Photographic Visual Artist
ABOUT ME
Robins is a British photographer and visual artist based in the Midlands.
She often gravitates to the beauty, obscurity, and ambiguity of everyday life to creatively capture and record the mundane.
She is an experienced Educator working in Further Education, and her career has spanned over both darkroom and digital technology. Much of her current work has stemmed from her obsessive passion to collect and hoard objects. Items appear in her work from her past and present, creatively integrating nostalgic memories to explore fact and fiction.
Robins has the ability to sympathetically visualise and communicate an extensive range of concepts through her unique visual language and often compelling narrative. Her observations can be obvious and direct, but also pithy with quirky humour.
Both spirited and serious messages are poised in her ‘constructed’ scenarios, which are personal and sometimes intimate. She uses her daughters as ‘props’ in her photographs to realise her visions of ‘how we live’ in the 21st century. Collections, artefacts, and portraiture are sympathetically merged with memorabilia, text and still life. Her composition aims to probe and connect with ‘who we are’ and where we have come from. She likes to capture fleeting moments of our constant impact and existence in the world. She is relentless at recording and re-evaluating our environment. It’s fairly easy to recognise that the mundane is never mundane in Robins’s compelling creations.
Exhibitions & Publications
2024 - Common Ground - Brighton's Imperial Arcade Community Show (Adjacent to Mike Tudor and Sebastian F Mahon's Photo Fringe exhibition Labyrinth, Open call - paste up event)
2024 - JUP - Photo Magazine (Journal of Urban Photography) : Published Project NEVER BEEN USED | Clair Robins | JUP - Photography Magazine (jup-online.com)
2024 - Shutter Hub 'Food Stories' selected Images published - Printed version Nov 2024. food-stories
2024 - Shutter Hub (Return To The Sea) Group Exhibition
Location: The Seafront Gallery Main Parade Worthing BN11 3PX United Kingdom Exhibition. Open 24/7 12th Oct onwards.
2024 - Art Doc - Expressive Nature - Online group Exhibition Expressive Nature Art Doc
2024 - Art of Shade: Climate Creatives Challenge - (Heat Waves) Short listed - Page 23 Challange#5
2024- “Little Faces Big Feelings” - Exhibition - The Library of Birmingham, UK from 18th April until late June '24 (spearheaded by Maria Reaney.)
2024 - 'Rising' work shortlisted in 'Climate Creatives Challenge' Coastal Change #4
2024 - LoosenArt - Exhibitor of work in group show.
5 January - 1 February, 2024 Millepiani - Via N. Odero,13, Rome - IT POSTCARDS
2023 - Recount Artist Exhibitor -Recount Photo Award Exhibition
Exhibition Venue: Edinburgh Photographic Society
Dates: October 20th to November 5th, 2023
2023 - To The Sea - Shutter Hub Exhibitor
19 Oct 2023 – 10 Oct2024 Les Alizes (outside),Boulevard de l’Égalité, Saint Gilles Croix de Vie France
2023 "ME" Solo Photography Exhibition at Leicester Museums
April-Aug 2023 in The Leicester Stories Gallery.
Leicester Museum & Art Gallery
53 New Walk, Leicester LE1 7EA
2023 - Picturing High Streets & Historic England
Picturing High Street Collection
2023 - Beyond Dust - LCB DEPOT 'Format' Photo Festival inclusion Satellite venue. LCBDepot Film Event March 11th to 31st
2023 - 'Portrait of Humanity' Awards (Volume 5) Published and short list. Portrait of humanity Volume 5
2023 - BROAD MAGAZINE - Reppink Selects: BROAD MAG
2023 - Art Doc Magazine - On line Exhibition - Alternative Process
2022- See-zeen - A response to the 'Queen'
2022 Decade of Change 1854&BJP - @InCadaques 6th Edition International Photo Festival Sept-Oct 2022 Incadaques2022
*images compliments of Galeriemade
2022 -NPG (National Portrait Gallery) Platinum Jubilee, 'recreation of Royal portraits' second place prize winner.
2022 -‘Decade of Change’ global photography award & exhibition for 1854 & British Journal of Photography.
The work will form part of a touring exhibition, kicking off at Belfast Photo Festival from 03 June to 04 Sept 2022 and
2022 - Bath Photo Festival Selected Exhibitor - 'All in Reach' - Jeans Hands Evidence II - Bath Photo Fest 2022
2022 - ROAD TRIP Publication - Shutter Hub Road Trip
2022 - YOUR BODY BELONGS TO YOU - Shutter Hub
Les Alizes, Boulevard de l’ÉgalitéSaint Gilles Croix de Vie, France
18 April – 18 September 2022
2022 - SONY World Photo Competition Short List 'Creative - 2022 Open' Exhibition at Somerset House London, 13th April - 3rd May
2022 - FILM - LCB Depot 2022 Exhibition, Leicester
2021 - Portrait of Britain Winner - work on display until end Jan 2022 - JCdecaux Billboards, over 100 locations
Portrait of Britain Winners 2022
2021 - 'Head On' Photo Festival - Exhibitor
19th- 28th November 2021 - Bondi Beach Promenade, Australia
HEAD-ON - Merging Present & Past review
HEAD-ON - Exhibition profile & images
2021 - 1854 & British Journal of Photography - Selected Exhibitor, A once-in-a-century Photography Collection curated to reflect a year of global pandemic life.
2021 - 3Shot Festival - The Triptych photography Festival - First Edition.
2021 - Open32 - Leicester Museum and Art Gallery.
2021 - ROSL (Royal Over-Seas League) 'International Friendship’, Exhibition shortlist - contemporary creative culture throughout the Commonwealth, selected from over 500 entries and 40 countries. 10th December - February 2022
Royal Over-Seas League, Over-Seas House, Park Place, St James's Street, London
2021 - Photo IS:RAEL International Photography - Exhibitor
www.photoisrael.org/en/פסטיבל-הצילום/
Tel Aviv - 'Meeting Point'
17-27 Nov 2021
2021 - Love Art Exhibitor - Leicester - Nov 2021 work on display at LCB Depot Leicester, included in the curatorial choices 2021. (Magic of the Real)
2021 - Creative Lockdown Exhibition - Exhibitor (Art in the Chapel) Leicester 9th-22nd November
RECENT & HIGHLIGHTS:
2021 - Shutter Hub 2021 Year Book - Selected Work Included
2021- AxisWeb - FIVE2WATCH Feature
2021 - Artdoc Magazine - Experimental Photography Magazine Featured Artist Experimental Photography
2021 - August - Proud 2nd place (& 4th Pace) winner of the 'Potato Photographer of the Year 2021'
Photo Photographer of the year 2021
2021 - How I see you - Float Magazine, on-line exhibition artist
How I See You
2021 - OpenWalls Arles 2021
Then & Now - selected image. (1854 Media and British Journal of Photography)
2021 - May - LoosenArt -Language Exhibition Millepiani Rome
2021 - Artist Talk Magazine -Issue 15 -
https://www.artisttalkmagazine.com
2021 - “Finding a Way Home” - English Riviera Showcase - Launch 20/4/2021 - May 16th 2021
https://www.art-hub.co.uk/ex/erps21
2021 - X-Collab 2021 - contributor
https://www.thexcollab.com/01-blue
2021 - Artdoc - Photography Magazine
Selected - Narrative Portraits Exhibition
2021 - Passepartoutprize - Winner ( 2nd edition) group exhibition planned for sept Winners Page
2021 - Format Festival - Several works included in 'The Peoples Picture' Mosaic.
2021 - Selected work ( Now and Then) LCB depot 'Film' Show Event March http://www.lcbdepot.co.uk/event/film
2021 - LoosenArt - International group exhibition Instability and Precariousness curated by LoosenArt2020
Exhibition runs 15th-22nd April
(Millepiani Rome)
2020 - The South West Collective - Short List - The Pandemic In Pictures Prize Shortlist (selected work shortlisted)
www.thesouthwestcollective.co.uk
2020 - Artists Responding to...The Post Card Project ( Selected work included in publication)
2020 - Rankin2020 - Shortlisted/Published image from part of the Rankin2020 series on Sky Arts (Profits from the book will be donated to Mental Health UK
2020 - European Photography 107/108 inclusion
https://equivalence-shop.com/European-Photography-107-108
PAST
2020 - L.O.V.E ART Selected Artist 2019, 2020, 2021
2020 - Inspired by Lockdown - (Sept-Dec) Selected pieces projected in Leicester Newwalk museum and art gallery Victorian Gallery and in virtual exhibition 'reflecting 'lockdown 2020'
2020 - Short listed in CUPOTY (close up photographer of the year) - Manmade Categorywww.cupoty.com/manmade-shortlist-02
2020 - Flea Circus Magazine Contributor - First Edition Selected Artist (Printed volume 1 - Sept 2020)
https://www.flea-circus.org/shop
2020 - Selected - Saatchi 'selected' Favourites (#FoodArt) '#SaatchiTakeOver' (instagram)
2020 - Art-Hole-Magazine (a-hole) - Volume 1 -Selected artist www.ahole.co.uk
2020 - The CLUNKER - 2020 line up (postponed due to CV19)
2020 Public Source - PS contributor - covid 19 archive covid19.publicsource.xyz
2019 - Dangerous Pockets Project - A community art collaboration - Inspired by a poem 'Dangerous Coats' by Sharon Owens. Facilitated by artist Paula MacGregor
2019 - Open 30 - New Walk Museum (15th Dec - Jan 25th 2020)
Leicester Monday the 14th of October - 24th November 2019
2019 - 100 ARTISTS POP UP SHOW LEICESTER - DIY GALLERY & Art At The Chapel
2017 Selected images for: artonapostcard
2017 - Work selected for 'Open 28'
http://www.visitleicester.info/things-to-see-and-do/arts-museums/exhibitions/open/ work
2017 - Selected image for ' Magnum Swap Show' @ Print Space London June 2017 https://www.theprintspace.co.uk/blog/swap-shop-shortlist
2016 - POINTS OF DEPARTURE - Leila Houston, James Chantry & Members of Silver Vine Arts
2016 - Open 27 (New Walk Museum) leicester
2015 - Silver Vine Arts - Summer Trail Exhibitor August 22nd - 31st / Former Existence Images on display at Queen Of Bradgate 97 High Street Leicester LE1 4JB
2014 - PH21 - http://www.ph21gallery.com Body Exhibition
https://www.ph21gallery.com/body
2014 - Photoplace Gallery (Middlebury, VT USA) - The Traces Left Behind - Butter, Bleach and Banana's - Selected work
2014 - Foto39 - Selected Work (http://www.foto39.org) http://www.foto39.org/2014-artists.html
2013 - Sandergram / Leicester People's Photography Gallery - Grandma's Shears http://www.leicesterpeoplesphoto.co.uk/the-sandergram-exhibition/
2009 - LCB Depot, View From This Side, Leicester (solo show)
