Katherine Penney uses traditional print techniques and digital photography, blending the old and new

Artist Statement

“My work aims to challenge the viewer’s perceptions of everyday objects and situations. I like to question ideas and encourage people to think differently. There can be a slightly unsettling thread throughout my work, it can be sinister but it remains intriguing and at times it can even be uplifting. Most of all I want to highlight that things are not always as they seem.”

CV

Katherine Penney trained as a printmaker and photographer at Belfast school of Art and was fortunate to have a positive start to her art career. Katherine has exhibited in London, Barcelona, Shanghai, Dublin, Munich, Ottawa, Moscow, Belfast and Beijing.

Her award winning artwork has been part of high profile exhibitions such as ‘10,000 to 50’ at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. To have exhibited in Ireland’s leading national institution of art at the age of 26 paved the way for Katherine’s future career.

Experience

“The creative industry in London works at a fast pace and by training and learning in this environment I have developed at an incredible rate. The benefit of this background means I can apply it to my own artwork, commissions and side projects like Work/shop.”

In 2009, armed with a Master of Arts and 4 years experience in one of Northern Ireland’s most successful galleries, Katherine moved to London to progress further.

Katherine’s first freelance role was to work closely with artist Nicola Green. Here she assisted on a number of high profile projects including work based on a residency with US President Barack Obama. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Library of Congress have since acquired this work. The knowledge gained within this role greatly advanced Katherine’s expertise within the art and design industry.

In 2014 Katherine secured a position within Heatherwick Studio. Here she had a unique insight into working in a globally recognised design studio and the opportunity to work directly with cutting-edge designer Thomas Heatherwick. The studio has the reputation for creating innovative and exciting projects, most recently the successful tender of the new Google headquarters in Mountain View USA. Working at Heatherwick studios and meeting their clients provided experience that money simply can’t buy.

In 2016 Katherine started Workshop Makes, an original art business with a focus on printmaking with the aim of making it more accessible.