Katie Sims

1993, Birmingham, England

kemilys@yahoo.com - 07791 379 882

Group Shows
2015, Degree Show, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
2014, Menagerie, Unit 3-4, Deptford
2014, Thats so Gay!, St. Giles Crypt, Camberwell
2014, Retrospective, All Saints Church, Birmingham
2014, UNIT, Dilston Grove, Southwark
2012, Foundation Show, Bournville School of Art, BCU
2011, Anti-Curate, mac gallery, Birmingham
2011, Tomorrows Artists, mac gallery, Birmingham
2011, Young Birmingham Artists Show, Zellig Gallery, Birmingham

Publications
2015, Degree Show catalogue
2014, Menagerie catalogue
2014, Thats so Gay! catalogue
2014, Retrospective catalogue
2014, UNIT catalogue

Education
Pending, BA (Hons) Sculpture, Camberwell College of Arts, UAL
2012, Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, Bournville School of Art, BCU

Contextual Statement
I work predominately in the medium of sculpture. Drawing influence from a wide range of themes such as the uncanny, the abject and the
science fiction genre; my work is a series of abstracted objects that form a smaller part of a implied narrative. I create sculpture to postulate
on a world that exists outside our comprehension, and to try to spark the naive visual curiosity that most of us abandon with age. I think of
my sculptures as objects from these other realities and want to encourage the viewer to build the reality from which that object has been
summoned.
My work walks the line between the abject and the whimsical, providing a fantastical ulterior explanation for its existence, though as if it
were in a cartoon or imagined through the eyes of a small child. By highlighting the humour in uncanny objects, my practise explores relationships between objects and society, and how these objects can be abstracted through re-appropriated use or aesthetic choices.
I draw inspiration from a wide range of pop culture references, such as films and television. The science fiction genre is of particular interest within my practise, often appropriating aesthetics associated with the genre, such as the sets used in Star Trek or claymation monsters
used in Ray Harryhausen films. I also take influence from the way that science fiction is often used to address prominent issues in contemporary society through an abstracted setting without facing censorship. In this way I feel that science fiction as a genre has a similar position
to the arts, existing outside of society, reflecting the flaws that cannot been seen clearly without being re-contextualised and represented in
a different way.
Using materials that are culturally identifiable as impoverished, I create semi-plausible components to an alternate reality which both
highlights and questions prominent issues in contemporary society, such as CCTV and population growth. For me, the process of creating
a sculpture is seldom instantaneous, but a path of decision making of which the consequence is a finished work. I often start by drawing
abstracted shapes and forms and imagining them as real world objects, attempting to imply contextual history to each individual piece. My
choice of materials stems from the belief that art belongs to everyone and should be made with whatever objects are at hand. By using materials which are culturally imbued with symbolism outside of their typical conventional environments, I re-imagine these objects found and
used in another narrative context.
I am particularity interested in my sculptures having a hand made quality, which I believe imbues life and adds a tactile element to the
work. Though using painstaking handmade processes such as sewing, I acknowledge that the sculptures I create are not objects that would
exist without humanity, and view art as a symbol of civilisation. By using these processes that are liable to be flawed, I endeavour to highlight questions about the human condition, through its weaknesses and strengths, questioning the past and future progression of human
society.

a woman was clipping her nails on the bus and one of them fell on my lap.
Cardboard, polyurethane, duct tape, pigment
site specific sculpture
180 cm x 170 cm x180 cm
2014

Everybody Loves Tentacle Bear

teddy bear, fabric, wire, fake eyes
sculpture
30 cm x 45 cm x 20 cm
2015

Teddy-Cam
teddy bear, camera
sculpture
25 cm x 20 cm x 30 cm
2015

Sweetie-Mama
sweets, paint, balls, wig, robe
mixed media sculpture with performance
200 cm x 100 cm x 75 cm
2014

Slimeball
teddy bear, latex, spray paint, acrylic
sculpture
20 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm
2015

Franken-Teddy
various soft toys combined
sculpture
30 cm x 25 cm x 25 cm
2015

Beyond the Pleasure Principle

polystyrene, jelly, spray paint, polyurethane, box crate, flourescent lighting, plastic balls
collaborative sculpture
200 cm x 200 cm x 200 cm
2015

Childhoods End
soft toys, pillows, wood, stuffing, spray paint, acrylic, latex
sculpture
250 cm x 150 cm x 150 cm
2015

Teethy Bear
teddy bear, clay teeth, felt
sculpture
20 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm
2015