Artist Statement/ Biography

Agnew’s practice seeks out small threads of information, and pulls on them in order to reveal the full tapestry. His output predominantly includes painting, drawing, and a signature technique that he developed whilst living in Bucharest, Romania, which involves engraving directly into handmade gesso panels. Whilst at NARS, Agnew intends to complete a project that has been ten years in the making: A treasure trove of personal letters, official documents and photographs detailing the lives of a Romanian family between 1919 - 1989 was discovered by the Artist in a locked desk when he lived in the country. He has traced part of the family story to the United Nations in New York, and intends to continue his research there.

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Chris Agnew is a British artist living and working in London. He was awarded an MFA in Fine Art by Wimbledon College of Art, and a BA in Contemporary Art Practice by the University of Leeds. His work has won and been shortlisted for numerous prizes including the Axisweb Artist Award, the Derwent Art Prize, the Jerwood Drawing Prize and Saatchi’s New Sensations amongst others. Works are held in public collections including the V&A Museum, London, and the Hearst Corporation, New York. He has worked as an Associate Lecturer in Fine Art at Lancaster University, and is also an Art Director for Film and TV productions. Agnew’s participation at NARS has been generously supported by Arts Council England.