Shapeshifters

 News 

Mikey Thomas’ new exhibition unveiled at Bath Spa University’s Michael Pennie Gallery

Thursday, 18 January, 2024

Artist, Mikey Thomas will be unveiling his new exhibition, shapeshifters, at the Michael Pennie Gallery at Bath Spa University’s Locksbrook Campus on Friday 19 January. 

Mikey is coming to the end of his year-long Freelands Studio Fellowship. The programme is a partnership between Freelands Foundation and Bath Spa University, University of Brighton, Manchester Metropolitan University, Robert Gordon University Aberdeen, Ulster University Belfast and University of Wales Trinity Saint David Swansea. The £25k fellowship offers a graduate from any one of the six universities involved the opportunity of becoming part of the community of artists at Bath Spa University’s School of Art, Film and Media.  

Shapeshifters is a collection of eleven oil paintings that are all universal in size, measuring in at 180 cm tall – which is deliberately, the exact same height as the artist, by 135 cm wide. The paintings lean into both the material and the mimetic qualities of painting: blurring illusion and fact. They camouflage themselves, and pretend to be things they are not, yet at the same time, they remain honest to what painting is. 

The fellowship is designed to foster a symbiotic relationship between the fellow and the students at Bath Spa University. Mikey said:

“The studio has been a working space for me but also somewhere students can go to talk to me and test ideas. This has meant that the relationship I've built with students has been established on a foundation of openness. My practice has been exposed to them, they’ve seen and spoken to me about the stages of my work, and watched it develop through the year. I think this has also helped instil a trust between us - it’s meant that conversations can naturally start in my studio and progress to theirs, and vice versa. This is an important kind of relationship that has gone on to significantly inform the group conversations that take place in crits or workshops I've ran through the year.”

Natasha Kidd, Subject Leader in Art and Reader in Art Practice and Pedagogy at Bath Spa University said:

“Fellowships were once a staple part of the landscape of art education. These positions were a vital stage in many artists’ careers, allowing them the funds and space to develop their own practice. Mikey was selected from an incredible strong set of applicants. He has worked in a studio at our Locksbrook Campus for a year and we can’t imagine the place without him – his contribution to our community has been immense. It has been particularly exciting to have Mikey work with us as we launched our new MA painting pathway.”

Natasha continued:

“It is important as teachers/practitioners working in the art school that we constantly evaluate what we do and how we do it – things can’t simply stay the same. Mikey has brought an approach full of thoughtfulness and care. He has been invaluable to our students and the team - the department of art is richer as a result of his time with us.” 

The exhibition is open to the public from 20-30 January, 10am-6pm weekdays and 10am-4pm weekends, in the Michael Pennie Gallery at Bath Spa University’s Locksbrook Campus.