Jennifer Binnie British, b. 1958

Sussex-based artist Jennifer BINNIE (1958 -) contributed greatly to the art scene of the late 70s-2000s, establishing her practice by creating works that resonate with her surroundings, nature in particular, and later began to expand beyond the bounds of the canvas and into the areas of performance, film and sculpture. However, paint is a strong medium for Binnie and it was integrated within her performances.

 

In the early 80s, Binnie moved to London and shared a squat with her sister Christine Binnie and her then partner, Grayson Perry. This allowed her to devote more time into her practice and she soon began performing alongside the Neo-Naturists, a performance art/caberet group and it was during this time that she met James Birch who encouraged her to exhibit and sell her paintings. The squat ended in the late 80s and Binnie moved back to the countryside where her paintings of this time are influenced by her passion for nature, animals and the Sussex landscape.

 

Binnie was influenced by the time she spent teaching ‘disengaged young people’, inspiring her to create a series of work which connected to ancient myths associated with rites of passage, rituals and grounding.

 

Her work was recently included in major group exhibitions RE/SISTERS: A Lens on Gender and Ecology at the Barbican, London (2023) and Women in Revolt! at Tate Britain, London (2022). Other notable exhibitions include Radical Landscapes, William Morris Gallery, London (2023); From the Forest, TheShop, Hastings (2022); Art Life and Us - Christine Binnie, Jennifer Binnie and the Towner Collection, Towner, Eastbourne (2020); The Neo-naturists, a live retrospective, Studio Voltaire, (2016) and Between Worlds: Rituals and Pagan Rites, England & Co. (2013).