KATRYN SAQUI
Since her Degree in 2009 Katryn’s art practice has been predominantly public art ‘eventworks’ (random temporary art interventions in unusual places) in the form of sculptures that are mobile, free standing and interactive using repurposed objects, often with sound and film. They are in the spirit and genre of magic realism, where enchantment, myth-making and spectacle enhance and enliven mundane settings.
Katryn has worked with many organisations in Kent where she set up a two-year funded collaborative Community Interest Company, ‘Underground Pearl’ with fellow artist Loren Beven. Together they delivered projects and workshops to schools and organisations. This was set up during her Masters Degree at Canterbury UCA in 2016.
Encourageing positive acts
Her ‘eventworks’ are set out to reconnect society, rejuvenate a place and act as a trigger for progressivity.
Some past commissioned ‘eventworks’ have toured, such as, the sound and film sculpture in the form of a fisherman’s winch box; a fishing boat transformed into a travelling two-seater cinema, both to cherish and highlight the dwindling fishing community in Deal, Kent. Also using her Skoda as a street disco ball to illuminate the streets at a live street music event during dark and dreary February evenings.
Embellishing, reusing, repurposing and illuminating overlooked and objects, spaces and communities is what motivates Katryn to create her work..
Katryn now lives in Wiltshire where she has been collaborating with artist Jenifer Hamblin on various exhibitions and art projects.
Katryn faciltates one to one bespoke projects with families with loved ones who have a dementia or require creative support and care.
Lectures & talks:
2019 Alumni presentation post MA, Artworkers Guild Russle Sq, London.
2017 Alumni presentation post MA. UCA Canterbury, Kent. On my art practice and development.
2016 Alumni presentation post MA on DadaMentia residency with Hella Tappe Pearce. At UCA Canterbury Kent.
2011-15 ‘Blog as Creative Practice’ & ‘Katryn Saqui art practice’, KCollege, Ashford, Kent.
2013 ‘An Introduction to Branding’. talk. River Studio, River, Kent.
Awards:
2014 UCA Creative Challenge Award – first prize collaboration with Loren Beven. for The Cine-Boat.
2014 Masters | Sue Jones, Director of Whitstable Biennale chose to write an essay on my work, you can read the essay here. http://kstexts.blogspot.com/search/label/MAstars
2013 Canterbury Festival | Prosper from the storm, experiment and Adventure fund. Canterbury Festival pioneered a new model of culture-led transformation through sustainable creative practice. The initiative, called Prosper, has been designed and produced by The MAP Consortium and Workers of Art and is funded by the Arts Council England.
"I want to introduce you to people i know, because if i needed care, i'd want you to do it". Jen Hamblin Artist & Teacher
"You are giving value to people who have lost their self esteem and purpose in life". Kate Scott, Synergy Independent Carers.
Voluntary Work
2025 Workshop with Carentsroom.com (tbc)
2012-2024 Westbury Local Council planting bulbs in parks. Various art projects with clients during care placements unpaid.
2019-2023 Voluntary Balloon workshops with Young Melksham Youth club, CareHomes. Various dementia groups. Focused bespoke art projects. including the Gateway Club.
1987-1989 various works placements Devon.
Artist led & Collaborative Eventworks:
2021 ‘The Touring Hamgramati Shuttle’ Showing up in various locations throughout June-October 2021 to collect peoples stories. Trowbridge Museum, Wiltshire - This is a mobile sculpture Commissioned to Launch the re-opening of Trowbridge Museum.
2020 ‘Bahuly’ BalloonWorks installation Trowbridge Town Hall, Wiltshire .
The Winch Box, Text, Place and Practice. Performance lecture series, The Sidney Cooper Hosted by Kath Abiker on Tuesday 24th March. Canterbury, Kent.
The Winch Box, in collaboration with Colin Priest (Interior and Spatial Design Senior Lecturer Camberwell college of the arts). SPACE, St Leonards-on-Sea, Kent.
Emergency Tutorial Unit, Commissioned by the University for the Creative Arts funded by CREATE HEFCE scheme.Canterbury, Kent. A transient participatory art installation,
2014 Cine-Boat and Salon event, 51 Zero film festival, Sun House Pier, Gillingham, Medway.
A collaboration between The Sea Cafe staff and customers, Underground Pearl and Michael Tyburski, award winning director. In the spirit of Agitprop, blurring the lines between the studio, the gallery and the suburb, a two seater Orkney Spinner was temporarily converted into a mobile cinema. the short film ‘Angelfish’ is about a restless young man who moves to live aboard a sailboat on New York City's East River. It is an intimate tale about the lure of the sea and the rebellious, adveturous spirits that are drawn to it.
WBCT14, commissioned by 51 Zero film festival, Sun House Pier, Gillingham, Medway. A mobile film and sound sculpture.
‘Balloon house’, 22 Duke Street, Deal, Kent.
‘Diskoda’, street intervention commissioned by Cheriton Light Festival, Duke Street, Deal Kent.
Cine-Boat and Salon event, commissioned by Wise Words Festival, Greyfriars Garden, Canterbury, Kent.
internal states: Whitstable Biennale and Canterbury College.
2012 ‘Winch Box’ a mobile film and sound sculpture part of my final work for MA. With a short film i made with a local fisherman called Nigel. Nostalgia for the past.
All copyright, design rights and intellectual property rights existing in our designs and products and in the images, texts and design of our website/marketing material are and will remain the property of Kati Saqui. We will treat any infringement of these rights seriously.
Selected Exhibitions:
2022-2024
Livein Care residencies | preparing for a Practice based PhD
BSA OPEN COMPETITION 24 | Long Gallery Black Swan Arts Frome. 27.07-15.09.24. 2 works selected.
Bath contemporary Artists’ Fair 2024 - every sunday.
2021
‘Illuminating the overlooked’ - Trowbridge Museum - commission for Launch of re-opening of Museum. In collaboration with Artist Jennifer Hamblin and Architect Laurence Ingram.
2020
‘Bahuly’ Balloonwork. Trowbridge Town Hall , Wiltshire. Trowbridge Town Hall and curator Jennifer Hamblin commissioned me to create one this balloon sculptures for their summer weekend festival August 28th-30th 2020. Made using 7000 biodegradable balloons.
‘Cloth Rd’ Artists Group show. Court Street Gallery, Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Showing latest paintings.
‘Cloth Rd’ Artists Group show. Oexmann Gallery, Wiltshire Museum, Devizes. showing new paintings.
2019
Untitled show Solo show. Court Street Gallery, Trowbridge, Wilts.
Open Studios, warminster, Wilts
‘I’m Not So Cream on Crackers’ Town Hall Arts, Trowbridge Wiltshire. Showing artworks in collaboration with a lady who lives with Dementia.
2018
Summer open studio. Warminster, Wiltshire.
2017
‘The Zinger Frame’ Open Studios : . Deal art group, Deal, Kent.
‘Project Zed‘ Air Open Exhibition, Air Gallery, A4 studios, Altrincham, Manchester. In collabortion with artist Maureen Jordan
2015
Winchbox CT14. Deal Festival, Kent. In collaboration with international pianist Maria Immaclata Setiadi. I made a short sound piece and film of her performing samples of Messiaen’s ethereal Vingt Regards sur l’enfant Jesus and Debussy’s Exquisite second book of preludes. Which played inside the winchbox and appeared randomly in unexpected areas of Deal throughout the festival.
2013
‘Contemplation is nothing more than a secret,’ L’exposition Cathédrales, ESADaR, Rouen, France.
previous works:
https://youtu.be/2zf9s8qmDxU
https://youtu.be/43tv7Qef-aA
1987-1989 First social care project. Creating an environment in my first bedsit with nothing. furniture out of pallets and crates, material from skips. food from safeways food skip. artwork using cotton wool and sticks, paint and paper from industrial unit skips.Curtains and sofa covers out of charity blankets.
Education:
2012-2014 MA Fine Art, Merit - University for the Creative Arts, Canterbury:
2009-2010 BA (Hons) Visual Art, First Class - University of Greenwich:
2008-2009 Design Branding and Marketing - University for the Creative Arts, Rochester:
1996-1997 Art Foundation - Shelley Park Art College, Bournemouth:
1987-1989 Preliminary Certificate in social Care
1987-1989
Employment
2019-2024
Self employed livein-carer.
2022-2023
Gap Year Re-evaluating artistic practice and priorities during peri-menopause. Resting, building local connections for a sense of belonging and grounding.
2017-2019
Brought together the creative collaborative works produced caring for a lady with a Dementia. ( full permissions by family given).
Painted a series of work for 3 shows in 2020 and wrote proposals for Trowbridge museum.
2015-2017
Private artist in Residence with a person who has Dementia.
1999-2015
Self –employed artist. Founder and artistic-director of Underground Pearl Community Interest project Deal, Kent.
1999-2004
The Craft Movement exhibitions at: Chelsea Old town hall Kings Rd London; Blackheath halls London; Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill London; Queen Charlotte Hall Richmond-upon-Thames. Producing and supplying 1200 galleries across UK with my artwork including Harrods and John Lewis and employing 9 staff.
In 1999 Katryn was funded by the Princes Youth Trust to start up her own business selling and making her own painting. Where she exhibited and sold her work at The Craft Movement exhibitions at; Chelsea Old town hall Kings Rd London; Blackheath halls London; Battersea Arts Centre; Lavender Hill London; Queen Charlotte Hall, Richmond-upon-Thames. She produced and supplyed 1200 galleries across UK through an art agent which included Harrods and John Lewis and employing 9 staff.
She opened her own gallery in Bournemouth dorset and Canterbury, Kent. Showing her own paintings and photography.
Residencies, Teaching & workshops:
2023
MOSS Photo Essay residency project. During livein care between 2021-2023 with Lady Acland who has Alsheimers. We spent most days walking on Exmoor woodlands photographing and drawing Moss.
"... you listen to people and stimulate a positive reaction which is terribly important". Lady Jennifer Acland
Exmoor Horn Photo Essay residency project. During livein care between 2021-2023 in collaboration with Lady Acland and Shepherdess Heather Blackmore.
2022
‘Living Room’ Dementia and well-being Pavilion. A six month residency funded by SPUDWORKS Sway, New Forest. https://www.spud.org.uk/spudworks
"I wish i had known you when my mum was alive, you would have really helped us". Alex Hoare spudWORKS project Coordinator
2021
‘The Touring Hamgramati Shuttle’ Trowbridge Museum - commissioned workshops for Launch of re-opening of museum from June-October 2021.
2016
‘Ground Work’ Noahs Ark, Sandwich, Kent. Artist in Residency.
2015
Deal Music Festival educational programme. 3 workshops in collaboration with musician Russ Callahan Grooms, May and June.
Private tuition - business start up and branding, photoshop tuition. Photography – building other artists websites.
2014
Creative Challenge residential workshop, Student Mentor and facilitator for Professeur Stepháne Trois Carres, Département Images Mouvement, Ecole Supérieure d’art et design Le Havre / Rouen creative challenge group.
Dover Arts Development/Kent Inspire schools workshops | LV21/Kent Inspireschools workshops. | Lookout 21, | Gillingham Pier, Chatham, Kent
Creative Challenge 5 day residential workshop Ecole Supérieure d’Art du Havre
UCA MA exchange Underground Pearl presentation Ecole Supérieure d’Art du Rouen, Fr.