Sue Tompkins is a British visual and sound artist.
Sue Tomkins' object-based works include collages and sculptures formed from the pages of high fashion magazines, and assemblages. She uses found objects, magazines and text to create her own very unique and individual aesthetic. Since the late 90s the majority of Tomkins' work has been in the field of live spoken word and performances and musical recordings. Tompkins was lead singer in the acclaimed art-rock band Life Without Buildings from 1999-2002. In her performances she uses repetition and rhythm to create a genuinely emotive reading.
Sue Tompkins lives and works in Glasgow (UK).
2022 | 'On Top of the White Foam', Halle für Kunst, Lüneburg |
2018 | 2018 ‘Sue Tompkins’, Lydgalleriet, Bergen |
2018 | ‘All the Time’. The Modern Institute, Glasgow |
2018 | ‘Milk, Gluck, Handel, Fame’, DKUK, Peckham, London |
2017 | Country Grammar’, The Modern Institute, Glasgow |
2017 | ‘Don’t be far from me (with Matthew damhave), Tenderbooks, London |
2016 | ‘When Wayne went Away’, Lisa Cooley, New York, US (forthcoming) |
2015 | ‘Before After’, YOUNG TEAM, London, GB |
2014 | 'Zog, I’m Not Over Today', Galerie Micky Schubert, Berlin, DE |
2014 | 'dug nature', Inverleith House, Edinburgh (Part of GENERATION 2014), GB |
2014 | Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge (performance of Orange Brainwash Tribute), GB |
2014 | 'Tramway Performance Programme', Tramway, Glasgow (Part of GENERATION 2014), GB |
2014 | Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow (performance (Glasgow International)), GB |
2014 | ‘Orange Brainwash Tribute', BBC Scotland, Glasgow (performance (Glasgow International)), GB |
2014 | 'Letherin through the grille', White Columns, New York (performance), US |
2014 | 'Come to Ozark', Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow ((Glasgow International)), US |
2013 | Skype Wont Do, Stigter Van Doesburg, Amsterdam, NL |
2012 | 'Its chiming in Normaltown', Midway Contemporary Art, Minneapolis, US |
2012 | 'Country Grammar', 22:37, Bungenäs, Gotland, SE |
2012 | 'SEA DEEP', Galerie Micky Schubert, Berlin, DE |
2011 | My Kind Book', Dia Art Foundation, New York (Web based project: online book) |
2011 | The Modern Institute, Osborne Street, Glasgow, GB |
2011 | Inverleith House, Edinburgh (with Claude Cahun), GB |
2011 | 'Hallo Welcome to Keith Street', Inverleith House, Edinburgh (Performance), GB |
2010 | 'Hallo Welcome to Keith Street', Collins Park, Miami Beach (presented by Art Basel & Creative Time) |
2009 | 'Salute to the Dataday', Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, FR |
2007 | More Cola Wars, Diana Stigter, Amsterdam, NL |
2007 | 'Apple', The Showroom, London (Performance Country Grammar, available to view at), GB |
2007 | 'Grease: Transfer', Spike Island, Bristol (live performance; with Hayley Tompkins), GB |
2006 | The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow, GB |
2006 | 'Hayley Tompkins and Sue Tompkins', Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York, US |
2006 | 'Spike Island', Bristol(café design w Hayley Tompkins,collaboration w Caruso St John Architects,UK |
2005 | 'Elephants Galore', opening, Scottish Pavillion (live performance; Selective Memory) |
2005 | 'In the zone of your eyes',West London projects,(two person live performance with Hayley Tompkins)UK |
2005 | 'On Stage', Galerie Giti Nourbaksch, Berlin (live with J Isenstein, S Landers, C Palestine), DE |
2005 | When it broke', ArtForum Berlin, Giti Nourbaksch Gallery (two person show with Hayley Tompkins), DE |
2004 | Rheinschau Art Cologne Projects, Cologne (Solo presentation and performance), DE |
2004 | Kunstrai Art Fair, Diana Stigter Gallery, Amsterdam (Live Performance), NL |
2004 | Solo presentation and performance, Rheinschau Art Cologne Projects, DE |
2004 | 'Feast of Silenus', Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh (live performance), GB |
2004 | 'Live Performance', Museum of Garden History, London (with Sonic Arts Network & Resonance FM), GB |
2004 | 'Midwest Casinos', Manchester (live performance), GB |
2004 | 'More Cola Wars', Switchspace, Glasgow (live performance), GB |
2003 | 'Country Grammar', doggerfisher, Edinburgh, GB |
2003 | 'Northern Grammar', Stavanger Kulturhus, NO |
2001 | 'Solo', The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow, GB |
2000 | 'Evil Eye', Glasgow Independent Studios (with Hayley Tompkins), GB |
2000 | 'And If It Was It Can’t Be Is', Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge (Live Performance “LL Bedrock”) |
2022 | Des Champs de Fraises pour L’éternité, Centre d’Art Contemporain de Noisy-Le-Sec |
2021 | ‘Day for Night’, Hackesche Höfe, Berlin |
2021 | ‘Crocodile Cradle’, PEER, London |
2021 | The Zany’, Lateral Roma, Rome |
2019 | ‘Trade Syllables’, Andreas Melas at Martinos Pandrossou, Athens |
2019 | 'I'll be your city’, Good Press, Glasgow |
2019 | ‘Nobody's World’, Gordon Robichaux, New York |
2018 | ‘Against Time’, Civic Room, Glasgow (As part of Glasgow International 2018) |
2018 | ‘SIGNALS’, Marc Selwyn Gallery, LA |
2018 | ‘Open House’, Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco |
2018 | ‘Fillette’, Francesca Pia, Zurich |
2018 | ‘How to kill a Siren’, Boom Boom Room, Brooklyn |
2018 | ‘Conversation Pieces’, Tenderbooks, London |
2017 | Working/Not Working’, CANADA, New York |
2017 | ‘Beauty and Room’, Sion, Swiss Alps |
2017 | ‘The Painting Show’, British Council touring exhibition, Limerick City Gallery of Art, Limerick |
2016 | ‘I still believe in miracles’, Inverleith House, Edinburgh |
2016 | ‘Pfeil Magazine launch’, Spike, Berlin |
2016 | ‘Sighs Trapped by Liars: Language in Art’, Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst & Medien, Graz |
2016 | 'The Painting Show’, British Council touring exhibition, Contemporary Art Centre, Vilnius |
2016 | ‘The Lasting Concept’, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Portland |
2015 | ‘I want to be. Inside Out’, MOT International, Brussels, BE |
2015 | ‘The Spirit of the Staircase’, Sunday Painter, London |
2015 | ‘So Cometh King Laugh’, The Laughing Bell, London |
2015 | 'Stereo Birthday Party!’, Stereo, Glasgow |
2015 | ‘The Grass is Singing’, Mendes Wood DM, São Paulo |
2014 | ’Cacophony of Things’, Temporary Gallery, Cologne, DE |
2014 | ‘I’m Yours’, The Modern Institute at Standard (OSLO), Oslo, NO |
2014 | GENERATION: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland', National Gallery, Edinburgh, UK |
2014 | 'Itself Not So', Lisa Cooley Gallery, New York (curated by Rachel Valinsky), US |
2014 | 'Contort Yourself', Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles (curated by The Modern Institute), US |
2014 | 'Let the Day Perish', Hospitalfield Arts, Arbroath (Part of GENERATION 2014 (with Fiona Jardine)) |
2014 | SALTS, Basel, CH |
2014 | 'Discordia', Patricia Fleming Projects, Glasgow (Part of GENERATION 2014), GB |
2014 | 'In NO time', The Modern Institute, Osborne Street, Glasgow, GB |
2014 | 'Semiotics of the Kitchen; What Happened After', Stigter van Doesburg, Amsterdam, NL |
2014 | ‘Return Journey', Mostyn, Lladudno, GB |
2013 | Rönnells Antikvariat, Stockholm (Live Performance ‘Letherin through the grille’), SE |
2013 | 'Composing through Words', Het Veem Theater, Amsterdam, NL |
2013 | 'House Music', Broompark Drive, Glasgow (Live Performance ‘My Forrest Gump’), GB |
2013 | 'Out Of Doors', Supplement Gallery, London (Laura Aldridge, Hayley Tompkins, Sue Tompkins) |
2013 | 'Repertory', Palazzo Cavour, Turin (curated by Gary Carrion-Murayari, by invitation of Artissima) |
2013 | 'Artifacts of A Life Lived By the Living ( To Live )', The Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles |
2013 | 'Ian Hamilton Finlay Weekend', Arnolfini, Bristol (‘My Dataday’), GB |
2013 | '40/40', Glasgow Print Studio, Glasgow, GB |
2013 | 'Analogue Other', Poor Farm, Manawa |
2013 | 'Public Address: HELLO,CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?',Queen’s Park Railway Club,Glasgow(Live ‘Smallland’)UK |
2013 | 'Laura Aldridge, Sara Barker, Sue Tompkins', Shane Campbell Gallery, Lincoln Park, Chicago |
2013 | 'six memos for the next…', Magazin4, Bregenzer Kunstverein, Bregenz |
2013 | 'In Praise Of Shadows', Charlton Bond Building, Newcastle (Live performance), GB |
2013 | 'Grow Fins, Salute the Captain', The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow (Live performance ‘More Windows’) |
2013 | 'Words to be Spoken Aloud', Turner Contemporary, Margate (Festival) |
2012 | 'OO', Misako & Rosen, Tokyo (curated by Rob Halverson / C-o-o-l Art) |
2012 | 'Last Chance', SWG3, Glasgow |
2012 | 'Now Here is also Nowhere', Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle |
2012 | 'And If It Was It Can’t Be Is', Wysing Arts Centre, Cambridge (Art & Music Festival,Live“LL Bedrock) |
2012 | 'The Medium is the Message: Words in printmaking since the 1960s',Glasgow Print Studio,(Ben Harman) |
2012 | 'Neu!Reekie!', The Scottish Book Trust, Edinburgh (Live perfomance ‘More Windows’) |
2012 | 'SOUNDWORKS', ICA, London |
2012 | 'Film and performance: The Voice Is A Language', Tate Modern, London (Live Performance ‘My Dataday’) |
2012 | 'Patricia Fleming Projects - Everything Flows',Queen’s Park Railway Club,Glasgow(Live ‘More Windows) |
2011 | 'MakeUp', A Palazzo Gallery, Brescia |
2011 | 'To Pay Respect to the Generosity of The 3 Minute Punk-Rock Song', Crate Project Space, Margate |
2011 | 'Underwood', Galerie 1900-2000, Paris |
2011 | 'Works on paper and other works', Project Room, Glasgow |
2011 | 'British Art Show 7: In The Days Of The Comet', Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth (Performance) |
2011 | 'The Waste Land', Tranzitdisplay, Prague (includes Performance 11/10/11) |
2011 | 'A Bee crawling around in the flower dome', The Hole, London (Performance: 8.30 - 8.55 pm) |
2011 | 'Flaca/Tom Humphreys', Portikus, Frankfurt |
2011 | 'British Art Show 7: In The Days Of The Comet', Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow (Performance) |
2011 | 'Dirty Literature', National Portrait Gallery, London (Performance) |
2011 | 'An Exhibition to hear read', David Robert Arts Foundation Fitzrovia, London |
2011 | 'Free Poems', Podium, Oslo |
2011 | 'British Art Show 7: ‘In The Days Of The Comet’', Hayward Gallery, London (Performance) |
2011 | 'The Queen of Sciences', Dek 22, Rotterdam |
2010 | 'British Art Show 7: In The Days Of The Comet', Nottingham Castle, Nottingham (Performance) |
2010 | 'Speak and Spell', COCO (Contemporary Concerns), Vienna (Performance) |
2010 | 'Loot! the art swapmeet', High Desert Test Sites HQ, Joshua Tree, California |
2010 | Common Guild, Glasgow (Performance (part of Robert Bary exhibition)) |
2010 | Podium, Oslo |
2010 | 'São Paulo Biennale', Sao Paolo Biennale, Sao Paolo |
2010 | 'Be Glad For The Song Has No End-A Festival of Artists’ Music', Wysing Centre, Cambridge (Perform) |
2010 | Milton Keynes Gallery, Milton Keynes (Performance) |
2010 | 'A Theatre to Address-A Festival of Textual Form-Concrete,Material,Scripted,Performed',Arnolfini,Bri |
2010 | Whitechapel, London (Performance) |
2010 | 'On Publications, Portraits, Public Art and Performance',Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd,Glasgow |
2010 | 'Fizz Up and Dissolve', The Project Rooms, Glasgow |
2010 | 'The Voice is a Language', Tramway, Glasgow |
2009 | 'TONITE', The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow |
2009 | 'Blank Tape Spillage Fete 2009', Cecil Sharp House, London |
2009 | 'HEAVEN', Athens Biennale, Athens |
2009 | 'Inverleith House', Edinburgh, Cardiff (with Hayley Tompkins) |
2009 | 'Poor. Old. Tired. Horse.', ICA, London |
2009 | 'Sculpture Show', Eastside Projects, Birmingham |