About
From and living in Glasgow, Scotland, Zoë is an artist and curator working under the artist name, Zoë Zo, Zoë Tumika & Zoë Guthrie. They engage with clay and image (re)production to process, understand and share articulations of the world around them. Their practice is a site for them to: breathe; reconfigure; play; be (a)live; shift through space; exist in multiple temporalities.
Frameworks from Black Feminism, Geographies and Studies; and African cosmologies inform Zo, Tumika & Guthrie’s approach to narrative building and dismantling; to listening and questioning; and exercising of liberatory practices.
Ceramics, drawing, moving image and sound constellate metaphorical descriptions of their conceptualisation of time and space. This is further underwritten, and affirmed in the multitude of physical processes engaged with when working with these mediums. Zo, Tumika & Guthrie’s practice expresses a deep appreciation of these materials’ respective and collective capacities to facilitate fluid, elastic expression.
Clay forms a central medium for meditation, play, and processing complex cultural and personal collisions. Ceramic works are often created slowly over extended durations using both handbuilding techniques and the pottery wheel. The surfaces don intuitive marks, repetitions and lettering - an (im)material improvisation, responding to visuals, texts and sounds engaged within Zo, Tumika & Guthrie’s research process.
Zoë is the recipient of the Jerwood Curatorial Fellowship 2025 at The Glasgow School of Art, alongside their collaborator Żżo Charlery. Together they seek to frame the GSA Archives & Collections and Jerwood Collection into view with Black spatial practices, performance, and material thinking.
Selected Exhibitions
2026
[SOLO] UPCOMING as part of Glasgow International, Many Studios, Glasgow, Scotland
[CURATOR] UPCOMING Reid Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland
2025
[SOLO] Guiding Entities MIMA, Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art Middlesbrough, England
[GROUP] 20/20: Futures London College of Fashion, East Bank London, England
[GROUP] The 20/20 Portfolio Pallant House Gallery Chichester, England
[GROUP] 20/20: Reflections II Chelsea Space London, England
[GROUP] 20/20 Project Digital Exhibition UAL: Decolonising Arts Institute (Online) London, England
2019
[GROUP] Making Ground, with the artists Ebun Sodipo & Rosa Johan Uddo Embassy Gallery Edinburgh, Scotland
[GROUP] as of yet Many Studios Glasgow, Scotland
2018
[GROUP] Terror & Beauty: Artists’ Response to John Akomfrah’s Vertigo Sea Talbot Rice Gallery Edinburgh, Scotland
Commissions
2023 - 2024
University Arts London: Decolonising Arts Institute 20/20 Project Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art Middlesbrough & London, England
2022
Embodied Knowledge / Rhubaba Edinburgh, Scotland
2021 (published 2022)
PASSIONS published by Rhubaba Edinburgh, Scotland
Residencies
2023 - 2024
Artist in residence Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art Middlesbrough, England
2023
Artist in residence, Studio Residency 2023 David Dale Gallery Glasgow, Scotland
2019
Artist in residence (November) Rhythm Machine Edinburgh, Scotland
2018
Artist in residence (August) Rhythm Machine Edinburgh, Scotland
Public Collections
Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art Birmingham Museums Trust The Box Bradford District Museums and Galleries Bristol Museum and Art Gallery Compton Verney Harris Museum The Hepworth Wakefield The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum Kettle's Yard Leeds Art Gallery The Lightbox Manchester Art Gallery National Disability Arts Collection and Archive National Museums NI (Ulster Museum) Pallant House Gallery Sheffield Museums Trust Walker Art Gallery, National Museums Liverpool Wolverhampton Art Gallery
Public Talks, Workshops, Screenings & Contributions
2025
In conversation with the artists Adjoa Armah Chelsea Space London, England
maud. - A Film Screening & Conversation, speaking with the artists Adebusola Ramsay and Khadea Santi Tramway Glasgow, Scotland
2023
Artist facilitator & developer of the workshop Letter Drawing with Clay Race Rights & Sovereignty programme at The Glasgow School of Art Glasgow, Scotland
2022
Featured artist in the short film, maud. (2022), speaking with artist Adebusola Ramsay Director: Natasha Thembiso Ruwona, Executive Producer: Tomiwa Folorunso
Embodied Knowledge with Art Late 2, a conversation with artist and design scholar, Dr Sequoia Barnes, and artist, Khadea Santi Edinburgh Art Festival (Online) Edinburgh, Scotland
2021
a rant! a reel! Screening & Conversation, programmed by Languid Hands, with the artist Camara Taylor and filmmaker Sana Bilgrami Cubitt Artists (Online) London, England
2020
Poster design Transmission Gallery Glasgow, Scotland
2019
Surrounds, screening programmed by Camara Taylor The Glasgow School of Art Glasgow, Scotland
Photographer Scotch Bonnet for Free Pride Glasgow, Scotland
2018
Poster design Transmission Gallery Glasgow, Scotland
Awards & Grants
- Open Fund for Individuals, Creative Scotland in 2025
- Shortlisted for The Supporting Act Foundation Artist Grant (The Netherlands) in 2025
- Shortlisted for The Burton at Bideford Ceramics Residency (England) in 2025
- Shortlisted for Fluxus Art Projects Magnetic 4 Residencies (France) in 2025
- Shortlisted for Cove Park Awarded Residencies 2025 & 2026 (Scotland) in 2025
- Visual Arts and Craft Makers Award (VACMA), Creative Scotland in 2024/2025, 2022/2023, 2021/2022 & 2020/2021
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Open Fund for Individuals, Creative Scotland in 2023
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Grand Plan Grant in 2022
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Creatives Explore Grant (British Council in partnership with Western Jerwood Creative Bursary) in 2022
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Western Jerwood Creative Bursary in 2020 - 2022
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The Alexander Flynn Bequest in 2018
tumikastudio[at]gmail.com© 2025