Image of the poster for OUT printmaking exhibition

Showing at ‘OUT: St Leonards’ this January

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Carolyn Murphy will be showing work at ‘OUT: St Leonards’, this January along with 28 other selected printmakers. This printmaking exhibition is curated by Matty Emery. The theme of the show, ‘the outside’ is a metaphor for its one defining rule – no works will be framed. Every artwork will hold its own space outside the traditional print frame.

Image of the poster for the OUT: St Leonards exhibition
Poster for OUT: St Leonards
Graphic listing the 29 artists taking part in OUT exhibition
Participating artists in OUT: St Leonards

“OUT is a group show consisting of 29 artists whose practices push printmaking in different directions and whose work challenges the conventions of contemporary print. This exhibition responds to the increasing sameness of many print shows and proposes an alternative vision of what printmaking can be when freed from constraints”, explains Matty Emery.

Image of precariously stacked rock-like paper structures, created by artist Carolyn Murphy
Carolyn Murphy’s work ‘No Stone Unturned’

Carolyn will be showing ‘No Stone Unturned’, 3D paper structures, precariously stacked. “They suggest age, human input and solidity – but are simply hand printed paper, folded with no glue. I’m delighted to be showing the work at OUT, alongside so many great printmakers”, said Carolyn. She began making the monotype structures in 2022, to extend a large print installation work out onto the gallery floor.  Slowly her collection of these ‘rock’ sculptures has grown to over 100 in 7 designs.

The exhibition runs from 24 January to 1 February 2026 at Unit 2 Gallery, 8-10 London Road, St Leonards-on-Sea TN37 6AE. The gallery is open Thursday to Sunday. Opening times vary:

  • Saturday 24 January, 10am – 6pm
  • Sunday 25 January, 10am – 6pm
  • Thursday 29 January, 11am – 4pm
  • Friday 30 January, 11am – 6pm
  • Saturday 31 January, 10am – 6pm
  • Sunday 1 February, 10am – 6pm

The official opening is on Saturday 24 January, 2 – 6pm.

Artist printmaker Carolyn Murphy with her work in the Lake Gallery, West Kirby

Celebrating the end of the year with 2 Opens

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Carolyn Murphy is celebrating the end of 2025 with work in two Open exhibitions in the North West: ‘Bury Open’ and ‘Open 2025’ at the Lake Gallery in West Kirby. She was able to make the private view on the Wirral and visited the Bury Art Museum on another occasion to appreciate the show.

Carolyn with her work at the Wirral opening

Work in both exhibitions is for sale and both Opens continue into the New Year, so there is still plenty of time to see selected work across a wide range of media.

It was busy at the Lake Gallery PV

Open 2025 at the Lake Gallery, West Kirby, show is open Thursdays to Saturdays 10am to 4pm until 24 January 2026.

Carolyn with her work at the Bury Open 2025

Bury Open runs at Bury Art Museum, open Tuesdays to Saturdays, until 21 February 2026.

Bury Art Museum is a stunning setting
Poster for Intersect exhibition

Intersect exhibition with Fankle Collective

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Carolyn Murphy will be part of the Intersect exhibition with Fankle Art Collective in Stratford, East London from 30 October to 21 November. Intersect brings together ten artists, who work across painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, collage, photography, and film and video.  Carolyn will be presenting a large format print installation A Scream of Swifts as well as a new series of composite prints.

Poster design showing information on the Fankle Art Collective's Intersect exhibition

‘To meet and cross at a point’ is to intersect and this is Fankle’s fourth exhibition together, the fourth exploration of interconnecting ideas at a single point in place and time. Diverse ideas jostle within the space of the Stratford Unitarian Gallery, connecting and seeking out common ground.

As the Fankle Collective members make, remake, transform and deconstruct, for the brief period of the show, works overlap and interplay. Narratives that explore identity and relationships with nature or home, and notions of belonging and migration intersect with concepts of fragmentation and reconnection. We are reminded that a world of life is woven from strands, overlapping, contrasting, changing and fragile. Intersect celebrates those shared connections.

Image of blue linocut swifts hand printed on tissue paper, a detail from a work by Carolyn Murphy
‘A Scream of Swifts’ (detail), a linocut and laser cut print installation by artist Carolyn Murphy.

Fankle is a multidisciplinary art collective formed in 2023 by emerging artists from the Middlesex University MA Fine Art and MA Printmaking programmes. The name ‘Fankle’, a Scottish word for entanglement, reflects the complex web of ideas they draw together, as well as the varied generational and geographic origins of Fankle members, with threads extending from London to Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Berlin, Munich, Baghdad, Tehran and Mexico City.

Artists exhibiting in Intersect: Natalie Dee | Phil Dunn | Angela Forrester | Freddy McBride | Carolyn Murphy | Iliana Ortega-Alcázar | Jan Pimblett | Hanan Tawfiq | Kathy Rooney | Luke Anthony Rooney

For more information, check out www.fankle.art and @fankle.art on Instagram.

Open: Thursdays to Saturdays, 2pm – 6pm

Meet the Artists events: Saturday 8 November and Saturday 15 November, 2pm – 4pm

Stratford Unitarian Gallery, Stratford Unitarian, West Ham Lane, Stratford, London E15 4PH

www.stratfordunitariangallery.co.uk

The gallery is close to Stratford station (Central line, Jubilee line, DLR and Overground).

Image of Carolyn Murphy's laser cut 3D paper structures, called Wear and Tear in the Chester gallery

Threads of Expression in Chester

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Threads of Expression, an exhibition in Chester, is the culmination of a year of exploration by six North West based artists, whose work spans photography, printmaking, textile arts and painting. All have spent 2024/25 at the University of Chester developing new work, learning new skills and taking their practice forward in their chosen areas, as part of the national AA2A Project. Now, those creative threads converge with a showcase of work, on a range of themes, some intertwined, some unique.

Work by:

The exhibition runs from 4 – 18 July 2025, at the CASC Gallery in Chester’s Grosvenor Shopping Centre. There’s a Private View on Friday 4 July, 4-6pm.

AA2A is a national scheme which offers artists the chance to access facilities in universities and colleges, and students the chance to learn more about practising artists and the wider creative industries. More information at www.aa2a.org

Carolyn is showing new laser cut fragile structures for the first time. These 3D paper sculptures combine traditional printmaking skills and digital technology.

CASC Gallery, Grosvenor Shopping Centre, Chester CH1 1DE

Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10am to 4pm.

Image of Carolyn Murphy's collagraph, called Mixed Messages, on the wall at the Royal Academy

In the RA Summer Exhibition

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Carolyn Murphy will be in the RA Summer Exhibition 2025. Her artwork ‘Mixed Messages’ , a collagraph landscape, was selected from the 18,000 works submitted and will be on display at the Royal Academy in London, from 17 June until 17 August 2025.

Carolyn Murphy at the RA Summer Exhibition 2025 with her work

Held every year since 1769, the Summer Exhibition showcases work by Royal Academicians, experienced artists and emerging talent. Many works are available to buy and sales directly support exhibiting artists and the RA’s charitable work. The exhibition remains online until the end of November 2025 and work can be browsed and purchased on the RA website.

Carolyn last exhibited at the Summer Exhibition in 2023. “It’s a dream come true to be back so soon!”, she said and was able to visit the exhibition to see her work in Gallery VIII, curated by Sikelela Owen RA.

‘Mixed Messages’, a collagraph by Carolyn Murphy

Tickets on sale at www.royalacademy.org.uk and opening times are Tues – Sun: 10am – 6pm, Fri: 10am – 9pm.

Image of artist printmaker Carolyn Murphy in front of her work

Bursary award

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Carolyn Murphy received an Artists’ Bursary award in 2024/5 from a-n, The Artists Information Company. This allowed her to document her solo exhibition ‘Layer over Layer’ at The Stone Space, with professional photographer Ellie Laycock, capturing individual pieces in the show as well as installation views of the exhibition and private view shots.

“This is an exciting development, at just the right time. I’m really grateful to a-n, for the opportunity to enhance my practice and capture my work in this way, helping me to take my work to the next level”, explained Carolyn.

The project included photography and videography and is the first part of the bursary request, which also included website development work. Below are some of the images of Carolyn Murphy’s work in ‘Layer over Layer’:

‘Layer over Layer’ is Carolyn’s first solo exhibition and it took place at The Stone Space gallery, in Leytonstone, East London, from 13 February to 9 March 2025. The exhibition featured printmaking works on paper, including large-scale print installations and 3D sculptural floor pieces.

Photographs by Ellie Laycock, supported by a bursary from a-n, The Artists Information Company.

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First solo exhibition

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Artist printmaker Carolyn Murphy’s first solo exhibition comes to The Stone Space gallery, in Leytonstone, East London. Layer over Layer features printmaking works on paper, including large-scale print installations and 3D sculptural floor pieces.

Inspired by the landscape and by a poem, ‘Tissue’ by Imtiaz Dharker, that links paper with skin, the exhibition title references layered print processes, layers of meaning, time and memory. Works in the show question appearances, illusions of stability and control, exploring ideas of damage and repair.

The exhibition runs from 13 February to 9 March 2025 and is open at weekends only: Saturdays 10am to 4pm and Sundays 12 to 4pm.

Works include ‘No Stone Unturned’, a collection of over 100 folded-hand-printed structures, suggesting the solidity of rock, precariously stacked. ‘A World We Share?’ takes over the gallery space, whilst ‘Lightly Tethered’, a kite installation, captures a sense of fragility.

The Stone Space is an independent not-for-profit gallery in Leytonstone, close to Leytonstone tube station on the Central Line. Opened in 2011, it occupies part of the ground floor of the Leytonstone Library Building. It is staffed by volunteers and led by a group of volunteer organisers who plan the exhibition programme.

Private view: Thursday 13 February 18.00 to 20.00

Artist’s Talk: Sunday 2 March 14.00 to 15.00

Gallery address: 6 Church Lane, Leytonstone E11 1HG

Photos by Ellie Laycock, supported by a bursary from a-n, The Artists Information Company.

Square-format RESPUN-2

Part of RESPUN exhibition

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Artist Carolyn Murphy will be part of the Fankle Art Collective’s RESPUN exhibition at the Durning Library in Kennington this December. It’s an adaptation of their successful UNSPUN show (Willesden Gallery, June 2024) to a new space with a revised line up of work. RESPUN opens with a private view on Wednesday 4 December, from 5.30pm – 7.30pm.

‘Lightly tethered’ by Carolyn Murphy

Nine artists from the Fankle Collective focus on making, remaking, spinning and transformation. RESPUN brings together ideas of deconstruction and rebuilding, disconnection and reconnection, fragmentation of language and communication. In the show, Fankle members unravel and re-spin stories over time, mythology and place, exploring migration, home and belonging, our relationship to nature and the non-human.

Poster for RESPUN exhibition

As narratives emerge, tangling and untangling, visitors are reminded of the idea that a world of life is woven from physical and emotional strands, overlapping, contrasting, constantly changing and fragile.

Fankle is a multidisciplinary art collective formed in 2023 by emerging artists from the Middlesex University MA Fine Art and MA Printmaking programmes. This show encompasses diverse media, including printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, collage and photography.

‘Transplant’ by Jan Pimblett

The group’s name ‘Fankle’, a Scottish word for entanglement, reflects the complex web of ideas that combine in their shows and the varied generational and geographic origins of their members, with threads extending to Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Berlin, Munich, Baghdad, Tehran and Mexico City.

Exhibiting artists in RESPUN: Maryam Abdollahi, Phil Dunn, Angela Forrester, Carolyn Murphy, Iliana Ortega-Alcázar, Jan Pimblett, Hanan Tawfiq, Kathy Rooney, Luke Anthony Rooney.

Further information: www.fankle.art  Instagram @fankle.art

RESPUN runs from 4 December 2024 to 2 January 2025. The gallery is on the ground floor of the Durning Library, a 10-minute walk from Kennington underground station (Northern line). Open Mondays 1 – 6pm, Tuesdays 10am – 6pm, Wednesdays 10am – 8pm, Thursdays closed, Fridays 10am – 6pm, Saturdays 9am – 5pm, Sundays closed. Please check the library website for Christmas opening hours.

‘Unfiltered’ by Phil Dunn

AA2A artist in residence in Chester

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Carolyn Murphy is an AA2A Artist in Residence in Chester this year, joining the University of Chester as part of the AA2A Project scheme. Residencies provide access to state-of-the-art resources and a collaborative environment for professional practice development, whilst enriching the academic environment for students. This year, AA2A is celebrating 25 years of delivering residency programmes through art and design institutions across England.

“In this residency, I plan to develop further the installation side of my practice, bringing together traditional print processes with digital technology, such as laser cutting, to take forward my interest in fragile structures,” Carolyn explained. “I love to learn and to share knowledge and I hope to continue to do this through the AA2A residency, and connect with a wider learning community through printmaking.”

Carolyn Murphy with some of her installation works, Mile End Art Pavilion, July 2022

The residency at the University of Chester runs from October 2024 to summer 2025. There are six resident artists, bringing diverse disciplines and experiences to the programme. In December the AA2A artists put on an exhibition in Chester city centre, at the University’s CASC Gallery, to introduce themselves and their practice to students and staff.

‘Reclaiming’, on display at CASC Gallery, Chester, December 2024
Carolyn Murphy’s installation ‘No Stone Unturned VII’ in the window of the Chester exhibition
Visitors to the gallery
Artists’ talks to staff and students, December 2024
AA2A coordinator Greg Fuller talks about the work on show

During the year, Carolyn will be sharing updated on her Instagram page, as the residency progresses and she experiments with new techniques.

Post updated with exhibition images – December 2024.

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Festival of Print

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Carolyn Murphy will be exhibiting at the Festival of Print, at Mile End Art Pavilion this year. The Festival is an annual celebration of printmaking, organised by East London Printmakers to showcase members’ work and share the joy of print.

Poster for Festival of Print 2024

The Festival of Print 2024 opens on Friday 25 October and runs until Sunday 3 November. At the Opening night printmaker Paul Catherall was the guest speaker and presented prizes on behalf of the sponsors.

Carolyn Murphy at the Opening with her monotypes

This was Carolyn’s first time exhibiting with East London Printmakers, since becoming an Associate Member in 2023. She also volunteered to support the hanging team of this huge exhibition, which included 99 printmakers. There is an array of excellent contemporary print, for sale, as well as a box set and plenty of cards.

Installation view of the Opening
Installation view
Opening night
Mile End Art Pavilion’s Festival of Print 2024

Entry is free to all. Opening times are 11am to 6pm Friday 25 October to Saturday 2 November and 11am to 4pm on Sunday 3 November at Mile End Art Pavilion, Mile End Park, Clinton Road, Mile End, London E3 4QY.