Catherine Long is London-based abstract painter whose work is driven by a deep engagement with the physicality of paint and the expressive potential of colour. Drawing from her background in contemporary dance, Long’s paintings are immersive and dynamic, exploring the visceral impact of gesture, rhythm and haptic sensation. By foregrounding the embodied experience of perception, Long’s work seeks to create a sensorial engagement that draws the viewer into a richly layered world of history, patina and resonance.
Central to Long’s practice is the exploration of how colour can evoke sensation, affect and mood. Her large-scale paintings are marked by a bold use of colour and a tactile, gestural application of paint that seeks to convey the rawness and sensuality of bodily experience. Through her work, Long engages with the process of layering, building up and erasing marks to create complex compositions that invite the viewer to participate in the process of meaning-making. Long’s paintings are thus a testament to the power of colour, gesture and sensation to evoke deep emotion and meaning.
Long’s extensive education in both dance and fine art has provided her with a unique perspective on the relationship between the body, movement and image-making. She holds a BA and MA in Dance from De Montfort University, and a PhD in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts. Her work has been exhibited widely, including at the ICA, Beaconsfield, The Showroom, Deptford X and Art Licks, and she has undertaken residencies at Chisenhale Studios, Siobhan Davies Studios and Pada Studios.
Education and professional development
2024 – MA Painting, Royal College of Art, London
2023 – Turps Art School Studio Painting Programme, London
2017 – PhD Fine Art, Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London
2014 – AHRC Film Training Scheme, University College London/Open City Docs
2010 – MA Dance, De Montfort University – Distinction
2006 – BA (Hons) Dance, De Montfort University – First
Solo exhibitions
2021 – The body keeps the score mark II, Chisenhale Art Place
2019 – Rotator Cuff, 139 Artspace, London.
2016 – In the Eye of the Beholder, Chelsea College of Arts, London.
2015 – A Dialogue with the Camera, The Cookhouse, London.
Group exhibitions and screenings
2024 – (Forthcoming) Scene V: Pas de Quatre, Matt Carey-Williams, London
2024 – (Forthcoming) Royal College of Art Painting MA Degree Show, London
2023 – SAFEHOUSE 2, Safehouse, London
2023 – Ripe bananas!, Turps Leavers Show, London
2023 – Recreational Grounds VII, Wendover House car park, London
2022 – Mood times ten, Fitzrovia Gallery, London
2022 – Blink and you’ll miss it, Safehouse, London
2020 – Beyond the Body, Cryptofiction, online screening
2019 – Captives of Habit, The Old Police Station, Deptford X, London
2019 – Material Gestures, Art Licks Weekend, London
2019 – Beyond the Body, Wolf Cinema, Berlin
2019 – Superette, Pada Studios, Lisbon
2018 – In Whose Eyes?, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall, London
2018 – The Body Keeps The Score, durational performance, Art Night, London
2017 – Vacant in use, The Old Police Station, Deptford X, London
2017 – Wimmin!!!, Sapient Razorfish, London
2016 – We all have a problem with representation, The Showroom, London
2015 – Feminist Practices in Dialogue, ICA, London
2014 – A Voice of One’s Own, Playhouse Gallery, London
2013 – Recontested Sites/Sights, Chelsea College of Arts, London
2013 – State and Statuses in Art and Cultural Production, Royal College of Art, London
2012 – Towards Common Ground, Bread and Roses Film Festival, London
2012 – Kadin – Feminism between East and West, Arbeit Gallery, London
2012 – Artists Moving Image, Curzon Cinema, London
2012 – Position Place Situate Locate, Chelsea College of Arts, London
Residencies
2021/22 – Percolate research residency, Siobhan Davies Dance, London, UK
2021 – Studio4Summer, Chisenhale Art Place, London, UK
2019 – PADA Studios, Lisbon, Portugal
Curating
2023 – Recreational Grounds VII, London
2019 – Captives of Habit, Deptford X, London
2019 – Material Gestures, Art Licks Weekend, London
2018 – In Whose Eyes?, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall, London
2016 – We all have a problem with representation, The Showroom, London
2015 – Feminist Practices in Dialogue, ICA, London
Awards & Grants
2022 – A-N Time Space Money Artist Bursaries
2021 – Percolate, Siobhan Davies Dance
2021 – Studio4Summer, Chisenhale Art Place
2019 – Project Grant, Arts Council England
2019 – Developing Your Creative Practice, Arts Council England
2016 – Student Initiative Grant, CCW Research School
2015 – Funds for Women Graduates
2015 – Student Initiative Grant, CCW Research School
2014 – Arts & Humanities Research Council Research Travel Grant
2012 – CCW Graduate School Research Travel Grant
2011 – Arts & Humanities Research Council Doctoral Studentship
2009 – Arts & Humanities Research Council MA Research Development Studentship
2006 – Frank May Prize for Excellence in Performance
Talks
2020 – In-conversation with Mania Akbari
2018 – Action Shots and Other Ways to Survive, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall
2018 – Panel discussion with Griselda Pollock, Sonia Boyce, Ope Lori, Rose Gibbs and Enam Gbewonyo at the In Whose Eyes? symposium
2016 – We’re Anti-Capiphallists, panel discussion, ICA, London
2016 – Speeches of Becoming, workshop, ICA, London
2015 – A Dialogue with the Camera, artist talk, The Cookhouse, London
2015 – Visual representation and the subtle abyss, artist talk, Chelsea College of Arts, London
2013 – State and Statuses in Art and Cultural Production, Royal College of Art, London
Selected Press and Publications
2023 – ‘Threads of Perception’, London Paint Club, Issue No. 3
2019 – ‘Practice in Dialogue: building a feminist collective’, Rose Gibbs, Art Licks, issue 24, Autumn, London: The Pale Green Press.
2016 – ‘Ope Lori: I Want Me Some Brown Sugar’, Catherine Long, Moving Image Review & Art Journal 4: 1 & 2, London: Intellect.
2015 – ‘Visual Representation and the Subtle Abyss’, Catherine Long, in Rose Gibbs and Catherine Long (eds) Feminist Practices in Dialogue, London: Ditto Press.
2014 – ‘All That Glitters Is Not Gold’, Catherine Long, in Martina Margini (ed.) Ultra Feminism, Rotterdam: Roodkapje Gallery.
2013 – ‘Artist feature: Catherine Long’, Elysia Jenson, Blanc: Fashion, Art & Music Magazine, Issue 02.
2013 – ‘Silver Action – talking across generations’, Catherine Long, in Sally-Marie Bamford and Jessica Watson (eds), A Compendium of Essays: Has the Sisterhood forgotten older women? London: International Longevity Centre–UK.