Arabella Dorman

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Arabella Dorman (born 1975 in London) [1] is a British war artist and portrait painter. [2] [3] She was chosen as one of the BBC's "100 Women" in 2014. [4]

Contents

Life

Dorman was born in 1975 in London. She studied at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London (since absorbed into Central Saint Martins) and the University of Edinburgh. [2] She is married to Dominic Elliot. [2]

In 2006 Dorman was Britain's first official war artist to go to the front line in Iraq [3] after being invited by Lt Gen Richard Shirreff, who had purchased one of her works. [5] She started her time in Iraq with the Royal Green Jackets in Basra Palace, where she frequently came under enemy fire, then went to the desert near the Iranian border. [6] She spent time with British forces in Afghanistan in 2009-2014. In 2009 she was embedded with 2nd Battalion, The Rifles in Sangin, Helmand, though she was not allowed to accompany soldiers on patrol, [7] and in 2010 travelled within Afghanistan from her base in Kabul. [8]

Her humanitarian work has taken her to Gaza, Palestine & Israel (2017), Lebanon, Syria (2018) and most recently, Ukraine (2023). Dorman's work explores the realities of modern conflict, its immediate impacts and long-term consequences, and the light that can be born out of the darkness of war.

She worked with refugees in Lesbos, Calais and Dunkirk in 2015 and 2016. [9] In December 2015 she created an art installation by suspending a dinghy, which had been used to transport refugees across the Mediterranean, from the roof of St James's Church, Piccadilly. [10] [11] Called Flight, the exhibit was on display until February 2016, and related the flight of refugees to the ancient tradition of hanging boats from church roofs. [12]

Following on from Dorman's critically acclaimed work Flight , Suspended formed part of her ongoing series of works seeking to highlight the humanitarian crisis of forced displacement across the world today. Suspended premiered in 2017 in St. James's Piccadilly, before touring the UK from 2018-2019, and was notably installed in Canterbury Cathedral and Leicester Cathedrals.

Dorman has exhibited at venues including the Imperial War Museum, the Frost and Reed Gallery, and La Galleria Pall Mall. [13] She works as an Ambassador to the charities Beyond Conflict [14] and Afghanaid and is a member of the Guild of St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital. [9]

She travelled across the Aralkum Desert in 2021 and the Sinai Peninsula in 2023 with Pom Oliver, Rosie Stancer and Lee Watts. [15]

In 2024 Dorman exhibited Child of War at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, [16] London. This body of work explores the plight of children in war across the world today.

Publications

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References

  1. ↑ Imperial War Museum: 'Dorman, Arabella (Oral history)'
  2. 1 2 3 Alberge, Dalya (19 October 2014). "An artist in Afghanistan: 'To tell the story, you've got to take risks'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 Harrison, David (2 May 2009). "War artist Arabella Dorman paints Iraq". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Who are the 100 Women 2014?". BBC News. 26 October 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Brooks, Richard (26 July 2009). "The new generation of war artists is more interested in capturing the psychology of warfare than the heroics of battle". Sunday Times magazine.
  6. ↑ van der Klugt, Melissa (9 May 2009). "Charcoal and mortar on the frontlines of Iraq". The Times.
  7. ↑ Coghlan, Tom (1 December 2009). "How fast can you do my portrait? What soldiers asked artist before going on patrol". The Times.
  8. ↑ van der Klugt, Melissa (18 October 2014). "The art of war in Afghanistan: Arabella Dorman has chronicled a country caught between hope and fear". The Times.
  9. 1 2 "About Arabella Dorman". Arabella Dorman. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  10. ↑ Jonathan Jones (20 December 2015) "Flight by Arabella Dorman review: relic of a rough crossing illustrates refugee crisis", The Observer . Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  11. ↑ Robert Dex (27 January 2016) "Dinghy used to flee Syria will hang over audience at concert for victims of war", The Evening Standard . Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Flight, St James's Piccadilly: 20 December - 8 February 2016". Arabella Dorman. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  13. ↑ "Exhibitions". Arabella Dorman. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  14. ↑ "Ambassadors". Beyond Conflict. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  15. ↑ D D Hammocks website, Exploring the Sinai with Rosie Stancer, article dated June 28, 2023
  16. ↑ Religion Media Centre website, Child of War: artist’s testament to the suffering of Ukraine’s next generation, article by Catherine Pepinster dated May 24, 2024
  17. ↑ Waterstones website, Arabella Dorman
  18. ↑ Amazon website, Drawing Fire
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