Hannah Starkey has been appointed as the inaugural Artist in Residence at Guildhall, the seat of the City of London’s governing body.

In response to the City of London Corporation’s invitation to UK-based fine artists to apply for the three-month residency (2 September – 29 November), focusing on ‘Celebrating City Women’, the Belfast-born photographer has proposed creating seven large format images.

“Heroic and epic, multi-generational and multi-cultural” in tone and appearance, the photographs will depict the day-to-day life of women working around Guildhall and in the City more widely, and reflect and celebrate their diversity.

Hannah Starkey has previously presented her work in solo and group exhibitions around the world and most recently, at the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

Tom Hoffman, the City of London Corporation’s Chief Commoner, originated the idea of an Artist in Residence at Guildhall, shortly after taking up his appointment earlier this year.

Hannah Starkey said:

“I am very grateful to be given the opportunity to work with the collections of the Guildhall Art Gallery, and I look forward to creating contemporary images of women working in the City by drawing inspiration from specific works in the collection.

“For over 20 years, I have dedicated my photographic practise to the representation of women seen from a female perspective, and this residency will give me the access and support that I need to make the pictures of women in the City that I have always wanted to make.”

Graham Packham, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, said:

“I am very pleased to send my warmest congratulations to Hannah Starkey on being appointed as our first artist in residence.

“During her time with us and by making full use of the resources that we can offer her, Hannah can draw upon her considerable skills to create images that celebrate City women and ultimately, have these works displayed at Guildhall Art Gallery.”

Tom Hoffman, Chief Commoner of the City of London Corporation, said:

“I enjoyed being involved in the shortlisting process for our first Artist in Residence and was very impressed by Hannah’s outstanding application, and I share my colleagues’ enthusiasm about seeing her finished work.

“Celebrating City women is an entirely appropriate subject to focus upon, building on the recent work done by the City Corporation to highlight women’s achievements over the last century and the importance of gender diversity in the workplace.”

Elizabeth Scott, the City of London Corporation’s Head of Guildhall Galleries and Principal Curator of Guildhall Art Gallery, said:

“My colleagues and I are delighted that Hannah Starkey applied for the residency with a particularly clear and decisive vision of how she wants to present women in her photographs.

“Undeniably talented and passionate about her work, Hannah will set about capturing the spirit of the City and its remarkable women, and we look forward to working with her and viewing the completed images later this year.”

The City of London Corporation owns and manages Guildhall Galleries, which include several visitor and civic attractions and venues, such as Guildhall Art Gallery, London’s Roman Amphitheatre, City of London Heritage Gallery, Guildhall Library, City of London Police Museum, Guildhall Great Hall, St Lawrence Jewry Church, and The City Centre. The City Corporation is the fourth largest funder of heritage and cultural activities in the UK and invests over £100m every year.

In partnership with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London Symphony Orchestra, and Museum of London, the City Corporation is leading the development of Culture Mile between Farringdon and Moorgate, a multi-million-pound initiative to create a new cultural and creative destination for London. As part of this, the City Corporation is providing investment in the new Museum of London, which will open in West Smithfield in 2024, and £4.9m to support the development of the proposed Centre for Music.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

Hannah Starkey, Artist in Residence at Guildhall; Elizabeth Scott, the City of London Corporation’s Head of Guildhall Galleries and Principal Curator of Guildhall Art Gallery; and Nick Bodger, Cultural and Visitor Development Director, are available for interview. Please contact Andrew Buckingham (see below) for details:

Media enquiries:

Andrew Buckingham

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Andrew.Buckingham@cityoflondon.gov.uk

020 7332 1452 / 07795 333060

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation is the governing body of the Square Mile dedicated to a vibrant and thriving City, supporting a diverse and sustainable London within a globally-successful UK.

www.cityoflondon.gov.uk 

About Guildhall Art Gallery:

Guildhall Art Gallery and London’s Roman Amphitheatre

Guildhall Yard, London EC2V 5AR – telephone 020 7332 3700

The closest tube stations are Bank, St Paul’s, and Moorgate.

Twitter @GuildhallArt

Website www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhallartgallery

The historic Guildhall Art Gallery originally opened in 1886 and is home to City of London’s magnificent art collection. Particularly rich in Victorian art and ranging from Pre-Raphaelites to depictions London’s colourful past, the Gallery offers a spectacular arena. The Gallery also owns one of the largest oil paintings in Britain, John Singleton Copley’s Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar (1783 – 1791), which is on permanent display.