R&F Mo
R&F Mo’s multi-faceted practice explores connections between the seen, the sensed and the dreamed. Playful and otherworldly, Mo’s paintings, works on paper and cardboard, and theatrical enactments often feature ‘the Woanderer’, a unique, horse-headed creature that navigates imaginary landscapes whilst exploring the notion of identity.
Performance is a constant thread that weaves through Mo’s practice whether the work is studio-based or presented through a character acting in costume. Fantastical figures and beasts inhabit Mo’s vibrant worlds, telling unfinished stories that– in the artist’s words - ‘reference alternative beings and multiple dimensions, allowing the unconscious to come into play’.
Mo has recently returned to printmaking, which requires a new mindset involving organisation and careful planning. This traditional method of working has produced a number of hand-coloured unique and limited edition prints with an unexpectedly raw quality. In them, the viewer sees Mo’s spirited protagonists continue their curious meanderings with a sense of humour, hope and poignancy.
Mo studied at City and Guilds, London, graduating in 1980, followed by the Royal College of Art, London, graduating in 1984. An MFA and PhD followed at Central St. Martin’s, London (2004) and University of the Arts, London (2011) respectively. Mo co-authored Performance Drawing (Bloomsbury 2020) and took part in the Performance Drawing 2021 residency at The Centre for Recent Drawing, London. Works have recently been exhibited in A History of Drawing, Camberwell Space (2018), the TBW Drawing prize 2020, and the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition (2021 and 2022). Oliver Projects exhibited Mo’s work at the 2021 Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair in 2022 and 2023. Mo lives and works in south east London.