Lesley Sanderson (born 1962) is a Malaysian British artist. Her work typically focuses on explorations of her duel-heritage identity and its relationship with art. Sanderson's work has been displayed in exhibitions internationally.

Life and career

Lesley Sanderson was born in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

in 1962, to a Malaysian mother and British father. She graduated from

Sheffield Polytechnic Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate C ...

with a BA in Fine Art in 1984. She now teaches at the University. Sanderson's early works explored her own identity and mixed heritage using self portraits. They often offered a commentary on the depiction and fetishization of 'exotic' women in art. On this topic, Sanderson said: '“I think it’s particularly important that non-white women are represented in a way that provides an alternative to National Geographic-type media representations of ‘ethnic’ women being exotic, submissive and readily available for the gaze.”' In her work she attempts to break away from such traditions and re-establish her identity on her own terms. For her portraits Sanderson typically used oil pastel on paper or acrylic and oil on canvas. In 1988, she participated in an exhibition titled ''Along the Lines of Resistance: an exhibition of contemporary feminist art'', at the Cooper Gallery,

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

. In this exhibition Sanderson states that she uses the self-portrait to address racist and gender stereotypes. Her work also appeared in the 1988 exhibition ''Black Art: Plotting the Course''. Sanderson's work for the exhibition ''Four x 4'' reframed George Fredrick Watts' bust ''Clytie'' displayed at the

Harris Museum The Harris Museum is a Grade I-listed building in Preston, Lancashire, England. Founded by Edmund Harris in 1877, it is a local history and fine art museum. History In the 19th century, it became legal to raise money for libraries by local ...

in Preston. Sanderson's interpreted ''Clytie'' as an 'emphatic symbol' in her objectification. In response she created a series of self-portraits to be displayed alongside the bust. Sanderson's work was exhibited at ''The British Art Show 1990'' as well as ''New North'' at Tate Liverpool. In the 1990s, Sanderson's focus shifted from works on canvas to mixed media forms while maintaining her signature themes of identity and her duel heritage. Since 1998, she has been collaborating with Neil Conroy as Conroy Sanderson. Their work aims to re-interpret understandings of cultural identity. Sanderson's work was featured in the book ''Shades of Black: Assembling Black Arts in 1980s Britain''.

Exhibitions

Selected group exhibitions

* ''Black Art: Plotting the Course'', The Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool,

Wolverhampton Art Gallery Wolverhampton Art Gallery is located in Wolverhampton, England. The building was funded and constructed by local contractor Philip Horsman (1825–1890), and built on land provided by the municipal authority. It opened in May 1884. The buildi ...

, Oldham Art Gallery (1988) * ''Along the Lines of Resistance: an exhibition of contemporary feminist art'', Cooper Gallery, Barnsley (1988) * ''The British Art Show 1990'',

Leeds Art Gallery Leeds Art Gallery in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a gallery, part of the Leeds Museums & Galleries group, whose collection of 20th-century British Art was designated by the British government in 1997 as a collection "of national importance ...

, McLellen Galleries, Glasgow,

Hayward Gallery The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal ...

, London (1990) * ''New North'',

Tate Liverpool Tate Liverpool is an art gallery in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, and part of Tate, along with Tate St Ives, Cornwall, Tate Britain, London, and Tate Modern, London. The gallery was an initiative of the Merseyside Development Corporatio ...

(1990) * ''Four X 4'',

, Arnolfini City Gallery Leicester,

Harris Museum and Art Gallery The Harris Museum is a Grade I-listed building in Preston, Lancashire, England. Founded by Edmund Harris in 1877, it is a local history and fine art museum. History In the 19th century, it became legal to raise money for libraries by local ...

, Castle Museum, Nottingham (1991) * ''History and Identity'' Lincolnshire College of Art and Design (1991) * ''Transforming the Crown'',

Studio Museum in Harlem The Studio Museum in Harlem is an African-American art museum at 144 West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States. Founded in 1968, the museum collects, preserves and interprets art created by African A ...

, The Bronx Museum of The Arts, Caribbean Cultural Centre (1997–98)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanderson, Lesley Living people 1962 births Artists from Sheffield British contemporary artists Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University British people of Malaysian descent Malaysian emigrants to the United Kingdom