Catherine Long
°1982, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Lives and works in London, United Kingdom.
Catherine Long is an abstract painter whose work is driven by a deep engagement with the physicality of paint and the expressive potential of colour. Drawing from her background in contemporary dance, Long's paintings are immersive and dynamic, exploring the visceral impact of gesture, rhythm and haptic sensation. By foregrounding the embodied experience of perception, Long's work seeks to create a sensorial engagement that draws the viewer into a richly layered world of history, patina and resonance.
Central to Long's practice is the exploration of how colour can evoke sensation, affect and mood. Her large-scale oil paintings are marked by a vibrant use of colour and a tactile, gestural application of paint that seeks to convey the rawness and sensuality of bodily experience. Through her work, Long engages with the process of layering, building up and erasing marks to create complex compositions that invite the viewer to participate in the process of meaning-making. Long's paintings are an exploration of the power of colour, gesture and sensation to evoke deep emotion and meaning.
Long's extensive education in both dance and fine art has provided her with a unique perspective on the relationship between the body, movement and image-making. She holds a BA and MA in Dance from De Montfort University, a PhD in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts and completed an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in 2024.
Selected exhibitions:
Solo exhibitions
2021, The body keeps the score, Chisenhale Art Place, London (UK)
2019, Rotator Cuff, 139 Artspace, London (UK)
2016, In the Eye of the Beholder, The Cookhouse, London (UK)
Group exhibitions
2025, In Dialogue with Ilse D’Hollander, Verduyn Gallery, Moregem, BE
2024, Scene V: Pas de Quatre, Matt Carey-Williams, London (UK)
2023, Ripe bananas!, Turps Leavers Show, Turps HQ, London (UK)
2023, Recreational Grounds VII, Wendover House, London (UK)
2022, Mood Times Ten, Fitzrovia Gallery, London (UK)
2022, Blink and You’ll Miss It, Safehouse, London (UK)
2020, Captives of Habit, Deptford X, London (UK)
2020, Material Gestures, Art Licks Weekend, London (UK)
2019, Beyond the Body, Wolf Cinema, Berlin (DE)
2019, Superette, Pada Studios, Lisbon (PT)
2018, In Whose Eyes?, Beaconsfield Gallery Vauxhall, London (UK)
2018, The Body Keeps The Score, Art Night, London (UK)
2017, Vacant in use, Deptford X, London (UK)
2017, Wimmin!!!, Sapient Razorfish, London (UK)
2016, We all have a problem with representation, The Showroom, London (UK)
2015, Feminist Practices in Dialogue, ICA, London (UK)