If awarded the Dover Prize, I would use the bursary to further develop an ongoing body of work involving real-time, analogue visuals created through the manipulation of different natural materials, a variety of daily and laboratory objects, glassware, perforated cards, inks, acetates, etc. This work is produced using a custom-built, site-specific camera and lighting setup for live performance contexts. The project is in its early stages and requires deeper material investigation, technical refinement, and structured collaboration with sound artists.
A central principle of the project is the rejection of digital processing and AI-generated content in the creation of live visuals. This decision is both conceptual and environmental: it emphasises low-tech, energy-conscious methods, and supports a more tactile, site-responsive practice. Working with materials directly in front of the camera allows for immediate interaction with the surrounding context, facilitating performances that respond to the spatial, temporal, and environmental conditions of each venue or setting.
The bursary would be used to acquire specialist equipment and materials (such as optics, a professional scanner and printer, acetates, lighting, filters, and projection tools), support travel for field research and site testing, and cover fees for professional input in technical and performative aspects of the work. This includes assistance with rig development, camera system optimisation, and the integration of analogue visuals with live sound environments.
A significant portion of the research will take place through a collaborative process with the British ambient/electronic band Sunda Arc. This will culminate in a new live work to be presented in Darlington at the conclusion of the residency. The opportunity to focus on this project over an extended period would enable me to consolidate a method of live visual performance rooted in analogue experimentation and environmental sensitivity.
The Dover Prize would offer the critical time and resources to deepen this enquiry, refine the technical infrastructure, and support the development of a performance that embodies direct, material-based visual storytelling.
This project offers an opportunity to engage with Darlington’s distinctive identity—its industrial heritage, strong ties to the railway, and its evolving relationship with the surrounding landscape—as a conceptual and material framework for developing new visual work. The analogue, site-responsive nature of my practice allows for direct experimentation with local materials, light, and textures, embedding aspects of Darlington’s environment and visual culture into the creation process.
By prioritising non-digital methods and rejecting AI and post-production editing, the project aligns with an environmentally conscious ethic, while also inviting closer dialogue with the places where performances happen. Elements of Darlington’s architectural features, mechanical history, and public spaces may be reflected in the shapes, surfaces, and gestures of the final live visual performance.
The closing event—a live session with British electronic/ambient duo Sunda Arc—will translate this research and material engagement into an immersive audiovisual experience rooted in Darlington’s own spatial, historical and sensory particularities. In doing so, the work aims to contribute to the cultural vibrancy of the region, stimulate public interest in experimental forms of performance, and raise Darlington’s profile as a site for innovative, place-specific contemporary art.
I am a visual artist working across a range of media, including painting, drawing, ceramics, editorial projects, installation, and real-time analogue visuals. My practice often investigates the interplay between socio-political narratives, environmental concerns, and systems of representation. I am particularly interested in how institutional frameworks—such as museums, the art market, corporate industries or institutional structures—shape collective perception and memory. I studied at the San Carlos Fine Arts Faculty (Polytechnic University of Valencia), completing part of my degree at Middlesex University in London, and later received the Visual Art Diploma from the Royal Academy Schools (2017–2021), a postgraduate programme offering free studio space and bursary support. Since then, I have developed a research-led practice that frequently draws from archival or site-based references, expanding into interdisciplinary and context-specific projects. Recent solo exhibitions include Beyond the Fence at MuVIM (Museu Valencià de la Il·lustració i de la Modernitat), which addressed environmental and postcolonial themes, and resulted in a museum publication. My previous show Repossessions. 36 Midsummer Night’s Dreams at Gabinete de Dibujos (Valencia) received the Best Exhibition Award at Abierto Valencia 2023. Other solo shows have taken place at BilbaoArte, Alarcón Criado, and Josedelafuente galleries. Group exhibitions include presentations at La Casa Encendida (Madrid), CentroCentro (Madrid), Centquatre (Paris), the Beall Center for Art + Technology (California), and Assembly Point (London). Alongside this work, I have been developing a strand of real-time, camera-based visual performance using glassware, natural materials, analogue lighting, and non-digital methods. These visuals are produced live using a custom-built camera setup and presented as collaborative sessions with musicians. This aspect of my practice is in early development and has been presented in venues in London, Madrid, and Norwich.
I have received support through grants and residencies from institutions such as the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Casa de Velázquez (Académie de France à Madrid), the Spanish Ministry of Culture, and the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. The Dover Prize would support the development of my analogue visual practice over a longer period of exploration and experimentation.
Yes, I hold both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in visual arts. I completed my undergraduate studies at the San Carlos Fine Arts Faculty (Polytechnic University of Valencia), where I obtained a degree in Fine Arts. During this time, I also participated in an academic exchange programme at Middlesex University in London, which allowed me to expand my perspective and engage with a broader international context in contemporary art.
For my postgraduate education, I was awarded a place at the Royal Academy Schools in London (2017–2021), where I received a Visual Art Diploma. The Royal Academy Schools is the UK’s only free postgraduate art programme and provides full-time studio practice over three years, as well as access to bursaries and artist support funds. The programme supports a research-led and critically engaged approach to contemporary art practice, and played a key role in the development of my interdisciplinary work, including drawing, installation, ceramics, and live visual performance.
These formal studies have been further complemented by international residencies and professional development awards, which continue to inform my practice through dialogue with different cultural, historical, and environmental contexts.
Yes, I have received several professional grants and awards that have supported the development of my artistic practice both internationally and in the UK. These include the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (New York), the Casa de Velázquez Residency Grant (Académie de France à Madrid), and the Bogliasco Foundation Residency (Liguria Arts Center, Italy). In Spain, I was awarded the Generaciones 2014 Prize (Fundación Especial Caja Madrid), the XX Alfons Roig Grant (Council of Valencia), and various Ministry of Culture grants, including the Formarte Residency in Paris.
In the UK, I received the Gilbert Bayes Scholarship Award (Royal Society of Sculptors, London, 2021), the 2019–2020 Bloc Billboard Commission (Sheffield), the 2019 Mara Lopf Prize (London Print Art Fair), and the 2018 Newton Investment Management Commission Prize (London). I was also awarded bursaries and artist support funds as part of the Royal Academy of Arts Postgraduate Programme (2017–2021).
Most recently, my solo exhibition Repossessions. 36 Midsummer Night’s Dreams received the Best Exhibition Prize at Abierto Valencia 2023. These awards and commissions have been instrumental in facilitating new work and visibility, contributing to the continued growth of my artistic career across various contexts.
Yes, I am actively involved in developing a self-initiated professional platform. In 2021, I co-founded Fair Art Trade (fairarttrade.net), the first international certification and sales platform focused on ethically sourced, curated contemporary art. What sets Fair Art Trade apart is its dedication to offering Unique Uncatalogued Artworks (UUAs)—singular pieces that have often remained in artists’ studios, existing outside traditional commercial circuits.
Unlike most contemporary art trade portals, Fair Art Trade gives visibility to mid-career and established artists by showcasing works that carry strong artistic value yet do not always fit within clearly defined series or projects. These pieces include early experiments, trial proofs, accidents, or standalone artworks that capture the initial spark of an idea or a formative step in an artist’s process. They are neither considered “finished” in the conventional sense nor dismissed as remnants—they are valued as contemporary archaeological finds.
The platform is curated annually by both the artists and a panel of contemporary art professionals, offering access to these rare pieces at democratic prices. Fair Art Trade fosters a sustainable and transparent model of exchange that benefits both artists and collectors, contributing to a more equitable and dynamic international art ecosystem.
Yes, I was recently commissioned by MuVIM (Museu Valencià de la Il·lustració i de la Modernitat) for a solo exhibition titled Beyond the Fence, curated by Vicente Chambó. The project explored themes of environmental justice and postcolonial legacy, with particular reference to the work of Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement in Kenya. It evolved from a previous editorial project based on Kikuyu oral tales into a multidisciplinary installation comprising large-format drawings, ceramics, and a floor mural evoking a fictional flag.
The exhibition reflected on ecological resistance and collective memory through invented watercolour stamps and symbolic forms. It was conceived specifically for the museum context and designed to engage the public in reflection on activism, memory, and the natural world. A publication documenting the entire project, including artworks and critical texts, has recently been released by the museum.
This commission allowed me to expand my research-driven practice into a new spatial and editorial format, and to work closely with an institution to deliver an ambitious, thematically layered project to a wide public audience.
Yes, my work has been acquired by numerous public collections both in Spain and internationally. These include: CA2M – Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo; Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno (IVAM); the Spanish Ministry of Culture; Académie de France à Madrid (Casa de Velázquez); Colección Cajamadrid; Newton Investment Management (UK); Diputación de Valencia; Diputación de Alicante; Ayuntamiento de Valencia; Ajuntament de Mislata; Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV); Academia de Bellas Artes de San Carlos; Fundación Mainel; Colección de Arte Engloba; Centre d’Art Contemporain ACMCM, Perpignan (France); Colección de Arte Ibercaja; Museo Municipal de Valdepeñas; Ateneo Mercantil de Valencia; Bilbaoarte Fundazioa; and the Colección de Arte de la Generalitat Valenciana, among others
Yes, my work has been reviewed and featured in various art journals, newspapers, magazines, and online platforms both nationally and internationally. Recent examples include an article by Lucía García Higueras in eldiario.es (March 2025) discussing my politically engaged work at ARCO; a review by Teresa Madueño in Valenciaplaza (September 2023) highlighting Incautaciones as the “best exhibition” in Valencia; and a feature in Flat Magazine (September 2023) focusing on my critical engagement with corporate culture in Spain.
Previously, El Cultural (September 2022) covered my solo project Sometimes You’ve Gotta Break the Rules, developed at the Royal Academy of Arts. My practice was also the subject of a conversation featured in RA Magazine (Summer 2020, UK), where writer Charlotte Jansen explored themes in my work alongside curator Gonzalo Herrero. Additional interviews and features include Young Artists in Conversation by David McLeavy (2019) and an analytical essay by A. Montesinos in the Catálogo Art Contemporani de la Comunitat Valenciana (2018), which framed my work as a form of protest through memory.
These articles reflect the range of critical discourse surrounding my practice and its resonance across multiple contexts and audiences.
Yes, I am currently represented by formatocomodo, a contemporary art gallery based in Madrid. Since 2021, our collaboration has included a solo exhibition at the gallery and participation in international art fairs such as ARCO Madrid. formatocomodo supports a range of contemporary practices and is active in promoting its artists through curated projects, publications, and international exposure.
Prior to this, I have worked with other galleries including Josedelafuente (Santander), PUNTO (Valencia), and Alarcón Criado (Seville), with whom I developed various solo and group exhibitions. These professional relationships have allowed me to show my work in both commercial and institutional contexts across Spain and internationally. My engagement with these galleries has contributed to the visibility and development of my practice over the years.
Yes, I have participated in several recognised international residency and artist placement programmes. Notably, I was awarded a year-long residency at the Casa de Velázquez – Académie de France à Madrid, which supports artists engaged in research and production across disciplines. I was also the recipient of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, which supports professional artists with a proven track record. In addition, I undertook a residency at the Bogliasco Foundation (Liguria Study Center for Arts and Humanities), an international programme based in Italy that selects fellows from across disciplines to develop projects in a collaborative, research-focused environment.
Other residencies include the Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), the Formarte Residency Grant from the Spanish Ministry of Culture (Collège d’Espagne, Paris), and programmes supported by Fundación Caixa Galicia, Fundación Bilbaoarte, and the Alfons Roig Grant from the Council of Valencia. These opportunities have provided essential time and support for research, experimentation, and production, while enabling exchange within international peer communities.
Email: taniablanco@raschools.org.uk
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