Contact

︎ emilyjrsimpson@gmail.com
︎ @emilysurnamexox_x

About

Emily Simpson is an artist, curator and workshop facilitator from Salford, whose socially engaged practice invites people to share experiences of grief through communal activities like sewing, cooking, pickling, and grief karaoke.

Emily’s recent works explore folklore, natural cycles, and tending their dad’s allotment after his death - how grief takes root in the landscape. Their work is often set in these places where boundaries blur, composting into something new. This is shaped by their experience as a queer and neurodivergent person.

Emily often works collaboratively with Chris Alton, creating environments for relection on living with loss, and the language available to do so through; publications, workshops and large-scale textile installation.

Emily founded ‘oh kay gall’, an artist-led gallery which ran from 2018-2019 in York.

Emily lives in the Pennines with their partner and tiny cat.

Relevant Training

Mental Health First Aid
Counselling Skills
Autism Awareness Training
Introduction to British Sign Language (BSL)

 

CV

Commissions 
Freshwater Renaissance, commissioned by The National Trust and The Educator - CURRENT
Tending to Grief, socially engaged project commissioned by At The Library, 2025
Cooking Soup and Talking about Grief, socially engaged project and publication, commissioned by At The Library and Chopping Club, 2024
Grief Must Be Love with Nowhere to Go, Billboard commission, Bloc Projects, 2023
Siri, stop the patriarchy, commissioned by Lancashire Textile Gallery & British Textile Biennale, 2023
Words to grieve; a recipe collection, commissioned by A Modest Show, 2022

Duo + Solo Exhibitions (Artist)
Hold Space for the Unfixable, by Chris Alton and Emily Simpson (collaborative), The Birley, Preston, 2025
Grief Must Be Love with Nowhere to Go, by Chris Alton and Emily Simpson (collaborative), Bloc Project, Sheffield, 2024
When I grow up I want to live in a grey area, Primary, Nottingham, 2017

Group Exhibitions (Artist)
Who needs flowers when they’re Dead?, curated by Broken Grey Wires, The Williamson Museum and Art Gallery, Birkenhead, 2025
Unberable Lightness of Being, Paradise Works, Salford, 2024
Dining In, The Portico Library, Manchester, 2023
Creating Space: Imagine, Make, Play, The Turnpike Gallery, Manchester, 2022
Warrington Contemporary, Warrington Museum and Art Gallery, 2022
SHELF, curated by i.o.u.a.e at Spanish City, Newcastle, 2018
URL/IRL Love, Muddy Yard, London, 2018
An Exchange of Sorts, Castlefield Galley, Manchester, 2017
The 15 Commandments, Life 2.0, The Wrong Biennale, Online, 2017
The Show About the Show, curated by Scaffold Gallery at Bankley, Manchester, 2017
Migration, The Arthouse, Wakefield, 2017
Howz Sho, a house, Nottingham, 2017
Limbo Lambada, HUTT, Nottingham, 2017
Works in Progress, Backlit Gallery, Nottingham, 2017
Castle Ruins, The King Billy, Nottingham, 2017
UKYA National Festival, Quad, Derby, 2016
Factory, PS Mirable, Manchester, 2016
Volume 1, The Great Unanswered, curated by Scaffold Gallery at Bankley, Manchester, 2016
Aftermath, Nottingham Contemporary, 2016
Home and Away, Fell House facilitated by The Art House, Wakefield, 2015
8 Minutes and 20 Seconds, The Holy Biscuit, Newcastle, 2015
Married, Carol 53, Bucharest, 2015
Tate Leeds, Whitecloth Gallery, Leeds, 2013

Exhibitions (Curator)
Millennialism, co-curator, Paradise Works, Salford, 2019
Founder and curator of ohkaygall, an artist-led gallery, York, 208-2019
Guiltee Pleasures, ohkay gall, York, 2019
Soft Touch to a Knives Edge, ohkay gall, York, 2019
A ghost named blinky, ohkay gall, York, 2019
i miss you said the lol cats, ohkay gall, York, 2019
When the clouds came in, Crate Studio and Project Space, Margate, 2018
You and I are like that red wall, its a good idea in theory but somehow it doesn’t quite work, co-curator, Online at isthisit? and offline at CBS Gallery, Liverpool, 2017
WUU2? co-founder and co-curator of online residency and gallery space, 2017-2018

Awards
Crate Curatorial Open, Winner, 2018

Residencies
Work/Leisure 4, Abingdon Studios, Blackpool, 2024
Artist in residence at The Turnpike Gallery, Leigh, 2022
Artist in residence, Yonder Gallery, Slaithwaite 2021
Artist in residence, Bootham School, York, 2017-19
Artist in residence, i.o.u.a.e, online, 2017
Home and Away, The Art House, Wakefield, 2015
Artist in residence, The CAN, Bucharest, 2015

Workshops (selected)
Banner making, Leeds City College, 2024
Grief and language workshops (various) in collaboration with Chris Alton, Bloc Projects, 2023
Exploring grief through textiles, in collaboration with Chris Alton, 422 Arts, 2023
Banner and textile workshops, in collaboration with Chris Alton, Longsight Art Space, 2023
Artist talk and workshop, 42nd Street, Manchester, 2022&23
Queer Banners, The Proud Place, Manchester, 2022
Banners, stop motion animation and memes & zines, as part of artist residency with The Turnpike, Manchester, 2022
Artist talk and workshop, SMASH!, Manchester, 2022
Artist talk and workshop, EBC: Night School, East Bristol Contemporary, 2022
Queer Flags, Bruntwood Works, Manchester, 2021
Thank u, next: a workshop on re-finding succes, NewBridge Project, Gateshead, 2019
Memes & Zines for Edgy Teens, Queer Flags, How to curate yourself, Video & Animation, Debate Club, Bootham School, York, 2017-2019

Talks and Readings
When the clouds came in, Yonder Galley, Slaithwaite, 2021
#According to the Internet, Lux, London, 2018

Other Work of Interest
Art Technician, The Heys School, 2023-24
Sessional Worker (freelance), Starling CIO, supporting young neurodiverse people to take part in creative workshops, 2022-24
Learning Support Assistant, The Seashell Trust, supporting young adults with SEN specialising in ASC to access education and the community, 2020-2022

Press
Who Wants Flowers When They’re Dead? At The Williamson Museum and Art Gallery, Corridor 8
Grief Must Be Love with Nowhere to Go: In Conversation with Emily Simpson and Chris Alton, Amelia Crouch, Corridor8
BBC Radio Sheffield, interviewed by Paulette Edwards,(interview starts at: 00:16:40)
BBC Radio Sheffield, interviewed by Paulette Edwards, (Interview starts at: 02:15:00)
Unique grief exhibition opens as part of Sheffield Life, Loss and Death Festival, Madeline Lake, ShefNews
Salford’s Paradise Works hosts Millennial-led exhibition, Salford Now, Abigail Major,
Crate exhibition examines data overload and life without wi-fi, The Isle of Thanet News, Kathy Bailes