Gina Southgate

Gina grew up in Essex and did a two year foundation at Southend College of Technology. She moved to London to do a degree in silversmithing/ metalwork at Camberwell School of Art and Crafts followed by a postgraduate year in pewter casting.

Gina is well known on the London free music and jazz scene where she has painted and performed live at gigs for 30 years. Gina had her first solo exhibition of gig paintings at London’s Jazz café in 1988. 

”I work with the frisson of the music observing the relationship between the musician and instrument. I try to capture  the energy and essence of the gig in real time. Sometimes I work solely with sound and ignore the visual content producing abstract imagery. In performance situations I use my materials and surfaces sonically.

The area of my work resulting in representational live gig imagery has flourished again since having an ongoing exhibition the new Vortex in Dalston. It has become a long term home to my work and enables me to create a changing showcase of current gig paintings.  I have been resident artist on their festivals and had my live painting projected into Gillett square at Vortex 25,  and again when I performed with The People Band. My work appeared on ‘Vortex Live’ on the space. org.

I have worked as a professional artist for three decades. I had numerous exhibitions as a metalworker, won design competitions, worked for architects, taught jewellery and metal in adult education and at foundation level. I was the artist in residence’ for Art’s Council of Wales exploring cast aluminium”.