About me

Born in South Africa, my journey as an artist has taken me from Johannesburg to Cape Town, then London and now Cornwall, where I work from my studio at Krowji in Redruth. 

My practice spans photography, installation, and moving image, with a keen interest in our relationship to the natural world. In my photographic practice I’ve produced work looking at our relationship to constructed leisure environments—spaces like theme parks, zoos, and botanical gardens—and how they reflect cultural ideals around nature and sustainability, consumerism, and utopian aspirations.

My formal training began at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg, where I matriculated in 1993. I completed a BA (Hons) in Fine Art with distinction at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town, in 1998. During that time, I co-founded The Sluice Group, a collaborative collective that staged a major multimedia installation at the Castle of Good Hope in 1996. Our work was later featured in the Second Johannesburg Biennale (1997), curated by Colin Richards and Okwui Enwezor—a formative experience that shaped my interest in large-scale, conceptually driven projects.

In 1998, I moved to London and completed my MA in Fine Art at Goldsmiths College in 2003. Soon after, I was included in the Whitechapel Gallery’s East End Academy (2004) and commissioned by the UK Government Art Collection to produce a series of photographs for display in the Ante Room of 10 Downing Street. Over the years, my work has been shown internationally in museums and galleries such as the Royal Academy (UK) , The Whitechapel Gallery (UK), The South African National Gallery, The Usher Museum and the Sharjah Art Foundation in the UAE. 

Solo exhibitions include Evidence in Camera (Usher Gallery, Lincoln, 2018), Safari (Bearspace, London, 2005), Where The Grass is Green (Mead Gallery, Coventry, 2004) and Take Photo Here (João Ferreira Gallery, Cape Town, 2004). My work has also featured in many group shows, from Eventually Everything Connects (Solent Showcase, UK) to Latitude NYC (NYCams Gallery, New York) and /Seconds (Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE). Reviews of my work have been published in Art Review, Art Monthly, and The Guardian. 

Alongside my creative practice, I’ve held leadership roles in higher education, including formerly as Dean of the Faculty of Creative Arts & Communication at Falmouth University. Today, I combine my art practice with consultancy in creative education and leadership.

You can find me on Instagram @mandyleejandrell