Bio

My work is grounded in the fields of mythology, heritage, performance and theatre but I often venture into other territories as necessary. I am especially concerned with site-specific and socially engaged practices; how we relate to, understand and construct our environment and our relationships with each other.

As a child I would sing songs to the fields around my village home and as I grew, local stories of rising water and wild women calcified into the core of my being. I lived away and gathered more mythological nourishment in Wales, and then Cornwall, but Essex kept haunting my dreams and I returned home in 2017 determined to work loud and proud with her places and stories in my ongoing creative practice.

Alongside my solo practice I have spent much of my creative life bringing people together in the places that belong to them; organising group shows for local and emerging artists in Wales, town crying and conscious street cleaning in Cornwall and developing artist collective and platform the UNFAMILIARS in Colchester.

Artist Statement 

Gemma Garwood is a multidisciplinary artist based in Colchester, Essex.A collaborative cultural magpie; begging, borrowing and building in order to create beguiling and locally significant works.

Why MW is important

There are neurodivergent collectives and groups popping up in the arts landscape. Magical Women is slightly different because access is at the heart of our work. The autistic and ADHD led models and frameworks are born out of a struggle with access barriers outside of the Magical Women space. Magical Women provides a safe space for Neurodivergent artists to encounter artist development opportunities and take risks in their art practice. Self-publishing provides MW participants a space to be published.