Kate Birss

Kate Birss is a New Zealand-born artist who travelled to London in 1992 and was later drawn to Brighton, England, back to the sea, where she feels most grounded and connected to her homeland. Consequently, her artistic practice centres on a dual experience of place, incorporating childhood landmarks, objects imbued with memory, and the coastal landscapes that currently surround her and supply much of her raw material.

Wood serves as the primary medium, which has a primitive familiarity, inherent warmth, and existing narrative. Kate engages in a direct visual and tactile dialogue with her material throughout the making process. Her practice combines extensive research with both traditional and contemporary tools to communicate through form, texture, and finish.

Having worked in London for many years across the design, marketing and events industries, Kate graduated in 2022 with a First Class BA (Hons) in 3D Design & Craft, following a UAL Diploma with Distinction from Brighton MET in 2018. Driven by a deep curiosity for materials, she spent the preceding years balancing early parenthood with expanding her technical knowledge, completing over 14 intensive short courses across the UK, exploring diverse mediums including stone carving at Portland's Tout Quarry, mixed media at Central Saint Martins, as well as metalwork, ceramics, drawing, and multi-medium painting. This rich, multi-disciplinary foundation translates into a highly tactile and accomplished sculptural practice, earning her a coveted shortlist spot for the prestigious 7th John Ruskin Prize.