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Artist Statement 

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Robin Sullivan (b. 1992) is a queer, neurodiverse, and mentally disabled artist, producer, and facilitator whose multifaceted practice navigates the rich intersections of landscape, history, identity, and community. Rooted in deep engagement with the (pre)historic British Isles, their work positions landscape not as backdrop but as collaborator — an active participant in shaping memory, culture, and the self. 

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Sullivan has spent a decade developing their unique form of art making, a series of large scale works that unfold as a programme: a singular, fragmented work of art that spans across multiple times and places simultaneously. These programmes manifest as events, workshops, performances, and installations—public and private, formal and improvised—developing organically across different timelines and often shaped by the communities they are created with. The programme is rehearsed and researched but always allows space for participation, improvisation, and the unexpected. Any object or trace—be it ceramic, sound, film, or documentation—is but a fragment of the whole, a novel form of documentation. 

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Drawing inspiration from Neolithic and Bronze Age sites, Sullivan treats these early human interventions as the intellectual and artistic achievements they are. Using site specific materials such as clay, stone, and plants they reinterpret ancient practices to produce contemporary sculptures, performances, and temporary art spaces that challenge how we relate to the land and each other. These works spiral through time—connecting past, present, and future—while grounding themselves in place through the use of site-specific materials and stories.

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The notion of the Other has long shaped Sullivan’s creative inquiries—beginning with early, autobiographical installations exploring their queer Cornish identity and teenage experiences of cruising, folklore, and isolation. These early works, created during and after their studies at Arts University Bournemouth, reflected a young artist looking in on their own community from the outside. The resulting exploration became both an excavation and an unraveling: a deep dive into identity that led to burnout, followed by a two-year creative hiatus and a return to Cornwall.

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Back in familiar landscapes, Sullivan reapproached their work from a new angle—engaging with childhood places not as sites of nostalgia but as metaphors for the self. Landscapes became mirrors, tools to examine ego, death anxiety, and identity from a safer, more distanced vantage. In works like Reflections on the Landscape and Self (2019, Impermanence Dance, Bristol), these terrains offered space for transformation and healing, both personally and artistically.

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Central to this journey is Sullivan’s lived experience with bipolar disorder, which continues to inform the rhythm of their practice. Their work oscillates between periods of intense, methodical research and bursts of creative spontaneity—reflecting a tension between order and chaos, history and immediacy. For Sullivan, this duality mirrors the very landscapes they traverse: shifting, layered, alive and fragile.​

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From 2016 to 2024, their work evolved away from overt autobiography, favouring broader explorations into form, process, and community. Monument-making—seen as acts of legacy and continuity—emerged as a recurring interest, reflecting a desire to craft something that might outlive the self. These gestures echo age-old artistic impulses toward immortality, yet Sullivan complicates this by embedding such acts in collaboration, community, and care.​

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Collaboration is not an addition to Sullivan’s practice but its foundation. Whether through performative firings, shared meals, or guided field trips, they create communal situations that prioritise dialogue, reciprocity, and co-authorship. These collective moments—fleeting as they may be—are as integral as any material object. Their work creates space: for encounter, for uncertainty, for joy, and for protest.

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As political hostility toward queer and trans+ communities continues to grow globally, Sullivan’s recent work between 2023–2025 marks a return to more personal terrain. No longer content to remain safely embedded in metaphor, they are reasserting their identity within the work—making space visible, vocal, and celebratory. With renewed urgency, they seek to build safe, joyful environments for queer communities and their allies, ensuring that celebration and care remain inseparable from resistance and activism.

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Ultimately, Sullivan’s practice is an invitation: to step into spirals of time, to traverse inner and outer landscapes, to listen and reflect. Their art is a form of reconnection—among people, with place, and through the ancient, ongoing conversation between humanity and the land it inhabits.

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1. Bio (approx. 100 words):

Robin Sullivan (b. 1992) is a queer, neurodiverse, and mentally disabled artist, producer, and facilitator working across sculpture, performance, and socially-engaged practice. Rooted in the landscapes and histories of the British Isles, their work explores identity, memory, and collective experience through a deeply material and place-based approach. Sullivan’s projects unfold as site-responsive programmes—fragmented yet interconnected—blending research, improvisation, and collaboration. Drawing from ancient practices and personal history, they create works that bridge the mythic and the contemporary. Their lived experience with bipolar disorder shapes the rhythm of their practice, echoing the wildness and order of the landscapes they engage with. Sullivan’s work invites participation, conversation, and care—spaces of reflection and celebration for queer communities and beyond.

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2. Bio (approx. 70 words):

Robin Sullivan is a queer, neurodiverse, and mentally disabled artist whose practice spans sculpture, performance, and collaborative public programmes. Engaging with the landscapes and mythologies of the British Isles, they explore themes of identity, memory, and community. Their work is deeply influenced by their lived experience with bipolar disorder and reflects a dynamic interplay between research and spontaneity. Sullivan creates participatory, site-responsive works that invite connection, reflection, and celebration.

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Biography
Robin Sullivan (b. 1992) is a socially engaged artist, producer, and facilitator whose expansive practice spans sculpture, installation, durational projects, performance, and public programmes. Their work is deeply rooted in landscapes, histories, and communities, with a focus on reinterpreting ancient practices and engaging local voices to create transformative artistic experiences. Over the past decade, Sullivan has collaborated with renowned organisations such as English Heritage, Arts Council England, the Royal College of Art, White Gold International Ceramic Festival, and Cornwall Heritage Trust.

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Their projects are grounded in a rigorous yet dynamic approach, combining deep research with moments of serendipity. Sullivan’s lived experience with bipolar disorder plays a pivotal role in shaping their practice, imbuing their work with a tension between meticulous order and liberating chaos. This duality is reflected in their creative process, which alternates between methodical inquiry and moments of radical spontaneity—where plans are set aside, and the unknown is embraced. For Sullivan, this mirrors the landscapes they explore: ancient yet ever-changing, structured yet wild.

One of Sullivan’s most recent achievements includes a large-scale public sculpture commission in Newquay, Cornwall, funded by Cornwall Council through the Government’s Good Growth Scheme and the Duchy of Cornwall. This project exemplifies their commitment to creating works that engage with both local history and contemporary community narratives.

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Sullivan’s expertise is increasingly sought after on a national scale. They serve as a consultant to English Heritage and West Suffolk Council on the £11.9 million Abbey of St Edmunds project, contributing to the development of an £800,000 engagement programme. Additionally, they advise on heritage projects across the UK and have recently been invited to consult with Creative Kernow on their regional programmes. These roles highlight Sullivan’s ability to bridge art, history, and community engagement.

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Currently supported by Arts Council England through the Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) grant, Sullivan is expanding their artistic and administrative capacity by establishing a dedicated team. Under the mentorship of Owen Griffiths, Eva Masterman, and Lucy Elmes, they are refining their vision for creating impactful, community-focused works that blend research, storytelling, and collaboration.

Throughout their career, Sullivan has remained steadfast in their belief that art should foster connection and dialogue. Their works—whether a sculpture inspired by Neolithic craftsmanship, a community workshop exploring clay’s historical significance, or a performative ceramic firing—are all rooted in a desire to bring people together. By exploring the intersections of history, ecology, and community, Sullivan continues to craft works that are as enduring as they are impactful, encouraging audiences to see their world—and their place within it—through a new lens.

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Commissions and Consultancy 

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Robin has spent the last 10 years building a distinctive reputation in the Arts and Heritage sectors. With a background in sculpture and performance, they have spent the past six years specialising in community engagement and co-creation. Their work spans partnerships with organisations such as English Heritage Trust, Historic England, Cornwall Council, and Cornwall Heritage Trust.

Robin is an experienced speaker and facilitator, having delivered talks and lectures for institutions including the Royal College of Art and English Heritage Trust’s Annual Chair’s Reception, as well as serving as Keynote Speaker at Gateways to Heritage, presenting on innovative work with young people.

Based in Cornwall and working across the South West, London, Norfolk, and Suffolk, Robin is available for:

• Public and private commissions

• Consultancy on arts in public and heritage settings

• Talks, lectures, and workshops

• Collaborative community projects

To discuss a project or commission, please get in touch via Hello@RobinJamesSullivan.com

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