Rachael Champion is a visual artist working in site-specific sculpture, installation, and performance. Her works explore the physical, material and historical relationships between ecology, industry and the built environment. Coalescing at the intersection between biology, geology and architecture, her practice addresses the corporeality of the materials we extract, transform, and consume, interrogating these actions and their effects on the physical characteristics of landscapes and ecosystems. She is continuously probing the layered and complex relationships between industry and nature, believing that a deep understanding of the interconnectivity between the natural world and our built environment is essential for addressing the challenges we face as a species in confronting climate change.
Rachael’s work most often manifests as a response to a place or a landscape. Using a variety of research methods, she establishes a relationship between the natural and industrial histories of a location in relation to how the place functions today. Her process includes extensive desk research, site visits and community engagement as well as communication with experts in fields relevant to the commission. The interactions during her research process greatly inform the development and direction of the artworks.
She is experienced in transforming spaces with sculptural interventions which often include plants, grasses, and other living organisms. Ecology and Horticulture have been major focal points in Rachael’s practice for the past thirteen years. Plants have featured in her installations and sculptures as important visual and conceptual elements. Working with plants enables the artworks to evolve and change whilst creating compelling dialogues with other materials.
Her work has been exhibited widely throughout the UK and internationally in a variety of contexts including commercial art galleries, artist-run exhibition spaces, theatres, and remote landscapes. Leading contemporary art galleries where Rachael’s work has been presented include the Whitechapel Gallery, Camden Arts Centre, Hales Gallery, Zabludowicz Collection, and Modern Art Oxford. She had realised several temporary site-specific public artworks and has a permanent installation in Sarvisalo, Finland commissioned by the Zabludowicz Collection as well as a permanent sculpture in LB Haringey, commissioned by St William. Rachael graduated from the Royal Academy Schools in 2010 and is represented by Hales Gallery London / New York.
You can find out more information about Rachael’s work on her website and social media;
Website: rachaelchampion.com
Instagram: @rachaelchampionart
