I would use the funding to develop a new body of textile based work, focusing on embroidery and tapestry. This award would mark a vital step in deepening both the conceptual and technical aspects of my practice, while working at a more ambitious scale.The bursary would be used across key areas: materials and production, skills development, and studio space. I would invest invest in high quality natural fibres, embroidery threads, yarns, and specialist tools that are essential for creating intricate, hand-crafted textile work.
I also plan to collaborate with a fabrication company to support the realisation of larger works that require professional that specialise in embroidery and tapestry production. These collaborations would help translate my ideas into larger, more intricate textile pieces that go beyond what I can currently produce in my current space.
A significant portion of the funding would be dedicated to skills development. I intend to work with a master weaver through short term intensive training or mentorship to deepen my understanding of weaving. This will help me integrate techniques into my practice and explore new possibilities within textile making. To support this period of focused making and learning, I would also invest in a temporary studio space. Having a dedicated workspace would allow me to work at a larger scale.
Overall, The Dover Prize would provide the crucial support needed to push my practice forward, helping me grow artistically and professionally. It would allow me to work more ambitiously, explore new techniques, and create work that is both materially rich and conceptually grounded while laying the foundations for future exhibitions, commissions, and sustainable studio practice.
Darlington’s rich industrial and textile heritage offers a unique foundation for creative exploration, and I believe my work can help celebrate and reimagine this legacy through contemporary textile practices. Through public workshops, talks, and collaborations with local artists and institutions, I would actively contribute to fostering community engagement and knowledge exchange around textile arts. By making my creative process accessible and rooted in the region’s heritage, I hope to spark interest in craft and storytelling among diverse audiences.
By presenting my work in Darlington would help position the town as a vibrant site for contemporary art, attracting wider attention and investment. The Dover Prize’s support would enable me to bring new energy to the local arts scene, encouraging both emerging and established creatives to explore innovative practices connected to place and identity. Ultimately, I hope my work would strengthen Darlington’s profile as a hub where history, creativity, and community intersect.
I am an Angolan born artist based in London. My artistic practice weaves together collage, textile, and installation, using 19th century black and white photographs and botanical illustration. At its core, my work, delves into layered concept of identity, investigating themes of belonging and un-belonging. I am deeply motivated by the need to confront the enduring legacies of colonialism, unravelling how this complex past continues to shape global dynamics of race, culture, politics, land, economics, and society. Central to my practice is the exploration of the racial dimensions of historical imagery, questioning whose stories are preserved and celebrated and whose narratives remain obscured. This inquiry extends into the realm of ethnobotany, where I investigate the intertwined histories of plants and people. I examine the roles women have played in plant exploration and the extraction of botanical knowledge from indigenous women to serve colonial interests. Through archival research, I explore the act of collecting and cataloguing drawing connections between the classification of plants and the racial categorisation of humans. The linguistic heritage of plant naming, encompassing both Latin and Indigenous languages, also features prominently in my work. Recently, I have been expanding the textile aspects of my practice. Initially, I started by transforming my mixed media collages into embroidered pieces which then led to be a warded a fellowship where I learnt to weave for a month. This experience has inspired me to delve deeper into the traditions of textile work, particularly the rich techniques and histories of practices from South America, Africa and Asia. As I move forward, I am excited to explore how textile traditions can further deepen my engagement with themes of identity, history, land and belonging. I am currently exhibiting in a group show at the Cape Verde Cultural Centre in Lisbon, Portugal with the focus on contemporary African artist.
I have a BA in Fine Arts from the Slade School of Fine Arts (University College London) graduating in 2007.
I have received grants that have supported the development of my artistic practice. In the autumn of 2024, I was awarded a grant from the Eaton Fund, which enabled me to purchase a small weaving loom to expand my textile based practice. Prior to that, in the autumn of 2023, I was awarded a fellowship to attend a residency at the Studios at MASS MoCA (The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), which took place in January 2024.
I am a member of The Photographic Collective, a non-profit association registered in 2024 in Switzerland. The collective was launched in 2020 as an online platform with the aim of highlighting the work of photographers and visual artists based in and from Africa, particularly those who are not currently represented by a gallery. Our mission is to grant visibility to emerging artists, support research into overlooked photographic archives, and champion new and underrepresented talent.
I have been featured in a variety of media outlet and platforms over the years. These include the Art Momentum, Artsy, HS Projects, Not A Museum, Art Africa Magazine, Contemporary And (C&), PT. Euro News, Another Magazine, Assets for Artists, Aesthetica Magazine, Contemporary Art Society, Thread Caravan, and New African Magazine. These features have explored different aspects of my practice. Each appearance has contributed to expanding the visibility of my work within both local and international art discourses.
I am not currently represented by a gallery, but I work in close collaboration with This Is Not A White Cube in Lisbon, Portugal. Through this ongoing partnership, the gallery has exhibited my work in various international contexts and has also presented my work at several art fairs. While this is not a formal representation, our relationship has offered valuable opportunities for increased visibility, professional growth, and engagement with wider audiences. This collaboration has been instrumental in supporting the distribution and promotion of my practice on global scale.
I have had the opportunity to attend various artists residencies from Iniva( Institute of International Visual Arts), London (UK), Pocoapoco (Oaxaca, Mexico), MASS MocA ( The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) North Adams, US and recently I attended a textile residency with Thread Caravan at TEXERE( Oaxaca, Mexico).
Email: studio@alidarodrigues.com
Address: Flat 10 Patterson Court, Patterson Road, London, Greater London, SE19 2LG, GB
