Freddie Darke (b.1984 London) makes paintings that feel anchored to a fascination in human journeys and the mysterious entanglements that make up our collective history. Working predominantly in oils and inks on canvas and paper, he mines source material from film, books, lived experience and the imagination to create fragmented images that flit between fiction and reality. On occasion, his work expands into video and animation, and beyond the studio into public art projects that involve courting chance encounters. He lives and works in London, and has exhibited and undertaken creative projects internationally.
EDUCATION
Art Foundation Course - Ravensbourne College, London
BA Honours, Creative Writing - Bretton Hall, University of Leeds
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Rumours of Treasure - Copeland Gallery, Peckham, London, November 2024
Eight Works on Paper - Klose and Soan, London, October and November 2023
For the Birds - Fishslab Gallery, Whitstable, UK, July 2022
Nowhere is Somewhere - C.A.B, Lectoure, France 2017
Expo Surpresa, Combo de Filmes - Paralelacasa, Caxias, Brasil 2017
Selected Works - Auberge de Bardigues, Valence d’Agen, France 2017
19 Paintings - Le M, Bordeaux, France 2017
GROUP SHOWS
Warmly Still - Shoreditch Modern, London, 23 May - 14 June 2024
FOUR - Apperley Arts, London, 25 April - 26 May 2024
The Other Art Fair - The Truman Brewery, London, 7 - 10 March 2024
The Annual Open - Southwark Park Galleries, London, 11/11 - 9/12 2023
ING Discerning Eye - Annual Exhibition - The Mall Galleries, London, 17 - 26 November 2023
Lee Green Open Studios - London, November 12&13, 19&20 2022
The Annual Open - Southwark Park Galleries, London, 13/11 - 3/12 2022
The Other Art Fair - Virtual Edition - 8 - 29 November 2021
The Lost and Found Project “Origins” - Symposium - Across Borders: Body and Self - Counterpoints Arts UK and coculture Berlin - curated by Natasha Davis - coculture e.V.
Böttgerstraße 16, 13357 Berlin, Germany, September 4 2021
The Postcard Project - One Four Seven - London, 13 - 14 August 2021
Printed All Sorts (Online) - 20/11/20 - 20/01/21
36th Annual Open Exhibition - Southwark Park Galleries, 2 December - 31 January 2020/21
Lee Green Open Studios (Online) - London, November-December 2020
Lee Green Open Studios - London, November 2019
Autumn Leaf - The London Group Open 2019 - The Cello Factory, London, November 2019
The Ambulantes Project - Open Studios - Curated by Cristiana Tejo - Hangar - Centro de Investigação Artistica - Lisbon, Portugal, September 2019
Summer Salon 2019 - Candid Arts Trust - Islington, London, July - August 2019
Unsung Odysseys / Letters and Lines - Freddie Darke and Leonidas Panourgias - P-Artworks, Athens, Greece, 2019
Ritual and Revolution - The Old School Residency, Sofia, Pavlikeni, Gorna Lipnitsa, Bulgaria 2018
Baz'Art Bordeaux - Le M, Bordeaux, France 2017
Double Vision - Le Barbacane, Lectoure, France 2016
House of Illustration - Christmas Fair - London 2016
Gray Proud & Freddie Darke - Selected Works – Zebra One Gallery, Hampstead, London 2015
RESIDENCIES
Hangar - Centro de Investigação Artistica - Lisbon, Portugal, September 2019
FaveLAB - Athens, Greece, April - May 2019
'Disturbance and Development’, facilitated by Club Real - Agora Collective, Berlin, Germany 2018
The Old School Residency - Gorna Lipnitsa, Bulgaria, August 2018
C.A.B - Lectoure, France, January - July 2018
C.A.B - Lectoure, France, July – September 2017
Le Barbacane - Lectoure, France, July - December 2016
PRESS & PUBLICATIONS
The Flying Fruit Bowl Podcast 2024 - LISTEN
Victoria Comstock-Kershaw, Art Critic and Editor for Fetch London on Rumours of Treasure - READ
In Conversation with Anaïs Masetti at Shoreditch Modern - READ
Interview with Anaïs Masetti for McWilmanns, 2024 - READ
The Perpetual Search, 2024
Odd Socks - Chutzpah & Chutzpah, Michael O’Mara Publishing, 2017
Station Yard Studios, 2017
Movie Memory - CALMzine, 2016
Refuge - Vogue magazine, 2016
Refuge - Metro, London newspaper, 2016
City of London Appeals Clinic, 2016
