50,000 Witches

A new body of work exploring the representation of the female figure in painting through a contemporary perspective. Noga Shatz re-examines famous women models, depicted by famous painters throughout the history of art, tracing their stories and bringing them to the front of the canvas, focusing on the fragmentation of the female figure. The works reclaim ‘known’ narratives in history and offer new interpretations to represent a layered female identity. 

Noga Shatz is a London based multidisciplinary artist specializing in painting and printmaking. She obtained her MFA degree with distinction from the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, and her BA from HaMidrasha – Faculty of the Arts, Israel. She has been exhibiting her work in solo and group exhibitions in England, Israel and Germany.

“The studio space is very important to me- it is my ‘Room of One’s Own’. I’d usually start working in the studio, using what’s available in the space. I begin with drawing or painting; experimenting with materials. I like to create monotype prints in my studio, without using a press. It results in making drumming sounds which I see as part of the process/rituals. The beauty of working inter or multi disciplinary is that the work informs you what medium best serves. I don’t decide in advance.

I have an idea of what I want to explore beforehand. Then I see what arises in the studio. My research is studio based. The work in the studio generates the research itself. From that process, images or experimentation with materials takes place, which I later explore in depth on my computer. I trace and explore the origins, cultural heritage, popular uses of these images, and how they are linked to me. And then I try things out from a more informed perspective. It’s a process, and I keep myself open for surprises. Plans are often fragile, dynamic.”

Interview with Noga Shatz in Emerging Voices 2022

Shatz has been awarded the Anthony Dawson Print Award, the Slade Printmaking Scholarship, the Slade Summer School Residency Award, the Slade Annual Group Project Award, Max Werner Drawing Prize (nomination), Neo Gallery Print Project Award, Highly Commended Artist at Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize, Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts Exhibition Grant, the Art Council England (ACE) Grant, and The Foundation For Future London Grant award in 2021 and 2022.

Noga Shatz