Tumim and Prendergast: Artist Statement

Matilda Tumim and Chris Prendergast are based in North East Fife. They studied at  Falmouth and the Royal College of Art prior to moving to Orkney in 1989,  relocating to Fife in 2015. They work with a variety of media, including  stitch, paint, collage and ink and have been commissioned to make permanent  installations for schools, hospitals and voluntary organisations. For many of their projects, the artist duo take their starting point from playing a  Surrealist game created by André Breton called The Exquisite Corpse.

"We let chance guide the juxtaposition of images in our practice.  The resulting visual friction becomes a direct reflection of the volatile times  we're navigating with world politics and climate change."

Recent exhibitions include More than you can  imagine, Genetic Alliance UK, Westminster 2025, Life Lines, Fife Contemporary 2023, Surreal Estate WASPS  Dundee  2021 and Screen Test  WASPS Glasgow 2021.

Our illustrated poem, Brian’s Brain, is a narrative verse aimed at older children and parents.  The writing and drawing take a lead from the school associated with Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Dr. Seuss, Spike Milligan and surrealists, André Breton and Leonora Carrington. Our verses and artwork blend absurdity and dark humour with a touch of melancholy, highlighting hardship, neglect and the resilience of the human spirit.