Mandy McCartin
Encyclopedia
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, a "proud butch lesbian" and DJ "classic soul fanatic".
Life and work
Mandy McCartin was born in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and went to North East London Polytechnic
University of East London
The University of East London is a university located in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, based at two campuses in Stratford and Docklands areas...
(now the University of East London). She describes herself as from a working class background and this is reflected in her images which are often of characters in inner city settings, painted in an intense way with different media including spray can graffiti.
Shows have included William Jackson Gallery (Cork Street), Whitechapel Open, Battersea Arts Centre, New Contemporaries (ICA), and James Coleman.
McCartin describes her work as paintings of "real people living on the edges of society, emotional moments in the struggle to survive."
Stuckists founder Charles Thomson
Charles Thomson
Charles Thomson was a Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress throughout its existence.-Biography:...
has always endorsed her work and sees it as "an intense visual confection of urban life." http://www.artistica.co.uk/2006/01/29/interview-with-charles-thomson-of-the-stuckists/
David Prudames has reviewed it as "snapshot images positively bustle with human activity, delving beneath the surface of city life's rougher side. Tube Girls is all attitude and Charity Shops colourful confusion barks out aggression to the staccato rhythm of a busy street."
Noted author (and lawyer) Andrew Vachss
Andrew Vachss
Andrew Henry Vachss is an American crime fiction author, child protection consultant, and attorney exclusively representing children and youths...
has included McCartin on his website as one of "the artists we respect".
She has been regularly exhibited as a guest artist with the Stuckists
Stuckism
Stuckism is an international art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art...
in London. She was one of the four joint winners of their Real Turner Prize Show 2002 and was a featured artist in their major show The Stuckists Punk Victorian
The Stuckists Punk Victorian
The Stuckists Punk Victorian was the first national gallery exhibition of Stuckist art. It was held at the Walker Art Gallery and Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool from 18 September 2004 to 20 February 2005, and was part of the 2004 Liverpool Biennial....
at the Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
during the 2004 Liverpool Biennial
Liverpool Biennial
Liverpool Biennial is a British international festival of contemporary art held in Liverpool. The festival comprises the International Exhibition, the John Moores Painting Prize, the Bloomberg New Contemporaries Exhibition and the Independents Biennial....
. She is not a member of the group (by choice), but "does like them".
Books
- Monograph with introduction by Cherry Smyth (1996), "From the Street" éditions Aubrey Walter, London, ISBN 0-85449-195-3
- Ed. Frank Milner (2004), "The Stuckists Punk Victorian" National Museums Liverpool, ISBN 1-902700-27-9