b. 1984, Aberdeen, UK. Lives and works in Brussels. Studied at Glasgow School of Art and De Ateliers, Amsterdam.

Fiona Mackay’s paintings are made with traditional batik dye and wax on very thin canvas. The restrictions and unpredictable nature of this technique challenge the artist to find a balance between control and letting go. On the one hand the works connect to the heydays of abstract painting (a predominantly male territory); while on the other they are clearly reminiscent of the world of textiles and folk art, usually associated with the feminine.

Selected solo exhibitions: Sisters, Albert Baronian, Brussels (2014); Syntax, OUTPOST, Norwich (year);Crozhapox, Ghent; Ghosts, SIC, Brussels (2013); Albert Baronian (ROOM), Brussels, 84 paintings IN THE BANK, De Nederlandsche Bank, Amserdam, MILAN, Cite Des Arts, Paris 2012) _3.5 weeks, Lokaal 01, Antwerp (2010)

Glossary

  • Canvas

    A piece of cloth woven from flax, hemp or cotton fibres. The word has generally come to refer to any piece of firm, loosely woven fabric used to paint on. Its surface is typically prepared for painting by priming with a ground.

  • Painting

    Work of art made with paint on a surface. Often the surface, also called a support, is a tightly stretched piece of canvas, paper or a wooden panel. Painting involves a wide range of techniques and materials, along with the artist's intellectual concerns effecting the content of a work.