Statement/Testimonial from Melissa Whittaker/Producer at The Victoria and Albert Museum
Andrew’s work is an exploration of time itself, a reflection on the tension between history’s vast expanse and the delicate fragility of existence. Through an interplay of historical references and painterly traditions, he subverts the familiar and the idealised, presenting iconic images of beautiful women from the Western art canon, cinematic tropes and modern advertising in stark contrast to ancient beings from deep time - creatures that predate humanity by millions of years.
This "deep time", as it has come to be known, is an incomprehensible scale of history that stretches back to the Earth’s origins. Within this vast temporal framework, art-historical symbols such as the memento mori of a human skull to signify mortality, have yet to emerge. The fascination with prehistoric creatures explores a pre-death—a time before human history, before birth and before the end of things as we understand them. The juxtaposition of these ancient creatures with the classical female form - an embodiment of beauty, youth, and idealism-poses a profound question: what does beauty mean when viewed through the lens of eons of existence and extinction?
Andrew’s meticulous painting process plays a critical role in conveying these ideas. His technique - characterised by thick impasto layers and carefully rendered textures- creates a tactile experience of time itself. The layering of paint, built up over time mirrors the layers of history, each layer contributing to the work’s evolving complexity and depth. The super high-shine gloss layer serves as a visually deliberate and conceptual ‘end’ to the artwork, a ‘finishing touch’ that is in contrast to the nature of an artwork and creation. His work, in process and iconography, explores the cyclical nature of life and decay. Through this lens, Andrew interrogates art’s ambition to preserve beauty and desire for transcendence.
Philosophically, this engagement with deep time can be seen as an interrogation of Heidegger's concept of Being-Toward-Death (the notion that human existence is always bound by its awareness of its own mortality). The painted prehistoric creatures speak to the disappearance and reimagining of entire worlds long before human consciousness ever had the capacity to know them. In this context, Andrew's work raises the question: if Being-Toward-Death is central to human existence, what happens when we confront a death that is not human, not individual, but planetary, geological and infinitely deeper than the span of our fleeting lives?
Through this body of work, Andrew underscores art’s place in this ongoing conversation about life, decay and illusionary permanence. In his hands, classical painting techniques merge with personal methods to evoke a sense of mystery and transformation, inviting the viewer to contemplate what we value, what we consume, and what endures.
Qualifications
2018 - 2019
-Masters in Creative Practice, Leeds Arts University
2012 - 2015
-Bachelors in Fine Art, Loughborough University
Awards and Bursaries
2025
- The Artful Prize, Runner up, Artful Weasels, online exhibition and prize
2022
-Supporting the Arts, winning artist, Bobby Forsythe, online exhibition and prize
2021
-New Emergence Art Prize, runner up, New Emergence Art
2020
-The New Emergence Art Unity Award, runner up, New Emergence Art
-New Emergence Art Prize, runner up, New Emergence Art
2019
-Art and Faith Bursary, runner up, Leeds Church Institute, Leeds
2015
-LSA Student Award, runner up, Leicester Society of Artists, Leicester
Exhibitions
2026
- Archetypes, Glena Art Studio, Golders Green, London
2025
- Christmas Exhibition, Glena Art Studio, Golders Green, London
- The Artful Prize Exhibition, Artful Weasels, online exhibition
- Shadow and Shade, Bobcat Gallery, Putney, London
- Animal Art Exhibition, The Animal Art Space, online exhibition
- Summer Exhibition, Gallery at Green and Stone, South Kensington, London
- Bobcat Gallery July exhibition, Bobcat Gallery, Putney, London
- Eidos, SpiraArt, Indra Gallery, Hackney Wick, London
- The Lights Are All Connected, Bobcat Gallery, online exhibition
- Warimono Gallery, online exhibition
2024
- Light and Dark, Bobcat Gallery, Putney, London
- Kairos, SpiraArt, Indra Gallery, Hackney Wick, London
- ChaosExhibition, Impreint, London
- Summer Exhibition, Bobcat Gallery, Putney, London
2023
- Cornucopia, Cupola Gallery, Sheffield
- Blake, In partnership with Coles Gallery, Central Square, Leeds
- LSA Annual Exhibition, SOCK Gallery, Loughborough
- The Holy Art Virtual Show, The Holy Art Gallery, London
- Art at Roundhay Park, The English Art Company, Leeds
- Permanent work at Cupola Gallery, Sheffield
- Delphic, Cupola Gallery, Sheffield
- Permanent works at Coles Gallery, Leeds
2022
- Mixed Group Show, Coles Gallery, Leeds
- We Called Yesterday, Today, Cupola Galley, Sheffield
- D31 Autumn Exhibition, D31 Art Gallery, Doncaster
- The Landscape, Open Gallery, Halifax
- Buy Art Exhibition, Aire Place Studios, Leeds
- Supporting the Arts, Bobby Forsythe UK, online exhibition
- Living With the Past, Cupola Gallery, Sheffield
- Andrew Sales and Joshua Van leader: Painting Beyond Itself, Coles Gallery, Leeds
- Fern and Glade Instagram Exhibition, Fern and Glade, online exhibition
2021
- Permanent work on show at Cupola Gallery, Sheffield
- Permanent work on show at Cole’s Gallery, Leeds
- Permanent work on show at Giddy Arts, Saltaire
- Scion, Cupola Gallery, Sheffield
- Supporting the Arts, Bobby Forsythe UK, online exhibition
- Transcendence, Headrow House, Leeds
- Around The House Virtual Exhibition, Around the House Productions, online exhibition
- Pop Up Painting Mid-Winter Exhibition, Pop Up Painting, online exhibition
- Stay Connected Virtual Exhibition, online exhibition
-The Mask and Me, online exhibition
2020
-Touring Postcard Exhibition, Aire Place Studios, Leeds
-Artists of Meraki Feature, Artists of Meraki, online exhibition
-Uncanny Characters, The Bowery, Headingley, Leeds
-MA Final Show, Leeds Arts University, Leeds
-LSA annual Exhibition, New Walk Museum and Gallery, Leicester
-Permanent works on display at Coles Gallery, Leeds
-Permanent works on display at Giddy Arts, Saltaire
2019
-Andrew Sales: Scrutinise, Hyde Park Book Club, Headingley
-All The World is a Stage, Left Bank, Leeds
-LSA annual Exhibition, New Walk Museum and Gallery, Leicester
2017
-Kirkstall Art Trail, St Peter's Church, Headingley
-LSA annual Exhibition, New Walk Museum and Gallery, Leicester
2016
-Spring Exhibition, West End Gallery, Leicester
-What is the Future of Digital Art?, Tate Modern, London, digital exhibition
-LSA annual Exhibition, New Walk Museum and Gallery, Leicester
2015
-Loughborough Free Range Exhibitors, Brick Lane, London
-Loughborough Portrait Exhibition, Loughborough University Gallery, Loughborough
-Loughborough Fine Art Degree Show, Loughborough University Gallery, Loughborough
-LSA Annual Exhibition, New Walk Museum and Gallery, Leicester