BIOGRAPHY

Annie Zamero is a self taught artist who studied for a science degree but was always painting and drawing in her spare time ever since childhood. She then spent a number of years in Merchant Banking in the City of London whilst attending drawing and painting classes at Central Saint Martins and the Hampstead School of Art. There followed a period of serious illness after which she met a group of artists and began exhibiting thus embarking on a career as an artist.

Annie likes to involve a sense of humour in her work and satirises public figures set in an art historical context. Like George Condo she thinks painting can be both challenging and comedic. Like Gerald Scarfe she uses satire to uncover aspects of her chosen subject they would rather not reveal in their public persona.

In 2011 Annie Zamero founded The Magma Group which is an international collective of artists who share the objective of combining conceptual and expressive qualities in art, notwithstanding that these qualities may seem to be mutually exclusive.

Annie has exhibited in London, Paris and Athens and has taken part in the European Capital of Culture Festival (2008) and the Liverpool Biennial (2010). She was also selected for ‘Connection Point London’ by Max Presneill of the Torrence Art Museum Los Angeles and by Edward Lucie-Smith, art critic and writer (2011).

 

 

ARTIST’S  STATEMENT

“I hope (the images) may crystallise a mood or sum up an attitude …or, even better…..(make) you laugh…”  Gerald Scarfe, ‘Drawing Blood’.

My paintings satirise works of public figures set in an art historical context, therefore humour is an important element in the work. Like George Condo I think that painting can be both challenging and comedic; Condo asks us to consider how absurd a painting can be and yet be ‘serious’. I share his sense of the ridiculous and strive for a convergence of gravitas and the cartoon. Satire can also be serious, and like Gerald Scarfe I am interested in using satire to uncover aspects of my chosen subjects that they would rather not reveal as part of their public persona.

Using art historical references with contemporary subjects brings art history into modernity, giving it a contemporary relevance. It also steeps the modern within the richness of painting tradition, echoing the characters of times long past and linking with their lives and dramas. Also it involves the idea of the political cartoon as a piece of fine art. My main inspiration comes either from looking at old masters or from seeing media images of a public figure. I am particularly interested in the Baroque period for its sense of drama, and more recently the Rococo period for its flamboyance. The public figures are selected because of their personal power; they are often iconic figures.

My methodology involves photographing myself or others dressed in the costume of the chosen character; this increases my  sense of personal involvement and helps to identify with the subject, enhancing the facility for character and expression. It also involves my adopting the physicaI pose of the subject which is a technique proposed by Cecil Collins and which I learnt from his protoge Ruth Eisenhardt who continued his teachings after his death. In her classes we would hold the pose of the model whilst listening to music and this ‘locked’ the muscle positions and tensions into the subconscious which greatly informed the rapid spontaneous drawings that followed.

My preparation includes multiple spontaneous “chance” drawings in order to incorporate accident into the final imagery and allow a sense of naivety in the cartoon-like forms. I also make a more considered large scale drawing.

Other Influences are  John Currin for “creating” people (using contemporary magazine photos in an art historical context), Rembrandt for character and costume and Mauritzio Cattelan for the political cartoon as fine art. Also of contextual relevance is Alison Jackson for satirising public figures.

SELECTED  FOR

2012:   ‘Elizabethan Avant Garde’ , Bermondsey Project Space, London SE1. Selected by

Edward Lucie-Smith and Charles Thomson

2011:   ‘Connection Point London’ Bermondsey Project Space, London SE1

Selected by Edward Lucie Smith and Max Presneill of the Torrence

Art Museum, Los Angeles.

2011:   Parallax Art Fair, La Galleria, Pall Mall, London SW1, selected by Gayane

Umerova, Sothebys (UK) Ltd.

2011:    ‘Enemies of Art’, Lauderdale House, London N6. Selected by Charles

Thomson and Edward Lucie- Smith

2010:    Liverpool Biennial, View Two Gallery, Liverpool.

Selected by Ken Martin, Director View Two Gallery and Charles Thomson.

2008:   European Capital of Culture Festival, View Two Gallery, Liverpool.

Selected by Ken Martin, Director View Two Gallery

2007:   ‘A’ Gallery, London, SW19. Selected by Frasier Kee-Scott,  Director

‘A’ Gallery

2007:   Novas Summer Show, Novas Gallery, London, NW1. Selected by Novas

Gallery.

2007:  Salon Des Arts Summer Show, 191 Queens Gate, London SW7. Selected by

Peter Templeton, R.A. and Danielle Dodd, Director of Saon Des Arts.

2006:   Islington Art and Design Fair, Candid Galleries, London, N1. Selected by Candid

Arts Trust.

 

GROUP  EXHIBITIONS

2012:   ‘Major Arcana’, Islington Arts Factory, London N7

2012:    Bow Arts Open, Bow Arts Trust, Bow Road London E3

2012:   ‘The Magma Group’ –‘Fusion’, Apricot Gallery, The Rag Factory, London E1

2011:    International  Artspace, Adzac House Museum, PARIS

2011:    ‘The Future Crayon’, George Tavern Arts Centre, London E1

2010:   ‘Remodernist Show’, Lauderdale House, London N6

2010:   Artspace Galleries, Maddox Street, London W1

2010:   Private Auction at the home of Tom Conti, London NW3

2010:   ‘Under the Cover of Romantic Anonymity’, Ash-In-Art Gallery, ATHENS

2009:   Matisonn Burgin Gallery, London, EC2

2009:   Stoke Newington Fringe Festival, Praxis Warehouse, London, N16

2009:   West-Eleven-Gallery, London, W11

2009:   Islington Arts Factory, London, N7

 

 

SOLO  EXHIBITIONS

 

2011:   ‘Politics and Royals’, Lauderdale House, London N6

2009:   ‘Baroque Embarrassment’ , Levitski Gallery, London E5

2007:   The Salon des Arts, London, SW7

 

CURATOR  FOR  EXHIBITIONS

 

2012:   ‘The Magma Group’-‘Fusion’, Apricot Gallery, The Rag Factory, London E1

2009:   West-Eleven Gallery, London W11

 

 

OTHER  ACTIVITIES

 

2012:  Talk at Parallax Art Fair:- “Forming an Artists’ Collective”, Chelsea Old Town Hall,

Kings Road, London SW3

 

2012:  Directed The Magma Group’s Public Performance at Tate Modern (Video on

YouTube)

 

2011:  Founded The Magma Group (www.themagmagroup.co.uk) an international artists’

Collective

 

 

COLLECTIONS

 

Dean Hall, Impasto Art Management, Clerkenwell, London

Elizabeth Layfield, Land Agents, Mayfair, London

Ms P. Maleh, Mayfair, London

Tim Clarke, Morgan Stanley Bank, Hong Kong

Steve Abrahams, London

Elsa Dax-Kerr, Paris

 

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

Dr Chris Barlow, ‘Proem:1819: Dialogue’ Exhibition Catalogue, 2012

 

Dr Chris Barlow, Gayana Umerova, Parallax Art Fair Catalogue, 2011

 

Cristina Pedreira, ‘Connection Point London’ www.cristinapedreira.com/…/connection-point-london-this-years-show  2011

 

Dr Robert Janas, Edward Lucie-Smith, Charles Thomson, ‘Enemies of Art’ Victoria Press, 2011

 

Odysseus Yakoumakis, Exhibition Catalogue, published by Ash-in Art, May 2010

 

Charles Thomson, ‘An Antidote to the Ghastly Turner Prize’ Victoria Press, 2010

 

Dr Robert Janas, ‘Stuckism International’ Victoria Press, 2009

 

‘Gallery 5 Exhibitions’  Art in London Magazine,  Spring 2009

 

Simon Wroe: ‘You Can Go Stick It!’ Islington Tribune, February 27, 2009

 

Lee Levitt, ‘What is it Good For?’ Independent Newspaper Reviews, December 12, 2003

 

Lee Levitt, ‘Artist Draws our Attention to Peace’ Hampstead and Highgare Express, News in Brief, November 21, 2003

 

Vesna Petkovic, ‘Religion Art and War’ Exhibition Catalogue published by The Salon des Arts in association with Lyndons Arts Trust and Pro Art, December 2003