Tamsin Relly’s multi-disciplinary practice includes painting, printmaking and photography. In response to the increasingly disrupted environmental conditions of a shifting global climate, her work explores the reciprocal relationship we have with our planet’s ecology and the ways in which we find connection with the living world. Recent projects consider the migration of plants and the preservation of botanical environments through conservation, urban parks and memory – be it personal, collective or held within the land.
Drawing on both found media imagery and first-hand observations, Relly works with the fluid and unpredictable qualities of her materials and processes to present impressions of natural and urban spaces in states of uncertainty or impermanence. South Africa born, Relly’s research has taken her to diverse locations including the Arctic Circle, The Eden Project in Cornwall and Las Vegas. She lives and works in London, where she received an MA in Fine Art at City & Guilds of London Art School in 2011.
Relly’s work has been exhibited and collected widely in the United Kingdom and internationally. It has been presented in group exhibitions curated by Royal Academy of Arts, Sid Motion Gallery, Informality and T J Boulting in London; SMITH, Cape Town; and Gerson Zevi, New York; and solo shows hosted by the House of St Barnabas, The Place Downstairs and Brocket Gallery in London. Her work is held in collections including Simmons Contemporary, Hogan Lovells, and the National Maritime Museum in London. Artist residencies include Arteles, Finland; RE·THINK: Environment, National Maritime Museum, London; Pocantico, Rockefeller Brother Fund, New York; and The Arctic Circle, Svalbard.
Relly has been commissioned by curatorial charity Hospital Rooms to create permanent work for locked and secure mental health units in the UK. In 2017 she donated a share of the proceeds from all her sales to World Land Trust for the purchase and protection of tropical rain forest.
EDUCATION
2011 - 2012
City & Guilds of London Art School – Masters in Fine Art.
ARTIST RESIDENCIES
2018
HOGCHESTER ARTS Dorset, United Kingdom
2016
SILENCE AWARENESS EXISTENCE – Arteles, Finland
2015
POCANTICO – Rockefeller Brothers Fund, New York
RE THINK: ENVIRONMENT – National Maritime Museum, London
2014
GERSON ZEVI LAND ART ROAD TRIP – Nervada and Utah
THE ARCTIC CIRCLE – Svalbard, Norway
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017
FOREST MEMORY – Brocket, London
IMAGINING THE AMAZON – The Collective, The House of St Barnabas, London. Curated by Alteria Art
2014
JUNGLE SNOW – The Place Downstairs, London. Curated by Stuart Evans
2012
TIPPING POINT – ASC Window Space, London
RECENT WORK – Salon 91, Cape Town
2007
INTERFACE – Guga S’Thebe, Langa, Cape Town
2004
SOURCE – Sandbaai, South Africa
1999
BENEATH THE SURFACE – Le Bon Ton, Cape Town
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025
AN EXHIBITION OF SMALL THINGS WTIH BIG IDEAS – White Conduit Projects, London
SPEAKING SHADOWS – Beyond Space Art, London
SUNNY SIDE UP – CLOSE Gallery, Somerset
TENDER GROUND – Hannah Payne Art, Worton Organics, Oxfordshire
2024
THE SCALE OF WATER – Michael Pennie Gallery, Bath
HOSPITAL ROOMS – Hauser & Wirth, London
WAR CHILD X ART ON POSTCARD – Fitzrovia Gallery, London
ART ACADEMY LONDON FUNDRAISER – Christie’s, London
WOOLWICH CONTEMPORARY PRINT FAIR – Oliver Projects, London
2023
ARES – OHSH X Cromwell Place, London
SHIFTING LANDSCAPES – Emergence Magazine, OXO Tower Warf London
SUMMER EXHIBITION – Royal Academy of Arts, London
HOSPITAL ROOMS FUNDRAISER – Bonhams, London
2022
WITHIN REACH – Sid Motion Gallery, London
LIKE THERE IS HOPE & I CAN DREAM OF ANOTHER WORLD – Hauser & Wirth X Hospital Rooms, London
REGENERATION – Informality Gallery, Henley on Thames
GOD OF WAR – OHSH Projects, London
SOUTH BERMONDSEY ART TRAIL – OPEN STUDIOS – Cell Projects, London
WOOLWICH CONTEMPORARY PRINT FAIR – Oliver Projects, London
2021
INTO THE LIGHT OF THE PRESENT DAY – Oliver Projects, London
SOUTH BERMONDSEY ART TRAIL – OPEN STUDIOS – Cell Projects, London
ART CAR BOOT FAIR (ONLINE) – With Hospital Rooms, UK
SUMMER SHOW – Zuleika Gallery, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
RYTHM ADJUST (ONLINE) – Curated by the Breathe Project – Hannah Payne & Zanny Mellor
INSTRUCTIONS FOR WAITING (ONLINE) – Liminal Gallery, UK
2020
SUMMER ( WINTER) EXHIBITION – Royal Academy of Arts, London
HOSPITAL ROOMS AUCTION – Hauser & Wirth, London
DRAWING CLOSER – Oliver Projects, London
WOOLWICH CONTEMPORARY PRINT FAIR – THE ONLINE EDITION – London
WORK ON PAPER – Blue Shop Cottage, London
SOUTH BERMONDSEY ART TRAIL – OPEN STUDIOS – Cell Projects, London
2019
POLAR WORLDS (on going) – National Maritime Museum, London
SITE WORKS – Experimental Gallery, Cornell University, New York
ONE OF ONE – After Projects, London
HOSPITAL ROOMS AUCTION – Hauser & Wirth, London
HOSPITAL ROOMS – EXETER PHOENIX – Exeter Phoenix, Devon.
2018
POLAR WORLDS – National Maritime Museum, London
ART FOR THE BARBICAN – The Barbican Centre, London
SUMMER EXHIBITION – Royal Academy of Arts, London
HOSPITAL ROOMS & EILEEN SKELLERN 1 – Griffin Gallery, London
PAPER CUTS – Kristian Day, Saatchi Gallery, London
40° CELCIUS – ASC Gallery, London
9 ARTISTS – Curated by Katherine Oliver, London
SUMMER EXHIBITION – The Concept Space, London
WOOLWICH CONTEMPORARY PRINT FAIR – London
PLACES FACES SPACES – New Arts Project, London
2017
PAPER CUTS – Trip Gallery, London. Curated by Kristian Day
CONTROL TO COLLAPSE – Blyth Gallery, London. Curated by Paint Union
PLANET ON FIRE – Two-person exhibition with Henry Hussey. TM Lighting, London. Curated by Jo Baring, Ingram Collection
PIY PAINT LOUNGE – Sluice Biennal, London
WISDOM & NATURE – PHILLIPS – London, Paris, New York
SUMMER EXHIBITION – Royal Academy of Arts, London
A SENSE OF PLACE – Simmons Contemporary, London. Curated by Stuart Evans
GREEN CREATES – Fundraising Auction for the Green Party of England and Wales, Hoxton Arches, London
UNCOMMON GROUND – Royal Geographical Society, London
WOOLWICH ORIGONAL PRINT FAIR – London
2016
DENTONS ART PRIZE – Dentons Law Firm, London. Curated by Niamh white
THE TERRARIUM DRAWN – Jaggedart, London. Curated by Katherine Jones
SUMMER EXHIBITION – Royal Academy of Arts, London
ARCADIA – Smith Gallery, Cape Town
VISTA – Coates & Scarry, London
LONDON ART FAIR / JOHN JONES – Business Design Centre, London
2015
WHISPERS – Ronchini Gallery, London. Curated by Adeline de Monseignat
2014
RA ART SALES / PAINTER PRINTMAKERS – Royal Academy of Arts, London
TIME TO HIT THE ROAD – Curated by Gerson Zevi. Leila Heller Gallery, New York
CHRISTIE’S MULTIPLIED ART FAIR / Alteria Art – Christies, London
PUBLISH/CURATE – T J Boulting, London
FNB JOBURG ART FAIR / Commune 1 – Johannesburg
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS IN YORKSHIRE – Zillah Bell Gallery, North Yorkshire. Curated by Norman Ackroyd
CITY & GUILD OF LONDON ART SCHOOL – Zillah Bell Gallery, North Yorkshire
TRACE – HONORE, Paris
SUMMER EXHIBITION – Royal Academy of Arts, London
LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR – Royal Academy of Arts, London
BAINBRIDGE OPEN – The Tea Gallery, London
LANDSCAPE TO A BLINDMAN’S EYE – Slate Projects, London
OCEANA JUNIOR COUNCIL LAUNCH – Phillips Auction House, Curated by Stitch Projects, London
2013
SUMMER EXHIBITION – Royal Academy of Arts, London
LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR – Royal Academy of Arts, London
POP-UP at 87a LOWER MARSH – Curated by Samia Calbayrac, London
2012
BITE – Artists Making Prints, Mall Galleries, London
SUMMER EXHIBITION – Royal Academy of Arts, London
SHOULDER2SHOULDER – Royal Marines Barracks, London
LONDON ORIGINAL PRINT FAIR – Royal Academy of Arts, London
2011
POST GRADUATE PRINTMAKING IN LONDON – Clifford Chance, London
SPACE FOR CHANGE – Parlour Gallery Project Space, London
LET YOURSELF LOVE A WILD THING – Salon 91, Cape Town
2010
SUMMER EXHIBITION – Vetrine Gallery, London
2008
PLAY WITH IMAGINATION – The premises Gallery, Johannesburg
THE BIJOU BURNDS AGAIN – Urban Contemporary Art, Cape Town
2007
THOUGHT TRAFFIC – The premises Gallery, Johannesburg
2006
CHOICE ASSORTMENT – WhatitheWorld, Cape Town
UNTITLED – WhatiftheWorld, Cape Town
2005
SPRING FLING – Whatiftheworld, Cape Town
BLACK AND WHITE POSTER PROJECT – Dirt, Cape Town
MEMBERS EXHIBITION – Association of Visual Arts, Cape Town
2003
BRETT KEBBLE ART AWARDS – Cape Town
SASOL ART AND WAX – Sasolburg, South Africa
YDESIRE – 4rth Soft serve party, The Castle,Cape Town
A REFLECTION OF WOMENS LIVES – Durban Art Gallery, Durban
ICONS – Ants Nest, Cape Town
ABSOLUTE MAGIC – Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
2002
WOMANS ISSUES – Durban Art Gallery, Durban
FAMILY TREES – Bang the Gallery, Cape
ABSOLUTE VOYER – Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
2001
THUPELO INTERNATIONAL – S A N G, Cape Town
THUPELO REGIONAL – S A N G, Cape Town
SOCIETE NATIONAL DES BEAUX ARTS – Carrousel du Louvre, Paris
ABSOLUTE SECRET – Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town
COLLECTIONS
2023
IMPERIAL HEALTH CHARITY – London, UK
2022
KOKO – London, UK
SUTTON PR – London, UK
2020
SIMMONS & SIMMONS – London, UK
2019
NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM – London, UK
2018
HOGAN LOVELLS – London, UK
DENTONS – London, UK
2016
YELLOWWOODS ART – South Africa
2013
SPIER – Stellenbosch, South Africa
2012
ELLERMAN HOUSE – Cape Town, SA
2007
HOLLARD – Johannesburg, SA
TOKARA – Stellenbosch, SA
2006
HOLLARD – Johannesburg, SA
1999 - 2020
Private Collections in South Africa, Europe, North America, United Kingdom & Australia
PRESS
2025
Sunday Times Style Magazine, United Kingdom
2021
The Moment When, Winsor & Newton (online)
Art, Ecology and Mental Health, CAS Art (online)
2020
Material Matters, Winsor & Newton (online)
2018
Show Studios, London (Interview)
2016
SA Art Times, South Africa (Interview)
Kensington & Chelsea Review, United Kingdom (Interview)
Cape Argus, Cape Town, SA (Interview)
Bolander, Somerset West, SA (Interview)
2014
City Solicitor, UK (Interview)
2013
Tremors, UK (Review)
Rookie Creative, UK (Review)
2012
The New Age, South Africa. (Review)
The Jackdaw, UK (Profile)
2010
Elle, Holland. (Profile)
2009
Elle Décor, SA. (Project Feature)
Top Billing Magazine, SA. (Project Feature)
2007
House and Garden, SA. (Profile)
Garden and Home, SA. (Profile)
Absolute Cape Town, SA. (Profile)
Time Out, Cape Town, SA.(Profile)
Sunday Independent, SA. (Profile)
2006
The Art Times, SA. (Profile)
The Cape Times, SA. (Review)
Obrigado, SA. (Review)
1999
The Cape Times, SA. (Review)
Die Burger, SA. (Review)