Dion Kitson

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

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.