Freya Purdue is a contemporary British abstract painter. A collector of images and sensual experiences, Freya combines found imagery, memories, research and imagination to translate her innermost ideas and perceptions on what it means to be human. Her subject matter is boundless, from the iconography of natural forms to scientific diagrams and art history. Each new piece is a journey in systematic investigation, exploration and experience.
Freya Purdue’s Style and Practice
Freya studied at St Martins School of Art and Chelsea College of Art and Design, London. The artist is particularly interested in the desire to express inner visions of the world through image and artefact - something prevalent throughout the history of humankind. She seeks to communicate the power of these visions - shared by prophetesses, visionaries, shamanic practices, and modern-day spokespersons - through her art. With no limit to how these ‘visions’ can be explored, this process colours her abstract works with immense energy and dynamism. In this way, each of her paintings has its own kind of power to compel and inspire.
Exhibitions, Awards and Collections
Freya has received numerous awards for her paintings and has featured works in public and private national and international collections. Recent solo shows include Murmurs from the Wide River’ Quay Arts, Newport, Isle of Wight, ‘Freya Purdue at the Edge’, Yellow Edge Gallery, Gosport, UK, and ‘Shrine’, St Marylebone Crypt Gallery, London. Recent group exhibitions include ‘Beyond Other Horizons’, Iasi Palace of Culture, Rumania, ‘Made in Britain’, National Gallery of Poland, Gdansk, and ‘Contemporary British Painting’, Yantai Art Museum, Jiangsu Arts Museum, Artall Nanjing and Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts China. Freya now lives and works in Ryde, Isle of White.