Tinsel’s art responds to a wide variety of contemporary social and political issues, whilst referencing the absurd mundanity of everyday life. Her work offers biting social commentary entwined with humour, emotion and honest autobiographical narrative. Predominantly a painter, her practice also includes printmaking, working with found materials, installation and public ‘art stunts’.
Tinsel spent 5 years creating a body of work in response to the housing crisis in London, her artwork was selected to be part of Banksy’s Dismaland in 2015, Banksy is a collector of Tinsel's work. In 2017 she published a book called ‘Priced Out’ with Dunlin Press, it is a personal account of the declining state of housing in the capital through the eyes of an artist.
Tinsel co-founded A-side B-side Gallery and Studios in Hackney, London in 2012 but left the project in 2016 to pursue her own art practice. She has curated and co-curated lots of exhibitions. Sometimes she collaborates with childhood friend Twinkle Troughton, together they have created several ‘art stunts’ including kidnapping a banker and dressing as traffic wardens to fine 500 cars with free artwork. From 2000-2007 Tinsel was one of The Fairies and a singer in The Fairies Band. Tinsel has exhibited widely across the UK and Europe. She has worked with Jealous Gallery, The Pure Evil Gallery, The Art Car Boot Fair and Galerie Michaela Stock in Vienna amongst others. Tinsel was invited to be a keynote speaker at the first edition of The Art Conference in London in 2016, the event was produced by Tina Ziegler of Moniker Art Fair. In 2018 Tinsel created an artwork for a charity auction put together by Pavement Licker.
Tinsel Edwards was born in the Midlands in 1979 and is now based in Glasgow, Scotland. She studied at Goldsmiths College (Fine Art BA) and lived in London for 19 years before moving to Glasgow in 2017. She divides her time between working for arts organisation WASPS (an art studio provider), making art and spending time with her family.
Photography by Lady Ray
SOLO and duo exhibitions (selected)
2013 – ‘A Mini Retrospective’ Duo show with Twinkle Troughton at Michaela Stock Gallery, Vienna and A-side B-side Gallery, London
2009 – ‘It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times’ Duo show with Twinkle Troughton at Steal from work, Bristol
2008 - ‘A Year of Private Views’ at The Pure Evil Gallery, London and Artport, Kolonie Wedding, Berlin
2006 - ‘This is modern art’ This Way Up Gallery, Dragon Bar, London
2006 - ‘An Urban Myth’ The Fairies exhibition, Tomtom Gallery, London
GROUP EXHIBITIONS (selected)
2019 - Making a Mark, Dulwich College, London
2017 - The Spirit House, Geddes Gallery, London
2016 - The Art Conference, Tanner Street, London
2015 - Dismaland, Banksy’s Bemusement Park, Weston-Super-Mare
2015 - The Art Car Boot Fair, Brick Lane
2015 - London Original Print Fair, The Royal Academy
2014 - Moniker Art Fair with Jealous Gallery
2014 - Affordable Art Fair with Jealous Gallery
2013 - ‘Black, White and Red all over’ Jealous Gallery, London
2013 - ‘I Love you Because’ A-side B-side Gallery, London (curated by Harry Pye)
2011 - Flag Stop art Fair, South Bay Lexus, 24777 Crenshaw Blvd. Torrance, CA 90505 USA
2011 - Hackney WICKED festival
2011 - 11:11, East Gallery, Brick Lane, London
2011- Momac curated by Roberta Moore and Lisa Mackenzie, Gloucester
2011 - She Said, The Outside World Gallery, Shoreditch, London
2010 - ‘Multiplied’ Christies Artfair, in association with Printclub London
2010 - ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’, Touring show in Poland: The Arsenal Gallery, Poznan
2009 - ‘Tate the Biscuit’, Shoreditch Town Hall, London
2009 - ‘Rosetta Stone’, Jena Kunsverein, Jena, Germany
2009 - ‘Secret Blisters’ curated by Printclub, MC Motors, London
2008 - Stella Dore group show, Sebastian Guiness Gallery, Dublin
2007 - ‘AlterNATIVITY’ Studio 57, London
2007 - ‘Light Sentence’ Augsberg, Germany
2006 - Banksys ‘Santas Ghetto’ London
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2015 - ‘The Poor Door’ A collective exhibition tackling the housing crisis at A-side B-side Galleryfor Art licks Weekend. Shortlisted for the Art Quest Workweek prize.
2011-2013 - Multiple exhibitions at A-side B-side Gallery including ‘Girls Aren’t Funny’ for Art Licks weekend (co-curated with Catherine Magnani)
2011 - ‘Something Borrowed’ Cultivate Gallery, Vyner street, London (co-curated with Twinkle Troughton)
2010 - ‘Here Today’, The Outside World Gallery, Redchurch Street, London (co-curated with Twinkle Troughton)
2007- ‘Punk, a directory of Modern Subversive Culture’ Rote Flora, Hamburg/Ada street gallery, London (co-curated with James Bradshaw)
AWARDS
Longlisted for The John Ruskin Art Prize 2016 - Recording Britain Now: Society