Annabel MacIver is a multidisciplinary artist based in London and Bedfordshire. She works across print, painting, sculpture and drawing, using the varied structure of these processes to consider themes that often question the status quo.
She positions her work within two strands: one more immediate, societal; and the other takes up conversations with embedded narratives, found objects or artists from the past. Experimentation across mediums is essential to her because the materiality, mark-making and form drives the decision-making as her research and thoughts are translated to the visual. Whether this approach is linked to her scientific education is not certain, but her resulting work invariably consists of multiple pieces that interact to create a whole.
Annabel was born in the UK, and grew up in the Middle East. She initially studied biological sciences at Bristol University, and subsequently worked in the City as a Financial Pharmaceutical Analyst, while maintaining a small art practice. After taking a break and developing this further, she formally studied Fine Art, graduating in 2018. She has extended her practice further and completed an MA in Print at the Royal College of Art in 2025.
MacIver’s work has been exhibited in both a solo, and group exhibitions, including the Royal Academy Summer exhibition, The Royal West of England Academy Open Exhibition, The Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair and The Society of Women Artists Open. She is a winner of various awards, most recently being shortlisted for the RCA Across School Jaguar X RCA Prize.
@annabelmaciverart
CV
Solo Exhibitions
2021 Bird, Solo Exhibition of sculpture, print, painting and poetry, London Lighthouse Gallery, E14 0SZ, 1-30 September
Selected Group Exhibitions and Curation
2025
Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, November
MIX Exhibition, RCA Society, 10 Back Church Lane, London E1 1LX, 16-31 August
RCA Summer Show 2025, MA Print, What Progress? RCA, Battersea, 19-22 June
Materiality of the Book Symposium, RCA, Battersea, 7 April
2024
Print & Ceramic Showcase (co-curation), Art Academy Gallery, SE1 9BL, 29 Nov-13 Dec
In Translation, The Handbag Factory, London SE11 5RB, May
Out of Thin Air, Southwalk Park Galleries, London, Feb
Fund Raising Auction, Christie’s, London, May
2023
Royal West of England Open Exhibition, Bristol, UK. Sept
Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, October
Invited to co-curate ‘2023 Spring Exhibition’, London Lighthouse Gallery, 1-30 May
2022
Invited to co-curate ‘2022 Spring Exhibition’, London Lighthouse Gallery, 1-30 May
Print Studio Exhibition (co-curation and rehang), Art Academy, London, May
2020/21
Print Exhibition, Art Academy, London, June 2021
168 Annual Open Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Nov 2020-March 2021
Fund Raising Auction, Christie’s, London, 20 February 2020
2019
Hospital Rooms 20x20 Fundraiser, Elephant West, White City, London, 18 October
The Art of Grieving, Kingsbury Barn, St Albans, 6-8 September
PrintFest7, Print exhibition, Sevenoaks and Norway.
RA Summer Show, 2019 – Shortlisted
Art Academy, Print Exhibition, 3 – 16 July
2018
Resonance, Coningsby Gallery, London WCI, 10-15 December, curated by Danny Rolph
PURE Arts, Annual exhibition, Powder Mill Gallery, Battle, 6-14 October
Society of Women Artists, 157th annual show, 23-30 Sept., Mall Galleries, London
Charity Exhib, for Safe Child Thailand, Birla Gallery Bhavan Centre, London
Graduate Show, The Art Academy, 5-8 July
Print Associates Exhibition, London, May 11-13,
Taylor James, London. Exhibition of works, Dec 2017 – Feb 2019
2017
RA Summer Show, 2017, The Royal Academy, London, 2017
Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, Woolwich, London, 2017
Landmark Exhibition, Surrey Sculpture Society, , London, 2017
Edges, group exhibition, The Tabernacle Gallery, Notting Hill Gate, London
Selected Pre-2016
Shortlisted for Columbia Threadneedle Exhibition, 2015
Two Years In, Group Exhibition, Menier Gallery, London, 2016
Chelsea Art Society, 66th Open Exhibition, 2013
Chalfont Artists, Upstairs Gallery, Berkhamstead
Printmakers Afloat, Childwickbury Arts, St Albans
Awards
2025 Jaguar X RCA prize. One of the shortlisted artists for the inaugural prize collaboration across the RCA School of Arts and Humanities
2021 Print Prize, awarded and selected by David Cleaton-Roberts, Cristea Roberts Gallery, London
2108 Print Prize, judged and awarded by Brenda Harthill RE, PURE Arts Annual exhibition, 2018
2018 PURE Arts emerging artist prize
2018 The Surrey Sculpture Prize
2017 The Intaglio Printmakers prize
2016 Runner up, Blake Society Tithe Grant Award
Publications/listings
2025 What Progress? Questioning AI: How is society and life different for women around the world vs those in Ancient Greece?
Free publication as part of RCA graduate show
2024 Meaning and Truth - Truth and Meaning - tear off info pad considering the manipulation of meaning through word order
2021 Artist talk and Poetry reading, London Lighthouse Gallery, 22 Sept 2021
2021 Bird, self-published small copy of artist book, print run 200.
2018 Artist Talk and Poetry Reading, Coningsby Gallery, December, 2018
2018 Bird, artist book of original poetry and etchings
2018 Royal Academy Magazine, To the Dust chosen to feature in the New Show Listings in the Summer Edition.
Work/teaching
2022 Let’s Create Panel – advisor with Hertfordshire Community Foundation, allocating Arts Council funding for the Queen’s Jubilee, Hertfordshire,
2019 - present Part-time tutor in print, drawing for beginners, life drawing, painting. The Art Academy, London
2017 - present Print Associate, The Art Academy, London
2020 - present Online teaching painting & drawing
2005 - 2012 Hidden Art Group, co-owner, life drawing group
Education
2023-2025 MA Print, Royal College of Art,
2014-2018 Fine Art, 1st, The Art Academy, London
1986-1989 Anatomical Science (neuroscience) BSc, 2:1, University of Bristol