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Sarah Longworth-West

Senior Lecturer

Fine Art and Photography

Sarah Longworth-West is a Senior Lecturer on BA (Hons) Fine Art who joined Norwich University of the Arts in 2013. She is a practicing painter who completed her postgraduate in Painting at The Slade School of Art, UCL (2006-08). She tutors on Year 1 and Year 3 on the Fine Art course; She is also co-lead for the Year 1 group; supports the Student Comms group which run the Fine Art Instagram; leads Painting workshops and her research project of large paintings in a collaborative Project Space called ‘Wall to Wall’. 

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Recent panel paintings have focused on creating dystopian non-spaces that are hard to locate but give an overall atmosphere of a place in which figures, or remnants of them, occasionally inhabit. I am interested in the ideas surrounding ruins and the ruinous, pursuing this line of enquiry through painting; playing with boundaries of recognisable forms and spaces, while clearly referencing painting’s art history.

Figures in my work are present through their absence and it is this ambiguity and implication of figure or form which often gives momentum to the paintings’ construction. I am interested in the interplay of representation and abstraction.

Assimilating contemporary printed media as source material, I work as a visual archivist recording selected images through drawing. These drawings are manipulated to expose choice sections or abstracted elements to form the top layer of a painting activating the surface of pigmented grounds, which overall relate to concerns surrounding order and disorder.

I am interested in the intricacies and incidental qualities of the materiality of paint and make traditional handmade gesso for my painting by adding pigment, or overlapping gesso painted layers to fuse colour. I sand these layers to a smooth finish which, when inspected close up, reveals flaws and a visually unpredictable surface. Concerns surrounding both issues of display and the prospective relationships between 2D and 3D painted works are also an area of current investigation.

Sarah is a member of the Pattern and Chaos group of collaborative, interactive and networking designers, artists, theorists and innovators in education, all of whom are based at Norwich University of the Arts.

Selected Group and Solo Exhibitions

  • 2025:  ‘Flat Volume’ A.P.T Gallery, London. Curated Project. A survey exhibition investigating the coined term ‘Flat Volume’ based on Paul Nash’s 1935 work ‘Equivalents of Megaliths’ and Phyllida Barlows paintings.
  • 2025:  Small is Beautiful, Flowers gallery, Cork Street, London
  • 2024:  Beep Painting Prize exhibition, Elysium Gallery, Wales, UK
  • 2024:  Wells Art Contemporary, selectors Katherine Jones RA, Shanti Panchal & Tessa Coleman, Wells, UK.
  • 2024:  This Year’s Model, Studio 1:1, London
  • 2024:  Fight, Flight or Freeze, Pictorem Gallery, London, curated by Michelle Fletcher                
  • 2024:  Waverton Art Prize, short list exhibition, London 
  • 2024:  It Rose and it fell, Terrace Gallery, London, curated by Karl Bielik               
  • 2023:  Blink 4, Safehouse, Copeland Road, London, curated by Min Angel
  • 2022:  Painted Conversations. Duo exhibition with Scottish artist Marcus Murison, Whitespace Gallery, Edinburgh. Initiated by Researchers at Gray’s School of Art, Aberdeen: Lyndsay Gilmour and Peter Chalmers.
  • 2022:  Barbican Arts Group Trust, Artworks 2022 Selected by Louise Ashcroft, ALT MFA, Academic at Goldsmiths & Jasleen Kaur -Winner of Turner Prize ‘24
  • 2022:  Colours, Stone Space gallery, London. Curated by Dr Matthew Macaulay, Wrexham School of Art.
  • 2022:  Jackson’s International Painting Prize 22 Shortlist Exhibition, London
  • 2022:  The Ridley Road Years, Ridley Road Complex, London. Curated Project                   
  • 2020:  Twenty Twenty Women, Artistellar virtual exhibition. Curated by Adele Smejkal.
  • 2019:  WIMMIN II, Art Licks Weekend Space, London. Curated by Kirsty Harris
  • 2019: Cabin Baggage, Norwich University of the Arts Fine Art Project Spaces, UK; Organised by Carl Rowe, Senior Research Fellow
  • 2018:  Fully Awake, Dyson Gallery, (RCA) London Organised by Ian Hartshorne, Founder of APOLLO Summer school and Sean Kaye, Freelands Foundation, London and British School of Art and Design Moscow – as part of the Teaching Painting A Committee Research
  • 2018:  Outpost Members’ Show, Outpost Gallery, Norwich Selected by Andy Holden (The British Art Show 9, 2023-4)
  • 2017:  Merge Visible, Contemporary British Painting, The Crypt, Marlybone, London. Curated by Dr Charley Peters, supported by University Arts London.
  • 2017:  Mother II, Bruton Art Factory, Somerset, UK, curated by Caro Halford
  • 2016:  The Garden of Forking Paths, Lewisham Art House, London
  • 2015:  East/West, IMPACT 9 International Print,The Academy of Arts, Hangzhou, China  Organised by Carl Rowe, Senior Research Fellow.
  • 2015:  A5, Lubomirov-Easton, Platform Projects @ Art-Athina, Athens, Greece
  • 2014-15:  Remnants of Them, Aldeburgh LOOKOUT, UK
  • 2014:  The Trouble with Painting Today, Pump House Gallery, London. Curated by Hannah Conroy
  • 2013:  Print/Paint, Woburn Centre, UCL, London
  • 2013:  Secret Histories, Sluice Art Fair, London 
  • 2013:  Q-Art exhibition, APT Gallery, London
  • 2013:  Aniamamus: A Living Gallery, Coohaus, Chelsea, New York, USA
  • 2013:  Anonymous Drawing, Galerie Nord/Kunstverein Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany And toured to Temporary Art Centre (TAC), Netherlands                        
  • 2012:  Temporary Surfaces with Sarah Ryder, Surface Gallery, Nottingham. Curated Project.      
  • 2012:  Recline, LEDGE, London. Run and invited by Dr Rebecca Birch, UCL.
  • 2012:  Crash Open Salon, Charlie Dutton Gallery, London. Selected by Matthew Collings, art writer, broadcaster, artist & Ceri Hand, gallerist and consultant, Fiona MacDonald (Standpoint Gallery) and Sarah Rowles (Q-ART)
  • 2012:  LDN/BCN, Untitled Gallery, Barcelona, Spain          
  • 2012:  Angelika Award exhibition, High Wycombe. Selected by Rod Barton (Gallerist), Paul Kindersley (Artist & Curator), Boo Ritson (Artist) and Danny Rolph (Artist).                   
  • 2012:  The Hearing Trumpet, West Dean: The Edward James Foundation, Chichester
  • 2012:  Bite Artists making prints, Mall Galleries, London
  • 2012:  WW Solo Award Group, London
  • 2012:  ALAS Residency Exhibition, Matt Roberts Arts, London
  • 2012:  The Department, North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford                
  • 2011:  Core gallery in conjunction with the Deptford X Visual Arts Festival, London.  
  • Selected by Graham Crowley, artist John Moores Painting Prize Main Prizewinner 2023,
  • Fiona Macdonald leader of Standpoint Gallery, Alli Sharma Director of Transition Gallery
  • and Sarah Williams of The Jerwood Space.
  • 2010:  A Tender Cut, Fold Gallery, London                                     
  • 2010:  FringeMK Annual Painting Prize, Milton Keynes
  • 2009:  If it’s HOT, it’s HERE, Annuale, Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh. Duo exhibition with Rachel Maclean.
  • 2009:  Sold Out, Globe City Gallery, Newcastle
  • 2009:  I.R.P goes Live, Southwark Playhouse (live printmaking performance)

Bibliography

  • 2025:  Flat Volume Publication ISBN 978-1-7397317-5-5
  • 2024:  Turps Banana Magazine A/W 24 Issue 29 Interviewing Artist Charley Peters Phd
  • 2024:  Essay and interview by Robert Priseman for ‘Artist to Artist’ – Priseman and Seabrook collection site.
  • 2023:  Interview in ‘London Paint Club’ Issue 4
  • 2022:  Painted Conversations, Digital Publication 
  • 2018:  Fully Awake Exhibition Catalogue. Edited by Ian Hartshorne & Sean Kaye
  • 2017: Teaching Painting : How can painting be taught in art schools? Black Dog Publishing Ltd. ISBN-10:1911164104 Academic Paper: “10 + EXTEND”: how can we teach painting to students who already think they know what painting is? Co-authored with Dr. Sarah Horton representing Norwich University of the Arts. Delivered at Teaching Painting: Conference at The Whitworth Museum, Manchester in partnership with Manchester School of Art.
  • 2017:  Merge Visible Exhibition Catalogue written and edited by by Dr Charley Peters
  • 2012:  TATE ETC. Guide, Oct – Nov 2012
  • 2012:  a_n magazine, Interface. ‘Temporary Surfaces’.Rebecca Scofield
  • 2009:  Handmade Graphics, Rotovision ISBN 978-2-88893-077-8
  • 2008:  Cluster Arts Magazine Issue 2: Act Two. Front cover and featured artist
  • 2008:  Paint/Print, University College London Print Publication 

Other activities

  • 2009-2010:  Centre for Learning and Teaching in Art and Design, UAL. PG Cert Teaching and Learning in Art and Design in Higher Education 
  • 2008 – present:  a-n The Artists’ Information Company member
  • 2013 – present:  Member of Outpost, Norwich
  • 2015:  The Higher Education Academy, Fellow   
  • 2016 – present: Member of ‘Teaching Painting Committee: Steering Group’
  • 2023 – present: Member of Arts Working Parents Alliance – run by Hettie Judah and Jo Harrison.
  • 2023-2024: Aurora, Advance HE, women’s leadership programme graduate

Gallery

  • Abstract painting with a blue and green background, featuring a coiled green and yellow rope, a white petal-like shape, a tangled wire ball, and winding branches or wires across the canvas.
  • A painting with two red-and-white striped paper boats floating on a pale blue background, with loose gray squiggly lines between them and a yellow line along the bottom edge of the canvas.
  • A painting features a crumpled, blue-purple fabric form suspended by rods, with a green and white checkered sphere below. A round, pink textured object rests at the top edge of the canvas against a white background.
  • A wooden tiered display table holding various small ceramic pieces stands in a weathered, sunlit room with peeling white walls and windows overlooking a body of water.
  • A colorful abstract painting features two green, fabric-like shapes floating on a pale yellow background with scattered orange spots. The edges are bordered with vibrant, multicolored patterns.
  • A mixed-media abstract painting features vibrant, textured patches of green, pink, orange, blue, and white, layered on a muted gray and silver background. A smaller, colorful abstract section appears in the lower left corner.
  • Several green books with "Flat Volume" in shiny orange letters on the covers are arranged in a grid. One book is placed diagonally on top of the others.
  • Two wooden pedestal stands, each displaying a rectangular artwork. The left artwork has abstract colors and shapes; the right one is darker with a circular design and geometric forms. Both stands have diamond-shaped cutouts.
  • Two abstract paintings side by side: the left features a textured background with a head and floating shapes; the right shows metallic rings, a cluster of dots, and silvery cubes against a dark background.

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