Tamsin Morse A Body of Work
Recent works on paper – 38 cm x 15 cm acrylic and ink on watercolour paper
Recent works on paper – 38 cm x 15 cm acrylic and ink on watercolour paper
Venus has come ashore vulnerable and unclothed, naive and a stranger to the land, open to manipulation and exploitation. Rushing to save her, a flurry of women have to overcome the obstacle of a large conch shell. The dog, without the complications of the human race, has taken the quick route around the side. I am taking Botticellis’ painting as a reality today and thinking about the exploitation of refugees. Details:
‘A Painting About The New Embrace’ 2026 2.4m x 1.8m Oil on Canvas with Acrylic Underlay
A painting about free speech; the gods are fighting, how can the little people be at peace? There are figures from classical themes mixed with contemporary political protestors. The expelled, perhaps those who speak out are from Dures illustrations in Dantes’ ‘Inferno’. Details:
‘Expulsion of the Rebels; A Painting About Standing up for your Principles’ 2.2m x 1.86
Debating what ‘belonging’ is, a raft arrives akin to Gericaults’ ’The Raft of The Medusa’ carrying a medley of refugees, including a Carravagio figure (Carravaggio being a refugee much of his life). Welcomed or not by the Caryatids, figures from the urban landscape supporting London St Pancras Churchs’ portico, which have in fact, been swiped from the Pantheon. Details:
‘A Painting About Journeying; Refuge of The Caryatids’ 2026 2.2m x 1.8m Oil on Canvas with Acrylic Underlay
‘Release of The Genies; A Modern Hydra. A Painting About War and Ego’ 2025 2.2m x 1.68m Two genies can’t fit in one bottle. They are so intent on with ego and personal defeat that they neglect their power. The title refers to Hydra, the beast who grew back two heads each time one was cut off as a metaphor for the inflammation of relationships from aggression.
‘Tainted Love’ 2026, 1.5 x 1.8m - Oil on Canvas with Acrylic Underlay On the double-bind theory, embracing the triskelion, a sign of bound strength, the fall of Icarus, a black lake and the unescapable contradictions of desire and beauty and modest sharing the same weight.
Pegausus is a bit of a fraud. Its all fancy dress and filters, but a winged horse gives hope and inspiration to many (not the swan obvs). We believe what we see and don’t look deeper. Unfortunately, in the modern world, Pegasus may not be equipped to deal with the wind farms. Details :
‘The Making of Legends; Pegasus’ Dressing Room’ 1.6m x 1.2m -Oil on Canvas with Acrylic Underlay
Zeus was a bit rapey, so its time to fight back. The frog is off as he knows there is no chance he will be kissed and turn into a Prince. In the allusion to time and our supposed evolution towards a civilized approach to women, I reference Gentileschi and Venus. Details
‘Heras’ Revenge; A Painting About Collaboration For Justice’ 2025 - 1.6 x 1.4m, Oil on Canvas with Acrylic Underlay
‘The.Making of Legends; Cleansing Of Chrysaor;’ 2026 1.5 x 1.3m Oil on Canvas with Acrylic Underlay A sister painting to ‘Pegasus’ (Chrysaor came out with Pegasus from the head of Medusa. The message here is that the futility of cleaning a pig is a reflection of an unnecessary obsession with cleanliness today.
Selected Smaller Works – all oil on canvas over acrylic ‘Ghosts’ 20 x 40cm, 205 ‘Under the Sand’ 18 x 14 inches 2026 ‘Plastic Rose 20 x 40cm 2026 ‘Hairdresser on Fire’ 20 x 40cm 2026
‘Gate of Horns: Myths of Resistance, Symbols of Defiance’ Curated by Hettie Judah Carl Freedman Gallery, Margate 2025 Install Shots from Recent Exhibitions
‘A Theatre for Dreamers’, Kristin Hjellegjerde, London’ 2026 with Rita Maikova Install Shots from Recent Exhibitions
Tamsin Morse – a brief recent summary. Art critic and curator Hettie Judah describes painter Tamsin Morse as an artist who "revisits familiar stories through an idiosyncratic feminist lens". Judah featured Morse’s work in the 2025 exhibition Gate of Horns: Myths of Resistance, Symbols of Defiance at the Carl Freedman Gallery in Margate. These paintings depict hugely relevant metaphors of the struggle and failure to escape and learn from the past; the message being that time won’t change mankinds’ inherent base nature despite the veil of progress and civilisation. These paintings resonate back to classical historical stories, mythologies, art and religion embedded through modern allegory and the repeated crisis of war, power, judgement, sexual predation, conflict, violence and rage. The difference between art and picture making is to use what is created as another language; to touch and explain a perspective that cannot be done in another medium. I ake a lot of drawings and this use of line is apparent in the larger paintings and retains the energy and immediacy of a sketched image. I studied at The Slade and Chelsea. I am part of @tondocosmic, a curatorial project running a series of one-off programmes (www.tondicosmic.com), and run a number of artist studios. Recent/ Upcoming and current exhibitions: ‘Chaos Theory’, Union Club, Soho, London (October 2026, Curated by Gilly Fox, Hayward Gallery Touring. ’Tainted Love’, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (May 2026) ‘A Theatre For Dreamers’ 2 person show, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London; 2026 ‘The Way We Live Now’, Sun Gallery, Seoul, 2026 ‘Gate of Horns’, Carl Freedman Gallery, curated by Hettie Judah, 2025 ‘A Poplar Bestiary’ TondoCosmic curated by Jennifer Thatcher, 2025 ’Staged’, Studio 1.1 London, 2024 ‘Outliers ’Q&C, Cambridge (with Jo Chate, Studio 1.1 London (July 2024) ‘New Art Gallery Walsall, A Generous Space 2 ‘(Selected by Stephen Snoddy) ‘WomXn’ with Fair art Fair at Unit 1 Gallery Workshop, by Jo Baring and Beth Greenacre Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize 2021. Public Collections include: The New Art Gallery Walsall,The Open University and The University of the Arts, London Private Collections Include: The Zabludowicz Collection, Timothy Taylor Tamsinmorse@gmail.com @tamsin_morse www.tamsinmorse.com 07957485433