development Programme, Newplatform.art
2017 - 2020 MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths University of London
2014 - 2017 BA First Class Honours Degree in Fine Art, Southampton Solent University

2013 - 2014 Art and Design BTEC Diploma Level 3, Portsmouth Highbury College

 

Awards/ Competitions/Commissions:

 

2024

• ArtCabbage Prize 2024, 1st Place, Performing Art Section

• Bute Street Festival Themeslink Art Award winner

• 7th Annual Women in the Art Prize shortlisted

• Every Breathe We Take Art Competition winner in the Open Category 

• Alpine Fellowship Visual Art Prize shortlisted

• Clyde&Co Art Award shortlisted

• BizBubble Modern Maker Award finalist

• Aesthetica Art Prize longlisted

• The 6th John Ruskin Prize shortlisted

2023

• Arts&Heritage Digital Winter Commission, supported by English Heritage

• Zealous Amplify: Environment, shortlisted

• Mela Monument, Co-creating Public Space: John Hansard Gallery, shortlisted

• SpudOPEN: Digital Dreaming, 2023, shortlisted

• CAS Emerging Sculptors Development Award, finalist

• Quay Arts Open 2023: The Art of Sculpture, shortlisted

• CAS Open_Open 2023, shortlisted

• March, Found Cities, Lost Objects: Women in the City Billboard Commission winner, curated by Lubaina Himid, a partnership between Arts Council Collection, Southampton City Gallery, and ‘a space’ arts

2022

• SpudOPEN 2022 Judge’s and Public Choice Award

• The Next Thing Award 2022, shortlisted

• StreetLife&Aesthetica Changing Rooms Commission Prize, winner

• The 8th International Marianne Brandt Award, shortlisted

• Arts Council England Project Grant Fly Like a Butterfly

• Contemporary Art Volunteer Ambassadors: Blue Sky Ideas Art&Heritage Award 

• The Spring Open Competition Prize, winner

• NAE Open 2022, shortlisted

• Zealous Stories: Short Film 2022, shortlisted

• Little Forest 4th Plinth Open Competition 2022, winner

• Orbit, Ridley Road Market Bar London, commissioned

2021

• Next Thing Award 2021, Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre, shortlisted

• Arts Council England Project Grant Search to Belong

• Stamp Festival, Hamburg, commissioned

• Zealous Stories: Sculpture 2021, winner

• Batsford Art Prize 2020-2021, Fine Art category, shortlisted

• Platform Art Projects Open Call, commissioned

• Zealous Stories: Photography 2021, shortlisted

• Lucky Dip Bursary ‘a space’ arts, winner

2020

• Sunny Art Prize 2020, winner

• Southampton from your SOfa, commissioned by Southampton’s B. I .D. Ltd

• Zealous Stories: Performance 2020, shortlisted

• Arts Council England Covid-19 Emergency Fund

2019

• Harvest Short Film Competition 2019, shortlisted

• London Contemporary Art Prize, longlisted

• Batsford Prize Award 2019, shortlisted 

• The News Guide Award Portsmouth, Best Visual Artist, runner-up

2018

• Journeys Festival International Competition LookUp Portsmouth, finalist

• Nasty Women International Art Prize 2018, shortlisted

• Visual Art Open Prize 2018, Digital Category, finalist

• The News Guide Award Portsmouth, Best Visual Artist, shortlisted

• Platform Graduate Award 2017, shortlisted (nominated by Aspex)

• Goldsmiths International Response Scholarship Award

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Solo Exhibition:

 

2024 The Birch Tree Family, Middlesborough Art Week

2022 Let It Breathe, Hidden Wardrobe, ‘a space’ art, Southampton

2021 out I side I in, The Smallest Gallery, London

         Automatic Sight: Autofókusz, Museum of Unfulfilled Dreams, Fringe Arts Bath

         We Are Not Ourselves, Jeannie Avent Gallery, London 

         Portal Fantasy, commissioned by K6 Gallery, Southampton

2020 We Are Not Ourselves, The Stone Space, London

2018 Arcane World, Hidden Wardrobe, Southampton

         ArtVaults:Live 2018, Canute’s Palace, Southampton

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Selected Performances:

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2024                                                                                                                                      

• The Birch Tree Family, Rituals for Earthly Survival, Treadgolds Warehouse, We Shine Portsmouth

• The Birch Tree Family, POSE, Treadgolds Warehouse, Portsmouth

• The Birch Tree Family, Middlesborough Art Week

• The Caterpillar, Rebirth and Regeneration, The Bulb, Southampton    

• The Birch Tree, Sir Harold Hillier Garden, Romsey

• The Birch Tree, Above Bar Street, Southampton 

2023

• Fly Like a Butterfly, Hot Walls Christmas Market, Portsmouth                                                                                                                                                  

• Fly Like a Butterfly, The Imaginarium of Dreams, The StoreHouse N9, Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth

• Invisible Woman, Awe and Wonder, Fringe Arts Bath

• Fly Like a Butterfly, Art in the Garden, Little Forest Land Art, Wickham

• Fly Like a Butterfly, Making Space, Havant, Hampshire

• Fly Like a Butterfly, Guildhall Square, Southampton

• Fly Like a Butterfly, Winter Sculpture Park, Gallery No.32, London

2022

• Fly Like a Butterfly, West Street, Havant, Hampshire

• The Light Festival/Lantern Parade, Fratton Big Local, We Shine, Portsmouth

2021

• The Imaginarium of Dreams, We Shine,The Studio Theatre, Portsmouth Guildhall

• Search to Belong, God’s House Tower, Southampton

• Search to Belong, Above Bar Street, Southampton

• Search to Belong, The Arches Open Studious, Southampton

• We Are Not Ourselves, Art in the Garden, Little Forest Land Art, Wickham

• Adapting to the New Reality, Above Bar Street, Southampton

2020

• We Are Not Ourselves, Chalton Gallery, London

• I Am Not Myself, Houskeeping, Jeannie Avent Gallery, London

• Goldsmiths Degree Show, St. James Hatcham Church, Goldsmiths, London

2019

• I Am Not Myself, Mangoes into a Pub, Alfred Arms, Southampton

2018

• The Other, commissioned by ‘a space’ arts, Canute's Palace, Southampton

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Residencies:

 

​2024 Art in the Landscape - Nature Calling Artist Residency, 101 Creation Space, Newbury

         Botanical Residency, Hugo Burge Foundation, Scotland

2023 La Vista Residency, Tenerife

2022 ecoSuites art Residency, Tristinika Beach, Greece

2019 School of Art, Design and Fashion, Southampton Solent University

2018 Look Up Residency, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth
         Platform Graduate Award Alumni Residency, Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth

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Conversation/ Talks/ Seminars/Publications

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2024 Permaculture No.121 Autumn

2023 Artists in Conversation: Lubaina Himid talks to Sarah Filmer, Ellen Gillet, and Olana Light, Southampton City Art Gallery

2022 Artist Talk curated by Kate Street, Art Space Portsmouth

2021 Artist Close Up, interview

         Exit, Ludvig Rage Book, London
         Corona Art, Ludvig Rage Book, London

2020 Chalton Gallery, Inside Artist Issue 17
         Sacred Vestments: Internal Roles. The crush of bodies at Chalton Gallery, Trebuchet

         Transformation: Everything Flows, ArtConnect Magazine

2019 APERO Catalogue Fine Art Publication ‘Dreams’

 

Group Exhibitions:

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​2025

• Making It 2025, Jubilee Gallery, MAKE Southwest    

2024                                                                                                                                                         

• LORE, Sunny Bank Mills, Leeds

• Photo Fringe 2024 OPEN Eco, The Outdoor Hub, Brighton

• The Bute Street Festival, The Hat Factory, Luton

• Every Breathe We Take, West Way Trust, London

• Ulaidhean / Treasures: SSA at Gairloch Museum, Scotland 

• EAST QUAY OPEN 2024: OPEN ABOUT IDENTITY, East Quay, Watchet

• MK Calling 2024, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes

• Rebirth and Regeneration, The Bulb, Southampton

• Transformation, Plas Brondanw 2024 Open Exhibition, Wales 

• Eight, CAS Emerging Sculptor Development Award Exhibition, Sir Harold Hillier Garden

• Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition(Longlisted Artists), York

• The 6th John Ruskin Prize: Seeing the Unseen, Hearing the Unspoken, The Byuo Store, London

• Open Art Exhibition 2024, Gosport Museum and Art Gallery

2023

• Tap Mini Fringe Festival, The Queens Head, London

• SSA 125TH Annual Exhibition I CUTLOG I VIEWPOINT, The Maclaurin Art Gallery, Ayr, Scotland

• SSA 125TH Annual Exhibition: The Maclaurin Art Gallery, Ayr, Scotland

• SpudOPEN 2023: Digital Dreaming, Spud, Sway, Hampshire

• Open 2023: The Art of Sculpture, Quay Arts, Isle of Wight

• GRIPE, Fringe Arts Bath 2023

• RIPE FIVE, God’s House Tower, ‘a space’ arts, Southampton

• Open 2023, curated by Rosalind Davis and Susan Francis, Chapel Arts Studios

• Art in the Garden, Little Forest Land Art, Wickham

• Common Thread, Guildhall Square, Southampton

• Video Art Maiden, ToPikap, Thessaloniki, Greece

• Inspirational Women Artists, ‘a space’ arts, God’s House Tower

• Grad Race, Bridport Arts Centre, Bridport

• 4th Wall Video Art, Axis Screening, Lisbon, Portugal

2022

• The Next Thing Award, Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre

• SpudOPEN 2023: Our Changing Landscape, Sway, Hampshire

• Grad Race, Bridport Arts Centre, Bridport

• 4th Wall Video Art, Prospect Art Screening, Los Angeles, US

•  RE-IMAGINING WONDERLAND, Edinburgh

• Society of Scottish Artists Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh

• Visions in the Nunnery, Nunnery Gallery, London

• Aesthetica&Streetlife Changing Rooms Commission StreetLife Hub, York

• Fringe 2022 OPEN Eco, Outdoor Hub Worthing Seafront

• Issue 28 Metamorphosis, Haus-a-Rest, online

• Inspired, Hampshire Open Studios, Making Space, Havant

• Drift, Summerhall Cinema, Edinburgh

• Open Exhibition 2022, The Spring, Havant

• Open Exhibition 2022, Southampton City Art Gallery

• NAE Open 2022, New Art Exchange Gallery, Nottingham

• ecoSuites art Residency exhibition, Tristinika Beach, Greece

• Little Forest Open Competition exhibition, North Boarhunt

• Spring Exhibition, Lighthouse Gallery, London

• Nasty Women Revive, Open House Hackney, London

• Inspirational Women Artist, GHT, ‘a space’ arts, Southampton

• WTD 2:2, Art Gallery, Middlesbrough, online

2021

• The Next Thing Award 2021, Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Park 

• SHIM Eco Inaugural Show, URSA Gallery, Bridgeport, US

• The Imaginarium of Dreams, We Shine, Portsmouth Guildhall

• Lucky Dip Exhibition, GHT, ‘a space’ arts, Southampton

• Arches Open Studios, Southampton

• b-side Festival, Royal Manor Theatre, Portland

• This is Not a Shop! Fringe Arts Bath, No 5 Broad St, Bath

• ONE: Pandemic, Walk_Bye and Open Road Poetry, virtual

• Birkenhead International Film Festival (BIFF)

• Art In The Garden, Little Forest Land Art, North Boarhunt

• Platform Art Projects Open Call, online exhibition

• Alone, Together, curated by Shannon Skye Robinson, virtual

• Wilderness, The Haven, St Pancras New Church, London

• The Castle, Arthousehaus, London

• Human Was Here, The Virtual Museum of Anthropocene 

• The Identity, New Haus Gallery/Kofferraum Haus Gallery, Issue 9

2020

• 36th Annual Open Exhibition, Southwark Park Galleries, London

• Without Borders, World University Of Design Delhi NCR, India

• Sheroes in Quarantine Part II Virtual, London-art Creative

• Sunny Art Prize 2020, Sunny Art Centre, London

• Queens Hall Arts Digital - Micro Commission, Hexham

• First-Time Filmmaker Sessions September 2020 P7, online

• Degree Show, Goldsmiths University of London

• Between Surrealism and Magical Realism, Beam Collective, online

• Online Performance Art Festival 2020

• Elysium International Film week, Elysium Gallery, Swansea

• Person and the Otherness of Nature virtual, curated by Adele Lazzeri and Toby Kid

• If 2020, 24-hour International Improvisational Festival, online

• Lost, Lacuna Festival de Arte Lanzarote Fuerteventura digital, Spain

• Post Quarantine I, curated by Maria Bourika, Video Art Miden Online, Greece

• COVENT-19 online, curated by Faryal Arif & Nadin Hassan

• The Sensation of Home, curated by Lisa Marinello, Fringe Arts Bath Festival

• Girlhood, curated by Jess Holtaway, Fringe Arts Bath Festival virtual

• Really//Real, curated by Toby Rainbird, Fringe Arts Bath Festival virtual

• Homemade Mango Chutney virtual, A Space Arts, Southampton

• In 24-Hours virtual, curated by Ayshia Taskin, The Wall Space Gallery, Scotland

• Housekeeping, curated by Jessica Mankowska, Jennie Avent Gallery, London

• Of Streets and Monsters, OKNA - Espaco Cultural, Portugal

2019

• Open Projection 4: Spectacle, Coventry Cathedral

• Nasty Women Exhibition, Bovenfoyer van De Balie, Amsterdam

• Black and White Christmas, Pineapple Black Gallery, Middlesbrough

• Symbol, Cupola Gallery, Sheffield

• Laboratory of Dissent 2: Inside/Outside, The Screen, curated by Susan Francis, Winchester School of Art

• Harvest Short Film Competition Shortlist Screening, Lower Hewood Farm, Chard

• Open Projections 3: curated by Martin Green, Coventry Cathedral

• Open Show, Yellow Edge Gallery, Gosport

• NOW Digital Festival, curated by Genetic Moo, Margate

• Mangoes into a Pub, Alfred Arms, Southampton

• Open Mouth Film Festival, University of the Arts, London

• Self-Service, curated by David Theobald and Genetic Moo, St John’s Waterloo, London

• Fantastic and Strange, curated by Clare Winnan, Fringe Arts Bath Festival, Bath

• Self, curated by Toby Rainbird, Fringe Arts Bath Festival, Bath

• Made in Southampton, Re:So, Southampton

• ​Perceptions, LoosenArt, MFR 19 Festival, Rome

• The Body Language, Venice Carnival 2019, The Room Contemporary Art

2018

• Visual Art Open Prize Exhibition, Chester Cathedral

• Chester Arts Fair, Chester Racecourse

• Journeys Festival International, LookUp: Searching for Home, Aspex Gallery, The Big Screen, No.6 Cinema, Southsea Library, Fratton Park, Portsmouth

• Deptford X Festival, Gold X, Deptford Creek, London

• Ripe Bananas, Alfred Arcade, Southampton

• MFA Interim Show 2018, Goldsmiths University of London

• Nasty Women International Art Prize Showcase Exhibition, Newcastle

• Altered States, St John’s, Waterloo, London

• This Temporary Matter, Fringe Arts Bath Festival, Bath

• Efflorescence, Safehouse, London

• End-of-Residency studio exhibition, Aspex, Portsmouth 

• ​Platform, Aspex, Portsmouth

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