Bio

Cortney Cassidy is an emerging painter, based in Mi’kma’ki (Halifax, Canada). They are a recent graduate of NSCAD University, with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. Their work has been represented nationally and internationally in galleries and publications in Canada, the US and England. They are the recipient of a number of awards, including the Joseph Beuys Memorial Scholarship and the Robert Pope Painting Endowment Scholarship. They have a wide range of experience in arts facilitation, community engagement and arts administrative roles. In June 2024, they were the selected 2024 VANS Artist in Residence at ARTsPLACE in Annapolis Royal, NS. They are currently the selected 2024-2025 NSCAD x MacPhee Artist in Residence in Dartmouth, NS.

Artist Statement

My work explores ideas and experiences around gender, queerness, spirituality, fear and dreams, while contemplating the complex histories of painting, which hold many stories of dominance, oppression and exclusion. I am excited by the secret visual languages that have been developed by those left out of painting’s history. I use bright colour palettes, movement, gender ambiguous forms and imagined environments to explore sense and perception, translated through a queer body. Community collaboration and mentorship is a key part of my practice, as I believe creative discussions and interdependence are essential in nourishing my work and the groups that I’m involved in.