Chris Agnew (b. 1987, UK) lives and works between London and Bucharest. He received his BA in Contemporary Art Practice from The University of Leeds in 2008, followed by a Masters in Fine Art from the Wimbledon College of Art in 2010. Agnew is known for his highly detailed drawings and icon panel etchings. HIs work deals with the construction and deconstruction of belief systems, be they political, religious, social or cultural. He is interested by the malleable nature of what we hold as ‘truth’, and how the presentation of information informs our subsequent understanding of events.
Solo exhibitions include Ba da, Doda (2017); London Art Fair, Dither (2016); The Mighty Grip of Fate, Kristin Hjellegjerde, London (2014); and The Pomp of Circumstances, Nancy Victor Gallery, London (2012).
Group exhibitions include Facing the Sun, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Schloss Görne, Germany (2021); All the Days and Nights, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020); And he Built a Crooked House, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, Germany (2018); Imago Mundi, Trieste, at Salone degli Incanti, Italy (2018); Unfamiliar Ground, Exhibition touring to four galleries across North England, supported by ACE (2014); Cu Mintea-n Pix, Saint Ink Gallery, Bucharest, RomaniaStanding on the Frontier Vol.2, Unit 24 Gallery, London (2014); The London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, Islington, London (2013); and Trajector Art Fair, Brussels, Belgium (2013).
Highlights and collections
Agnew was awarded the Axisweb Artist Award (2017), the Derwent Art Prize (2016), and has been shortlisted for awards including the Jerwood Drawing Prize (2010 and 2009 respectively) and Saatchi’s New Sensations (2010). His works are held in important collections including the V&A, London, The Ashton Memorial Museum, Lancaster and the Hearst Corporation, New York.