Luca Sutton (previously Shaw)
artist-curator - b. 1995, Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK
Image by Glen Cutwerk
My work explores a feeling of anemoia —an intimate nostalgia for a time one has never lived (The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows).
I consistently reference old domestic and religious structures, which I view as enduring symbols of safety and shelter. This exploration is deeply personal, rooted in my own experiences with navigating shifting environments and the role of home.
Using drawing as the foundation of my work, I create pieces that extend into painting, printmaking, and sculptural elements. My process involves deconstructing scenes and rebuilding them into new, imagined spaces—a somewhere but nowhere, a familiar non-place.
This aesthetic is further informed by historic imagery such as medieval manuscripts, theatre sets and architectural adornments which, most recently, has led to the development of combining both picture and object.
Curation is key to my artistic practice. For me, physical spaces, presentation, and the interplay of narratives between artworks create transformative, transportive environments akin to theatre.
Alongside my developing practice, I have directed artist-led spaces, co-created performance projects, and worked as a creative producer on a variety of diverse projects.
Select Exhibitions / Performances
2024
(Live art performance) Process Jam, Merseyway Workshop, Stockport
(Group) The Myth of Sisyphus, Altogether Otherwise (Curated by Amrit Randhawa) Manchester
(Group) Open Studios group show, 1853 Studios Oldham
(Live art performance) Surroundings, Balo Project, Pan Pan Birmingham
2023
(Live art performance) Surroundings, Balo Project, Lancaster Jazz Festival, Lancaster
(Performance - set + projection) What Happened to Agnes, Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh
(Group) IWD Exhibition, Cloudwater Brewery, Manchester
2022
(Group) Belonging, HOME, Manchester
Pop Up Exhibition, Selfridges, Manchester
2020
(Performance - set + projection) What Happened to Agnes, Push Festival, HOME, Manchester
Select Curation
Creative Director & Curator
1853 Studios & Gallery
Oldham, Manchester
2025
I Create From My Heart: Akinyemi Oludele, Mill 2 Gallery
The Weight of Dream: Chidimma Urunwa Ikegwuonu, Mill 1 Gallery
fourteen days: Scott Brown, Mill 2 Gallery
CAN(N)ON: Jamie Kirk & Sam Owen Hull, Mill 1 Gallery
2024
RIPPED: Wendy Roby + Helen Davies, 1853 Studios Mill 1 Gallery
Melange: Bill Eiffert, 1853 Studios Mill 1 Gallery
2023
Open Studios Group Show, 1853 Studios Mill 1 Gallery
Co-Director & Curator
Underbank Studios
Stockport
2023
Belonging, Underbank Studios group show, Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery, Stockport
(Group) IWD Exhibition, Cloudwater Brewery, Manchester
Publications
2020
Cōnfingō Issue 13
2020
It's Nice That - Charlie Filmer-Court
Education
2014 - 2018
BA (Hons) Illustration (First Class), Stockport College University Centre (Manchester Metropolitan University)