Dion Kitson
about
Dion Kitson is an artist born in Dudley and his portfolio spans sculpture, film, collage, text-art, and sound. Dion is using the space as a gallery to show artists from the West Midlands and to show his own work and archive. Having graduated in 2020 with BA Fine Art from Birmingham School of Art, he has since been awarded numerous prizes, including the Tate prize and the ACS studio prize. Judges Gavin Turk and Celia Paul said:
‘Dion’s work is dealing with the reality of being an artist in his environment. He takes the outside world and puts it into work, asking the question “what does it mean to him to be an artist?” I think he has a fascinating approach to his environment.’ – Gavin Turk
‘His work reminded me of poetry, there is a dark humour in it which reminds me of Philip Larkin. Dion’s practice is very appropriate to this particular time and the focus that it gives on how to turn things into playfulness. I’m moved by them.’ – Celia Paul
Public Programme
Dion will do a rolling programme of exhibitions from artists in the West Midlands. He started his exhibition programme with FU Bargains – transforming the arcade unit into a fictions bargain outlet.
CV
2021
‘Bums’ Curated By Skip Gallery – Diohoria – 12th July – 31st August – Mykonos
Art Car Boot Fair 15th – 16th May
Festina Stonata – Luogo e – 13th November 2020 – 16th of January 2021- Milan
2020
Awards
ACS Studio Prize 2020
Tate Prize 2020
Mike Holland Award 2020
Baileys Foundation 2020
Group Exhibitions
No Place But Home – 20th December – Dudley, West Midlands
Festina Stonata – Luogo e – 13th November 2020 – 16th of January 2021- Milan
Made Public – Medicine Gallery – 18th Feb – 4th March – Birmingham
Leeds Summer Group Show – Online Exhibition 1st – 31st July – Online
2019
Awards
Ede & Ravenscroft Prize 2019
Talks
Meet The Artist – Ikon Gallery – Slow Boat 11th July – Birmingham
Solo Exhibitions
I Too Was In Arcadia – Le Roi Fou – 21st October – Edinburgh
The Assignation Seat – Ikon Gallery – 14th July – Birmingham
Group Exhibitions
Art Car Boot Fair – Granary Square 23rd June – London
Forward: New Art From Birmingham Medicine Bakery 23rd January – 24th March – Birmingham
2018
Group Exhibitions
Art Car Boot Fair – Vauxhall 9th December – London
Art Car Boot Fair – Kings Cross 16th September – London
‘Swop Shop’ – Selfridges Birmingham 6th September
Art Car Boot Fair Port Eliot Festival
Art Car Boot Fair Curious Arts Festival
Tate Liverpool Swop Shop 21st – 29th June – Liverpool
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum 2nd March – Coventry
Art Auction Fundraiser 2nd March – Coventry
Swindon Central Library 23rd February – 10th March – Swindon
Exeter College 31st January – 18th February – Exeter
Peninsula Arts 29th January – 17th February – Plymouth
MAC 7th – 24th January – Birmingham
De La Warr Pavilion 11th November 2017 2nd January 2018 – Bexhill-on-Sea
2017
Talks
‘Detritus’ Screening: ‘Do you remember the first time?’ 11th January ICA – London
Ledbury Poetry Festival ‘Detritus’ Screening with Q&A July 1st – 22nd – Ledbury
‘Detritus’ Screening with Q&A 11th August – Shoreditch High Street – London
Group Exhibitions
York Explore Aesthetica Short Film Festival 9th – 19th November – York
Detritus Screening Kingston University Knights Park Campus 17th October – 4th November – London
Modern Panic Exhibition 12th – 22nd October – Shoreditch High Street – London
Detritus Installation University of Creative Arts Farnham 26th September – 13th October – Farnham
Fallout Screening ‘B.Y.O.B’ Exhibition 21st September – Coventry
Detritus Installation Watershed {Encounters Film Festival) 19th – 24th September – Bristol
Art Car Boot Fair 2nd September – Folkestone
Detritus Installation The Hive 1st – 21st September – Worcester
Voice Magazine: Interview & Discussion 19th August – Birmingham
Inside Out Hackney Wicked Exhibition 3rd August – Hackney Wick – London
Detritus Exhibition HOME 1st August – 1st September – Manchester
Detritus Screening Tyneside Cinema 28th July – 13th August – Newcastle
Art Car Boot Fair July 9th – Vauxhall
Detritus Screening Sheffield Showroom (Sheffield Doc Fest) 9th – 18th June – Sheffield
Detritus Exhibition SPACE 14th – 21st June – Bethnal Green – London
Detritus Exhibition Leicester’s Independent Cinema 9th June – 2nd July – Leicester
Detritus Screening Modern Art Oxford 19th May – 4th June – Oxford
Empire II Exhibition May 17th – 22nd November
Empire II 57th Venice Biennale, Riva dei Sette Martiri – Venice – Italy
Empire II Zagreb – Croatia
Empire II Prague
Empire II Spektrum Gallery – Berlin, Germany
Empire II Tokyo – Japan
Empire II Corridor Gallery White Post Lane Hackney Wick – London
Empire II Quai au Bois à Brûler – Brussels, Belgium
Detritus’ Screening Peckham Platform 22nd March – 2nd April, Peckham – London
Playback Exhibition 21st – 5th March – ICA, London
2016
Awards
‘Detritus’ Gold Arts Award & Review – Voice Magazine
Group Exhibitions
Anti Freeze Exhibition – Scary Canary Gallery – Birmingham
Channel Four – Random Acts ‘Detritus’ 13th October – November 11th
The Great Turkish Tulip Challenge – County Durham
Forest Of Imagination 2015 & 2016 Bath
Clockwork Garden Quarry Bank – Manchester
Art Car Boot Fair 15th August – Jerwood Gallery – Hastings
Art Car Boot Fair 14th June – Brick Lane – London
2015
Group Exhibitions
Art Car Boot Fair 12th June – Brick Lane – London
‘Sunday in the Park with Ed’ Display Gallery 6th – 28th March – Holborn – London
contact information
Website: www.dionkitson.com
Email: [email protected]
in the studio
portfolio
selected by
Melanie Pocock, Curator of Ikon, Birmingham
Melanie Pocock is Curator at Ikon, Birmingham, where she co-leads exhibitions, off-site projects, commissions and publications. Prior to Ikon, she was Assistant Curator at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore (2014 – 2019), where she organised over 60 exhibitions with Southeast Asian and international artists. As a writer, she has written articles and reviews for ArtAsiaPacific, Art Monthly, Frieze, Kaleidoscope, Ocula, The Financial Times, The Journal of Curatorial Studies, di’van | A Journal of Accounts and Third Text, and regularly contributes to exhibition catalogues and artists’ monographs. In 2014, she edited and co-wrote the first monograph on the work of Malaysian artist Shooshie Sulaiman, published by Kerber Verlag. A member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA), she holds an MA with distinction in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art, London.
