Coastal Signs is pleased to present Thump, a solo exhibition by Aotearoa-born Los Angeles based artist Fiona Connor.

Thump is, curiously, something of a time warp in that it brings together both very new and very old works by the artist, and transforms the space of the presentation into a working and teaching environment.

The new exhibition, the artist’s first solo at Coastal Signs, evolves from Drawing something under itself, Connor's major exhibition at Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf in 2023. Thump comprises a new series based on drawing boards sourced from classrooms, a set of coat hooks quoted from various public bathroom stalls around Southern California, and a painting of the cover of a school exercise book produced by the artist in 2003, her final year at Elam School of Fine Arts. The gallery walls are subtly scuffed, and several pairs of shoes (cast in bronze) sit casually at the entrance to the gallery.

Fiona Connor completed her BFA/BA at University of Auckland’s Elam School of Fine Arts in 2004. She has studied at University of California in San Diego and University of Barcelona, and completed her MFA at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Los Angeles (2011). Fiona is represented by: Coastal Signs, Tānaki Makaurau Auckland; Chateau Shatto, Los Angeles; Fine Arts, Sydney; and Maureen Paley, London.

Recent solo exhibitions include: Drawing something under itself, Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2023); Continuous Sidewalk, 621 Ruberta Ave #3, Los Angeles (2023); Rooms I Have Keys For, Finley Gallery, Los Angeles (2022); Long Distance, Maureen Pauley, London (2022); My muse is my memory, an archive of Closed Down Clubs, Chateau Shatto, Los Angeles (2022); Work University, Fine Arts, Sydney (2020); #8, Closed for Installation, Sequence of Events, Vienna Secession, Vienna (2019); Closed for Installation, Sculpture Centre, New York (2019); Closed Down Clubs, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, Los Angeles (2018).