exhibitions & events 2026

Jennie Bates

Seats of Learning

Click here to see works from the show

Seats of Learning is a body of work catalysed by tuition from Rosalind Lawless at Glasgow Print Studio and developed during a year-long fellowship at Birmingham School of Art. Beginning with the ubiquitous moulded plastic chairs favoured by institutions for their cheapness, stackability, and wipe-clean properties, Bates uses intuitive monoprint techniques to produce screen prints that resemble diagrams yet resist didacticism.

The works explore different stages of her education, reflecting on the rigidity of institutional learning environments and contrasting this with the individual freedom that learning and knowledge can afford. Tracing her own educational journey, Bates questions the notion of “progress”: on what basis is it defined, and by whom is it measured?

Click here to see works from the show

Image: Above: Jennie Bates, 'Ni una ni la otra', 2025, screenprint, 79 x 59 cm, unique print.