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Tania Kovats

Associate Member

Henry Moore Fellow in Drawing, Advanced Centre In Drawing, Bristol School of Art and Design, UWE.

Tania Kovats studied at the Royal College of Art between 1988 and 1990. Following this she exhibited at the Barclays Young Contemporaries at the Serpentine Gallery in 1991. At this time she was making installations of utopian architectural spaces.

The work of Tania Kovats deals with the experience and understanding of landscape. Her recent work has focussed on drawing and mapping landscapes and she has created bodies of work on imaginary and existing islands. Her current project involves mapping every individual, rock outcrop or island that surrounds mainland Britain. These drawings are on translucent paper some are tiny specks others fill the page.

Tania aims to bring together research from a year spent in Los Angeles in which she looked at the way earthquakes are represented through drawings. Speaking about the fellowship Tania says, “I am delighted to receive this Fellowship as I will now be able to concentrate on developing the vast body of research I collected in Los Angeles into a body of drawn work. I am looking forward to taking up this role in the Faculty which recognises the importance of drawing in artistic practice.”

'My main area of interest as an artist is with landscape. The landscapes that interest me the most are geolocially explicit landscapes where you can clearly read the narrative of formation or erosion. This leads me to be working with landscapes that are often remote – cliff edges, deserts, odd geological incidents. I am primarily a sculptor but drawing is increasingly important to how my work materialises. The way our experience of landscape is culturally mediated is of central concern to me. Much of my thinking over the last few years has meant I have looked to geology to help read landscape to further understand how landscapes are made outside of what we effect upon them. No landform exists forever but only within a particular time span in the earth’s history. I see landscape as a series of incidents coming into being.'

The processes and verbs of geology inform my work: eroding, shifting, erupting, compressing, solidifying, subsiding, tipping, and cooling. I look to either describe or use geological processes in the making of both my sculptures and my drawings. The work I am focusing on at the moment includes working from rock formations that follow simple mathematical formula – the basalt columar landscapes of the Isle of Staffa, the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland, and the Devil’s Post Pile in California. I recently returned from a year and a half living in Los Angeles where I travelled in California exploring the San Andreas Fault line. Research into how a geological force effects a landscape and built enviroment is now manifesting in my work. The visual records that earth movements make – from seismographs and seismograms that are literally drawings made by earthquakes, to scars and fractures in the landscape visible from the air – are all of interest.'

'I recently completed a set of drawings titled ‘British isles’, that map every isle or rock that is separate to the main body of landmass that is know as the British Isles. There were over 2000 islands to describe in these drawings. I am just starting the next series of mapping drawings of all the islands in the Pacific Ocean, with the Times Atlas as my source. I intend to map the other oceans once this set is complete, with the aim of creating a floating atlas of my own.'

'These are my areas of focus that I am involved with just now. I have also been invited to edit a book on drawing which I imagine will be taking place over the time period of the Fellowship.'

Education

  • 1988-90
    • M.A. Royal College of Art, London
  • 1985-88
    • B.A. Newcastle Polytechnic, Newcastle -upon-Tyne (Great Britain)

Group Exhibitions

  • 2004
    • The Deceleration Project, 27 Spital Square, London
  • 2001
    • Landscape, British Council touring exhibition curated by Ann Gallagher; Centro Cultural del Conde Duque, Madrid, Spain; Sofia Municipal Gallery of Art, Bulgaria; Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro and Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo, Brazil
    • Multiplication: Artistsí Multiples, Artists Multiplied, touring exhibition organised by The British Council commencing at the National Museum of Art, Bucharest; Muzeul de Arta, Brazov; Muzeul Brukenthal, Sibu (Romania)
    • Close Encounters of the Art Kind, Victoria and Albert Museum, London At Sea, Tate Liverpool

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2001
    • Schist, asprey jacques, London
  • 1999
    • New Art Centre, Sculpture Park and Gallery, Salisbury (Great Britain)
  • 1998
    • asprey jacques Contemporary Art Exhibitions, London, Galleria Marabini, Bologna (Italy)
  • 1997
    • 'Erosion' (with Carlo Guaita), British School at Rome
  • 1995
    • Laure Genillard Gallery, London
  • 1994
    • Philippe Rizzo Gallery, Paris Staten Galerie, Den Haag (Netherlands)
  • 1993
    • Laure Genillard Gallery, London
  • 1992
    • Lokaal 01, Breda (Netherlands)
  • 1991
    • Riverside Studios, London
    • Unseen Landscapes. Artist and Wilderness, The Lowry, Salford, UK
  • 2000
    • Explorations of the Environment: Landscape Redefined, Barbara Gillman Gallery, Miami
    • Lemon Tree Hill, asprey jacques London
    • real places?, Westfälischer Kunsterverin, Münster, curated by Andrew Cross and Suzanne Gaenscheimer
    • Landscape, British Council Touring Exhibition curated by Ann Gallagher, ACC Galerie, Wiemar; Union of Artists, Moscow; Peter + Paul Fortress, St. Petersberg; Museum of Modern Art, Rome; Centro Cultural Del Conde Duque, Madrid; Espace Electra, Paris
    • 'Lost', IKON Gallery, curated by Tania Kovats, Birmingham
  • 1999
    • 'Officina Europa', Bologna, curated by Renato Barilli
    • 'Shopping', F.A.T. Production, Carnaby Street, London
    • 'The Poster Show' Gavin Brown's Enterprise, New York
    • 'Cognitive Landscapes', Dorothee De Pauw Galerie, Brussels
  • 1998
    • 'Thinking Aloud', Kettle's Yard, Cambridge touring to Cornerhouse, Manchester and Camden Arts Centre, London
    • 'Il Passato nel Presente', The Tannery, London touring to Turin in 1999
    • 'New Art From Britain', Kunstraum Innsbruck, Austria
  • 1997
    • 'Belladonna', ICA, London
    • 'Pictura Britannica', Museum of Modern Art, Sydney, Australia travelling to Te Papa Museum, New Zealand
  • 1996
    • 'Happy Squirrel Club' Bank, Eindhoven, Galerie Ursula Walbrol, Dusseldorf '
    • Station Transformation', Tel Aviv
    • 'ACE!', Arts Council Touring Exhibition inc. Hayward Gallery, London and Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol (Great Britain)
    • 'Sculptor's Drawings', Newlyn Art Gallery, Penzance (Great Britain)
  • 1995
    • 'Fuori Fase', Viafarini, Milan (with Martin Creed and Gillian Wearing)
    • 'Fetishism', Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, London
    • 'Melange d'Aout', Laure Genillard Gallery, London
    • 'Automne-Herst 95', Staten Galerie, Den Haag (Netherlands)
    • 'Elemental;', Newlyn Art Gallery, Penzance (Great Britain)
  • 1994
    • 'Appearances', Massimo Minini Gallery, Brescia (Italy)
    • 'Drawings', Laure Genillard Gallery, London
    • 'Art Unlimited', CCA, Glasgow (touring)
  • 1993
    • 'Escale-Stopover-Tussenstop', Musee d'Art Moderne, Villneuve d'Ascq (France)
  • 1992
    • 'Discretion', Canary Wharf, London
    • 'Twist', Laure Genillard Gallery, London
  • 1991
    • 'Barclays Young Artist Award', Serpentine Gallery, London
    • 'Salon de Debutanten', Slagharen (Netherlands) '1001', Lokaal 01, Breda (Netherlands)

Publc Art Works

  • 2000
    • 'Sitooteries' Belsey Hall, Northumberland, English Heritage
  • 1999
    • 'Contour', in 'Secret Gardens - A series of works in gardens and the landscape', Salisbury
  • 1998
    • 'Viewpoint' - Ongoing public art commission at Kielder Water, Northumbria (Great Britain)
  • 1996
    • 'Roadworks', F.A.T. Public Art Project, Centrepoint, London
  • 1995
    • 'Garden' commissioned by the Public Art Development Trust, London

Architectural Projects

  • 1998
    • 'Plinth', permanent architectural public art work for IKON Gallery, Birmingham (Great Britain)
  • 1997
    • Collaboration with landscape architect Peter Etches for landscape scheme for Thornton Research Centre and Science Park Artist on the design team for a new sustainable primary school, Essex. Architects: Alford Hall Monoghan Morris
  • 1996-97
    • Artist on the design team for bus station in Walsall (Great Britain) Architect: Alford Hall Monoghan Morris
  • 1995-97
    • Artist on the design team for the Ikon Gallery's relocation in Birmingham. Architects: Levitt Bernstein

Awards

  • 2000
    • Civic Trust Award (for outstanding contribution to the quality and appearance of the environment)
  • 1997
    • British School at Rome Scholarship
    • Royal Society of Arts, Art for Architecture Award
  • 1996
    • Royal Society of Arts, Art for Architecture Award
  • 1991
    • Barclays Young Artist of the Year Award

Catalogues/ Publications

  • 2001
    • Unseen Landscapes, published by The Lowry, Salford
    • Multiplication, exhibition catalogue edited by The British Council, London; essay by Stephen Bury
  • 2000
    • Landscape, published by The British Council, London
    • Lost, published by Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; with a preface by Jonathan Watkins, an essay by Irit Rogoff and notes by Tania Kovats
  • 1998
    • 'New Art From Britain', Kunstraum Innsbruck, Austria - essay by Claire Glossop
    • 'Tania Kovats', The British School at Rome, Italy, essay by Augusto Pieroni
  • 1997
    • 'AD Frontiers: Artists and Architects', Architecural Design, London
    • 'P.A.D.T.' Publication for the Art in Hospitals Project, essay by Jeremy Millar
    • 'Arcadia Revisited', Black Dog Publishing, essay by Victoria Walsh
  • 1996
    • 'Roadworks', F.A.T. Production, London
  • 1995
    • 'Fetishism: Visualising Power and Desire', The South Bank Centre / Lund Humphries, London
  • 1994
    • 'Art Unlimited, Multiples of the 1960s and 1990s', Arts Council Collection, South Bank Centre, London, essay by Hillary Lane and Andrew Patrizio.
    • 'Elemental', Newlyn Art ¥Gallery, Penzance, interview with Laure Genillard
  • 1993
    • 'Escale-Stopover-Tussenstop', Musee d'Art Moderne, Villneuve d'Ascq Lille, France, essay by Joelle Pijaudier
  • 1992
    • 'Discretion', London, Canary Wharf, Art and Events, essays by David Batchelor and Mary Anne Francis.
  • 1991
    • 'The Missing Text', London: Chance Books, ed. Marysia Lewandowska
    • 'Barclays Young Artist Award 1991', Serpentine Gallery, London

Articles

  • 2004
    • Sarah Kent, 'The Deceleration Project', Time Out , 24 - 31 March, p 45
  • 2001
    • Mark Irving, 'Northern exposure', RA Magazine, Summer issue 71
    • Rachel Withers, ‘Tania Kovats’, ArtForum, Summer 2001
    • Dan Smith, ‘Tania Kovats’, Art Monthly, June
    • Louisa Buck, ‘Luisa Buck’s choice of Contemporary Galleries’, The Art Newspaper, June
    • Richard Cork, ‘Tania Kovats’, Play. The Times, 12-18 May
    • Sarah Kent, ‘Tania Kovats’, Time out, 23-30 May
    • Morgan Falconer, What’s On In London Magazine, 30 May
    • ‘That’s no ordinary loo in our living room. That’s a Sarah Lucas.’ ‘The Observer Magazine, 20 May
    • FAT presents Roadworks: Tania Kovats, Saturday 19 May
    • Unseen Landscapes, The Guide, The Guardian, 12-18 May
    • ‘The land strikes back’, The Independent on Sunday, 13 May
  • 2000
    • Charles Darwent; 'Rocky Road to Success', Art Review, July / August
    • Izi Glover; 'Lost, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham', Frieze
    • Ian Winterton; 'You! Outside Now!', The North Guide, May, p. 8 & 9
    • 'figleaf', Eden, May / June, p. 14
    • Dominic Murphy; 'Far-Out Pavilion', Guardian Weekend, 13 May
    • David Taylor; 'Contemporary pavilions land at Belsay Hall', The Architects' Journal, 4 May, p. 16
    • Tony Henderson; 'Hall showtime for Sitooteries', The Journal, 3 May
    • Mary Lockhart; 'Arts & Entertainment', The Scotsman, 2 May
    • Peter Young; Evening Chronicle, 2 May
    • Catherine Barnes; 'Where the art of sitooterie transforms the landscape', Sunday Express, (illus.) 30 April
    • Stephen Anderton; 'Come and sit on my sitooterie', 29 April
    • Giles Worsley; 'Creativity flowers in a British gardens', The Daily Telegraph, 27 April, p. 29
    • 'Scottish influence to the fore as designers brave world of 'Esitooteries', The Journal, April 26
    • Alex Farquharson; 'Lost', Art Monthly, April
    • Jay Merrick; 'Yes, you can sit on them...', The Independent, 24 April
    • Jeremy Deller; 'Tania Kovats', Artists Newsletter, April
    • 'When art can be a prickley subject..., Echo, 3 April
    • Jeremy Ackerman; 'Lost: an interview with Tania Kovats', londonart.co.uk, 29 March
    • Adrian Searle; 'Frantic Assembly', The Guardian
    • Kate Worsley; 'Far out pavilions', The Independent on Sunday, (illus.), 12 March
    • 'Fragrance of Culture', Noblesse Magazine, March
    • CK; 'Lost Highway', Tate Magazine, Spring
    • Nicole Haroutunian; 'Lost Found', Redbrick, March
    • SS; 'Abandoned In Brum With Giant Genitals', Sleazenation, March
    • 'Lost at Ikon', Citywide, February – March
    • Terry Grimley; 'Lost in this dispiriting line-up', Birmingham Post, February
    • RC; 'Getting Lost', Guardian Guide, 12 February
    • Simon Webb; 'Art Review – Lost', Metro, 21 February
    • TB; 'Art Ceremonial Burning', Metro, 1 February
  • 1999
    • 'How green is your valley ?', Blueprint, (illus.)
    • June Gianmarco del Re, 'Tania Kovats at Asprey Jacques', Flash Art, (illus.) March/April
    • Keith Patrick, 'Tania Kovats and Veronica Ryan', Contemporary Visual Arts, (illus.), issue 22, p.63
  • 1998
    • David Barrett, 'No Damien, No Gary, No Tracey', Art Monthly, September
    • Paul Usherwood, 'Park Life', Art Monthly, September
    • William Feaver, 'Nice sculptures, but just look at those telegraph poles' The Observer Review, Sunday September 6
    • Jonathan Glancey, 'Great glass elevator', The Guardian, 16 March
  • 1997
    • Greg Hilty, 'Art for Architecture', RSA journal, vol CXVL N0.5476, January/ February
    • Jenny Walwin, 'Art in Public', Artist's Newsletter, March
  • 1996
    • Simon Morrissey, 'Design for the Cultural Sector', Architect's Journal, October
  • 1995
    • Emmanuela De Cecco, 'Fuori Fase', Flash Art (Italian) No. 191
    • 'Il Disagio Metropolitano', L'Arca 91, March
    • William Feaver, 'Obscure Objects of Desire', The Observer, 14 May
    • Robin Dutt, 'What's Your Fetish?', Attitude, April
    • James Hall, 'Tania Kovats', The Guardian Guide, 1 July
    • Sarah Kent, 'Tania Kovats', Time Out, 12-19 July
    • Libby Anson, 'Profile: Virgin Territory', Art Monthly, No. 190
    • Nadine Gayet-Descendre, 'Ui Fait La Scene Anglais? Beaux-Arts, No. 138
    • Juan Cruz, 'Elemental', Art Monthly, No.192
    • Fiona Murphy, Minumental Art, Monumental Rubbish? The Guardian Weekend, 13 January
  • 1994
    • Sarah Kent, 'Drawings', Time Out, 25 May - 1June
    • Catherine Milner, 'Ping- Pong Art For Around £700', Sunday Telegraph, 27 November
    • Damian Thompson, 'Offensive Madonna Sculpture Withdrawn', Daily Telegraph 13 December
  • 1993
    • Feaver, William. 'No Paint Please We're Artists, The Observer, 31
    • Jan David Lillington, 'Tania Kovats', Time Out, 3-10 February
    • James Roberts, 'Tania Kovats', Frieze, Issue 9
    • Sachiko Tamashige, 'Tania Kovats', Nikkei Art, No.5
    • William Jeffett, 'Tania Kovats', Artefactum, Vol 10, No.4
  • 1992
    • Caryn Faure Walker, 'Discretion', Time Out, 8 - 15 April
    • William Feaver, 'Maid Eternal (Discretion)' The Observer, 19 April
    • David Batchelor, Under the Canary, Frieze, Issue 5
  • 1991
    • Sarah Kent, 'Tania Kovats', Time Out, July

 

Tania Kovats

e-mail: Tania.Kovats@uwe.ac.uk (work) or Taniakovats@hotmail.com (home)