Sarah Ball grew up in South Yorkshire and studied at Newport Art College. After working in London throughout the late 80s and 90s, she returned to Wales to concentrate solely on painting and complete an MFA at Bath Spa University in 2005. She is represented by Millennium.

Ball’s most recent works are intricate and diminutive painted portraits taken from police ‘mugshots’. These delve into ideas surrounding 19th Century physiognomy - which was a widely explored and believed notion that there was a connection between an individual’s outward appearance and their inner character - in essence good people ‘looked good’ and bad people ‘looked bad’. This research progressed to include Alphone Bertillon’s identification system. Bertillon was a French police officer and biometrics researcher who applied the anthropological technique of anthropometry to law enforcement, creating an identification system based on physical measurements.

Acclaim for Sarah Ball continues to grow with two recent pieces selected and curated by Edith Devaney the Curator of Contemporary projects in the new portraiture room at the RA Summer Show, 2013. The work was shown alongside artists such as Frank Auerbach, Gavin Turk, Gary Hume, Julian Opie, Elizabeth Peyton, Alex Katz and Michael Craig Martin.

Ball is currently Weslh Artist of the Year, having been shortlisted in 2007 and 2009. She also recently one The Best of Wales prize at The National Open Art Competition, 2012. Sarah was also shortlisted for the Threadneedle Prize in 2009 and has again been shortlisted this year.


CV


SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2013
Accused Part 2, Millennium 2012  
Accused, Millennium
Oriel Tegfryn, Menai Bridge

2011   
Sarah Ball and Meirion Ginsberg, Martin Tinney Gallery, Cardiff

2007   
Nature Paintings, Hybrid Gallery, Devon

2003   
Landfall Habitat, Cardiff

2000   
New Work, Hybrid Gallery, London

1996   
Landscapes, Hybrid Gallery, London

1994   
Shore Shapes, Hybrid Gallery, London


SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2013
Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, London
Welsh Artist of the Year Exhibition, Cardiff
London Art Fair, Millennium Gallery

2012
Martin Tinney Gallery: 25th anniversary
Millennium Mixed Winter, St Ives
Mono No Aware, bo.lee
The National Open Art Competition, Chichester
National Eisteddford, Vale of Glamorgan
Never Never, Aberystwyth Arts Centre
London Art Fair, Martin Tinney Gallery

2011
Millennium Mixed Winter, St Ives
Hunting the Hunted, bo.lee Gallery with Beth Carter and Duncan Cameron
Wunderkammer, Bo.lee Gallery, off site exhibition at The Octagon Chapel, Bath
London Art Fair

2010   
RWA 158th Autumn Exhibition, RWA, Bristol
Here and Now, Newport Museum and Art Galleries, Newport
National Eisteddfod EbbwVale
Welsh Artist of the Year, St David’s Hall, Cardiff – (Highly commended)
RWA 3rd Open Painting Exhibition, RWA, Bristol

2009   
Winter Exhibition, Lynne Strover Gallery, Cambridge
RWA 157th Autumn Exhibition, RWA, Bristol
Threadneedle Prize, Mall Galleries, London
Welsh Artist of the Year, St David’s Hall, Cardiff

2008   
Wiinter Open, Oriel Q, Narbeth
Purchase Prize, Wales Millennium Centre/Oriel Y Bont, University of Glamorgan

2007   
RWA Autumn Exhibition, RWA, Bristol
Washington Gallery, Penarth
Welsh Artist of the Year, St David’s Hall, Cardiff
MA Show, Stroud House Gallery, Stroud
Undercover, Oriel Davies, Powys

2006   
Purchase Prize (shortlisted), Oriel Y Bont, University of Glamorgan

2005   
Artsway Open 05, Artsway, Hampshire
Presque Vu Paintworks, Bristol

2002   
Winter Show, Albany Gallery, Cardiff

1996 
4i Ecology Centre, London

1994   
Summer Exhibition, Lynne Strover Gallery, Cambridge


PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COMMISSIONS

2008
University of Glamorgan

200
Sir Alan Langlands (NHS Chief Executive and Vice Chancellor of Dundee University)

1996
Sir Harry Moore (Chairman of the Co-operative Halifax)


PRIZES

2013
Winner of Welsh Artist of the Year

2012
The National Open Art Competition - Winner: Best of Wales 2012