Erin Bird
Born in Upstate New York to Irish immigrant parents and now based in the UK, Erin Bird is known for her innovative Waterprint technique, where she submerges layered photographs in water, allowing fluidity and chance to guide each piece’s transformation. This unique process bridges photography and painting, resulting in silk-like, abstract compositions that evoke memory, displacement, and impermanence. Bird holds a BA from Camberwell College of Arts and an MA from the Royal College of Art. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at Bankside Gallery and the Moscow Museum of Modern Art, and is held in collections such as Fontainebleau Las Vegas and The Set, Hudson Yards, NYC. Bird has also been shortlisted for awards like the 2024 Jackson Painting Prize, The Lumen Prize for Art & Technology 2020 Still Image Award, and the Gilchrist-Fisher Award for landscape painting.
Shaper of Time
Water's relentless flow reshapes our world, transforming solid stone and altering landscapes with its persistence. Erin Bird embraces this natural force in her art, allowing water to spontaneously transform and shape each composition. Through this fluid and organic process, she accepts the erosion of her past, holding hope that from change, reconciliation and renewal can emerge.
As the originator of an experimental technique called "waterprinting," she submerges photographic prints, permitting water to reshape the imagery and merge it with painterly abstraction. From this intentional openness to chance, new forms and meanings emerge.
This process becomes a metaphorical baptism—a moment where the representational clarity of photography yields to the unpredictable movements of water. In this transformative act, the boundaries between rational thought and the spiritual unconscious blur, inviting viewers to look deeper.
Delving into the layers of memory and inherited narratives, Bird's art reflects on the collective journey toward healing intergenerational wounds. She investigates the tensions between nature and nurture, legacy and individuality, permanence and change. Reflecting on how inherited patterns shape yet sometimes constrain identities, she invites viewers to reconsider the past to foster understanding and reconciliation in the present.
Bird also contemplates the complexities of shielding oneself and others from harsh realities, reflected in her introspective thought: "Protecting you from seeing the ugly; I robbed you of the mourning that can only bring true joy." This sentiment underscores the tension between concealment and revelation, and the paradox that true joy can emerge from fully experiencing sorrow. Her work invites us to confront these uncomfortable spaces, suggesting that embracing the entirety of our experiences—both beautiful and painful—can lead to personal and collective transformation.
In a world characterized by rapid change, Bird's art offers a meditative pause, encouraging viewers to contemplate the layers of their own experiences and the possibilities of renewal.
Erin is open to collaborate with forward-thinking creatives, galleries, art consultants, and interior designers who share a passion for bold, evocative art. Erin welcomes new opportunities to showcase her work in spaces that value creative excellence and artistic integrity.
Contact: erin@erinbird.art