GLASGOW.- Tramway presents a solo exhibition by Scottish artist Leanne Ross (b.1984) featuring an immersive new body of work, created in partnership with KMA studio and Artlink, Edinburgh. The installation also includes a bespoke karaoke stage where visitors are invited to sing along to tracks from the classic film, Dirty Dancing.
Working across a variety of mediums including painting, printmaking, sculpture and installation, Leanne Ross creates exuberant and poetic artworks that explore the interplay of text and image. Leanne works decisively and intuitively, arranging dynamic combinations of colour, material, form and language to generate new associations and meanings, with emotive, humorous and poetic results.
Words are often the starting point for most of the artist's practice, most notably in her iconic ‘Shout Out’ paintings which feature snippets of conversations and observations from her life. These words are then paired with colours which she meticulously journals throughout the year, transforming everyday phrases and rituals into a form of visual poetry. Scaled up, the words become proclamations or positive affirmations.
For her exhibition at Tramway, Leanne has been exploring new materials and processes to expand on the ‘Shout Out’ works, working with large scale canvases and glittering, metallic paints to explore her diverse inspirations. These range from the bold floral designs of Finnish Marimekko designer, Maija Isola; the vibrant prints of Sister Corita Kent and lush paintings of Morris Lewis, to popular culture, temporary tattoos and Disney’s classic film, sleeping Beauty. Leanne is also heavily by her personal interests, family, food, health and wellbeing. Her current studio is reminiscent of a scout hall which prompted associations with the film ‘Dirty Dancing,’ and the idea of introducing a karaoke stage into the Tramway exhibition, alongside a new body of large-scale text works and paintings of flowers.
Flowers are a recurring motif in Leanne’s practice, which she paints directly from life, as well as incorporating memories and her imagination to interpret the flowers in front of her. Uniquely, Leanne does not paint on to the wall or easel but works on to horizontal canvases laid flat on a table to create a 360 degree perspective. Leanne moves around the edge of the canvas to create spatially dynamic works which ignore rigid axes in favour of no fixed orientation.
Reminiscent of concrete poetry and automatic writing, Leanne’s works seem to vibrate with a palpable, spontaneous energy that reflects the artist’s intuitive and collaborative process. Her works convey a sense of community, a polyphonic chatter of voices, gestures and images that remind us of the profound importance of our daily interactions with others, and the ways in which language, both verbal and non-verbal creates connection. These themes also reflect the realities of care, collaboration and community which are integral to Leanne’s practice and the context in which she makes work, which is predicated on access to resources, materials and studio space, as well as ongoing care, respect and support, as a person with a developmental disability. Leanne is a founding member of KMAdotcom - an artist collective studio based in Midlothian that brings together a diverse group of artists, with and without learning disabilities. Through this collective, Leanne can gain access to new production processes and materials and collaborative, supported ways of working.
The artist collective KMAdotcom is supported by the organisation Artlink whose vital work supports transformational learning and a space where diversity is celebrated and respected. Artlink staff work with the individual, their families, carers and those working in communities, education, health and social care to creatively explore their potential. At Tramway Leanne has been supported to bring her ideas to life by her friend and collaborator, Laura Aldridge.
Leanne Ross (b.1984) lives and works in Midlothian. Her work has been exhibited at the Glasgow International Festival and Frieze Art Fair London, and recent exhibitions include ‘The Outside is Inside Everything We Make’, Kendall Koppe, Glasgow (2021) and a solo presentation at Chapter, Cardiff titled ‘ALL MY PALS’ in 2023. Leanne is part of KMAdotcom (Kiss my Art) – an Artlink supported artist collective that brings together a diverse group of artists in a supportive space which encourages collective and individual creativity.
