Kingston’s fine art students literally ‘bring their work to life’ in coursework exhibition

Kingston University’s fine art students ventured across London last Friday to show off a unique performance piece, creating an unorthodox public exhibition.

In effort to bring her work to life, student Caitlin Reilly wore an entire bodysuit created with colourful stuffing and oil paint, becoming a walking work of art.

“The piece was more about how my original paintings informed a performance piece,” said Caitlin. “The work will go on to be seen by strangers who have no idea about the context outside of what they are seeing, which made their reactions so much more interesting and fun.”

The group of students visited creative hotspots including the Tate Modern but spent most of their time on the streets of Kingston.

This unusual way of showcasing allowed Caitlin and her friends to involve groups of people in their work who wouldn’t normally participate in artistic events.

“Finding exhibition spaces for new artists can be expensive and a lot of work,” said participating student Ellen Higgins. “This way the exhibition is free and more people get to see it, including those who wouldn’t normally go into an art gallery.”

The group hopes to gain as much exposure as possible on social media in effort to share their work with a wider audience.

The suit will be exhibited in a final show at the Knights Park art studio, along with a film piece that will coincide with the students’ project.