Artist: PAM GLEW

Pam Glew, born in 1978, is a contemporary artist who is best known for her distinctive bleaching technique on fabric. She uses dye and bleach to deconstruct and distress vintage textiles which is unique to her practice. Glew started making artwork on flags and textiles around 2007 as a response to war, notably ‘Afghan Girl’ later appeared on the front cover of Le Monde Newspaper. Flags, quilts and brocade are used to explore and question how identity is constructed by our place of birth and the countries in which we live. The use of textiles; washing, dyeing and sewing cloth and images of women are used to highlight the minority of women in the history of art and also the plight of women’s rights. By dyeing the fabric a dark shade and painting freehand with bleach, the portrait slowly develops during the painting process. The fabric is bleached many times to create contrast and the material is washed each time to remove the chemicals. The result is a timeless image, which appears to emerge from the cloth. Pam has exhibited in numerous urban, traditional and site-specific exhibitions, alongside such artists as Damien Hirst, Tracy Emin and Peter Blake. The artist has shown worldwide in 6 major solo shows and over 100 group exhibitions in galleries, art fairs and museums. Her work continues to be collected by art buyers worldwide and is frequently commissioned by large brands and individuals including Mitsubishi Bank and Red Bull. Pam continues to exhibit in numerous charity exhibitions and supports causes including Teenage Cancer Trust, Big Issue and MTV Staying Alive Foundation. She has collaborated with Terry O’Neill and Bill Wyman and produced commissions for Armani and Ralph Lauren.