About
Sales
For sales enquires contact me directly or Vivienne Roberts of Vivienne Roberts Projects.
Some of my artworks are available to buy online via Rise Art.
Biography
Rachel lives and works in London, UK
Born in Cambridgeshire, Mercer studied at Cardiff School of Art and Design graduating in 2012 before being awarded the postgraduate programme at The Royal Drawing School. Since 2014 she has been a painter working in London. She has exhibited in the UK and China. Stand-out exhibitions include Christie's London (2013), Mercer Chance Gallery and Mandell's Gallery (2018), San Mei Gallery (2019), and Carousel Gallery and Coventry Cathedral (2020), Fitzrovia Gallery (2022) and Aleph Contemporary (2023). Her work was Shortlisted for the Ruth Borchard Prize (2021), Waverton Art prize (2022) and prize winner of the Hampstead Art Society prize (2022). She has exhibited in the Hampstead Art society Green&Stone and NEAC open exhibitions (2022,2023,2024) and Wells contemporary (2024) She has had work purchased for the Royal Collection by King Charles and work in the Michael Moritz, Hariette Heyman collection.
People and places are a recurring theme in Rachel's paintings. At the centre of her approach is an interest in human interaction and the importance of the observed world. Mercer captures a sense of movement, fluidity, and haptic beauty in the way the figures move and dissolve across the canvas. Recent oil paintings and watercolours show London life. Mercer makes sketches from observation, and these drawings are then supplemented by imagination and rendered as sometimes large-scale layered paintings. The painted surface is layered with multiple reworkings, scraped and scratched in an attempt to find the image on the canvas.
CV
Education
Postgraduate Diploma, The Royal Drawing School 2013
Bachelor Degree (First Class Hons), Cardiff Metropolitan University 2012
Foundation Diploma (Distinction), Cardiff Metropolitan University 2008
Grants and Awards
Awards and Residencies
July 2024 - 3 week residency at Borgo Pignano awarded by Royal Drawing School and Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman foundation.
April 2023 - Shortlisted for NEAC prize
August 2022 – Two-week residency at Dumfries House Ayrshire awarded by Royal Drawing School
June 2022 – Shortlisted for the Waverton Art Prize
May 2019 -Shortlisted for Ruth Borchard Self-Portrait Prize
October 2019 – Covid relief bursary awarded by Bow Arts.
June 2019 – Two-month Residency in Chengdu, China awarded by The Royal Drawing School (London) and Elm Education (China) in partnership with San Mei Gallery, London.
June 2015 Artist in Residence - North London Collegiate School.
Selected Exhibitions
July -Sept 2024 Online group exhibition 'Kinaesthesia' by Rise Art
August 2024- Online Art Car Boot Fair.
July 2024 - Summer exhibition, Hampstead Art Society, London
July 2024 Wells contemporary, Wells Cathedral London
July 2024 - Green and Stone summer exhibition
March 2024- 'In The Cities Life is Smaller' Solo exhibition at Gallery Green and Stone, London
June 2023 - NEAC annual exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
Jan 2023 - Zimmer Stuart Gallery at King Edward VII's hospital, London
Dec 2022- 'Bread and Games', 3 person show. Aleph Contemporary, Hatton Garden, London
July 2022 - 'As it was, As it will be = As it is' 5 person show, Fitzrovia Gallery, London
June 2022- Hampstead Society Art Prize, Fitzrovia Gallery
October 2021- Bow Open, Nunnery Gallery, London
Sept 2021- ‘Within Without’ Two-Person Show, Crypt Gallery, London
May 2021 – Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Prize, Coventry Cathedral
Dec 2020 – ‘This is Where We Meet’ Group exhibition at Carousel Gallery, London (Selected Guardian exhibition of the week)
Sept 2020/2021- Art Car Boot Fair (Virtual exhibition). Online art fair.
July 2020- ‘Reaction in Seclusion’ – Virtual group exhibition
June 2020- ‘Inside Out’ – Solo exhibition of works on paper, Ramsgate, UK
Dec 2019 - ‘Fresh Eyes’ San Mei Gallery, London
Sept 2019 – ‘Fresh Eyes’ Yiie Gallery, Chengdu China.
May 2019 – Group Show Mendell’s Gallery, Norwich
October 2018 - ‘Babes in the Orchard' - Joint show at Mercer Chance Gallery, London
March 2018- Group exhibition ‘Through the Looking Glass: contemporary Self Portraits’, Mercer Chance Gallery.
October 2017 - Joint Exhibition with Enya Lachman-Curl, Mercer Chance Gallery, London
