Meet the artist
Born in Germany, Uta Tiggesmeier has lived and worked between London and the South of France for over 25 years. After a career in design, communication, and publishing, she turned to art, joining the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London in 2010.
Since then, Uta has received several awards for emerging artists, and her work has been exhibited internationally. In 2022, she opened her Atelier UTA in Arles, a creative space for artists and writers in residence.
Her works have been presented in prestigious venues such as the German Embassy in London, the Fairy Tale Museum in Bad Oeynhausen, as well as in Arles, including the Chapelle de la Charité and the Hôtel Jules César. In London, she has also participated in group exhibitions at KPMG headquarters and repeatedly at the Eco-Feminism Festival and the British Society of Portrait Sculptors.
Exploring contemporary themes with emotional depth, her works feature in international salons and have been commissioned by collectors in Europe, Asia, and the United States.
“Tiggesmeier’s art is deeply rooted in the earth, her own womanhood, a deep exploration of the symbiotic relationship between mythology and the transformative power found within the act of creation. …her work serves as a sincere reflection on the human experience, our connection with the natural world and the societal constructs that mould us.” - IRK Magazine, June 2024
Uta Tiggesmeier – Biography
After earning a degree in International Economy and Business, Uta Tiggesmeier pursued an international career in publishing, communication, fashion, and interior design before dedicating herself fully to art.
From 2010 to 2012, she studied sculpture at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in London, where she was awarded the Heatherley Sculpture Prize in 2012. In 2015, she received the People’s Choice Award of the British National Sculpture Prize at the Broomhill Art and Sculpture Foundation.
Selected Exhibitions, Installations and Performances
2025
Palímpsêstos, solo exhibition at UTA Atelier, Arles Villa Alice, part of the 3rd Drawing Festival, France.
Three Bethen, completion and installation of three bronze outdoor sculptures, private collection, South of France.
Brouhaha et autre tralala : concept, play, and stage design for a poetic performance uniting actors, poets, musicians, dancers, and visual artists for La Nuit de la Poésie 2025, Arles, France.
Solstice d’été : group exhibition of sculptures and drawings at La Table d’Immédiats, Arles, France.
En aparté : podium discussion and performance with photographer Ophelia Jacarini and soprano Jeanne Crousaud on Carmen, Antique Arena Arles , part of Les Rencontres de la Photographie 2025.
La Cigogne – animal mythique —monumental outdoor mural (4 × 11 m), industrial agricultural site in Provence, France, (commissioned).
Sculpture installations and performances at Belle.Beau.Arles and LaPharmacie.Tarascon, France.
2024
Salon PhotoDoc Paris, sculptures & drawings, Hôtel de l’Industrie, Paris
Publication : Interwoven, (artist portrait) in photo and design magazine IRK.
AWA, installation of a monumental outdoor sculpture, private collection, South of France.
Shortlisted, commission for Stations of the Cross, St Etheldreda’s Church, Fulham, London. Exhibition of maquettes and concepts.
En aparté — performance and discussion with Mia McFarlane (French Cowboy), AI and Mythology, Antique Arena Arles, part of Les Rencontres de la Photographie 2024.
Group exhibition at Belle.Beau.Arles (2nd Drawing Festival), Arles, France.
Group exhibition of women artists in support of Soroptimist International, Le Cloître, Avignon, France.
Branches, Eco-Feminism Festival, London,
2023
Artist residency and exhibition at IRK Gallery with Iris Brosch and Mia McFarlane, Arles, France.
Singulier–Singuliers, international sculpture exhibition, Château de Bosc, Domazan, France.
Artist portrait & interview, France 3 television
Featured Artist of the Month by Art from Heart, UK.
Completion of Geometry of Sacredness, final firing phase at Atelier Guy Bareff, France.
2022
Les Gardiennes / The Guardians, solo exhibition, Chapelle de la Charité, Arles.
Her mind has not yet decided that stones never speak, solo exhibition, Hôtel Jules César, Arles.
Singing the World to Be, commissioned site-specific sculpture, Paris heritage building
Playscapes, clay models for water-element playgrounds (urban adaptation), presented to the City of Arles and the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône.
Small is Beautiful, group exhibition of maquettes for sculptures in the public space, curated by Art Lab City Foundation, Arles.
Summer exhibition at the Poppy and Pierre Salinger Foundation, Avignon, France.
Founding of AVA (Arles Villa Alice), artist workshop and residency, dedicated to interdisciplinary artistic exploration.
2021
FACE2021, Annual Exhibition of the British Society of Portrait Sculptors, London, UK.
Eco-Feminism Festival London 2021, installation Rituals of Regeneration, Art Pavilion, Mile End, London.
Four-month ceramic residency, Atelier Guy Bareff, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, for the creation of Geometry of Sacredness, a trinity of large clay sculptures.
2020
Shapeshifting - A Virtual Exhibition in Shifting Times, solo exhibition of sculptures, installations and drawings at Atelier Ephémère, Vicenal de Sart-Risbart, Belgium.
2019
We Grow into the Forest, interdisciplinary artist-led exhibition, London, UK.
Volunteer educator, Design Museum London, for the Designers in Residence program Dwelling, developing public tours mediating design concepts and process.
2018
HUMAN, group exhibition of nine women artists at the German Ambassador’s Residence, London.
In a Country Far, Far Away, cross-border exhibition (UK & Germany), London and Fairy Tale Museum, Bad Oeynhausen.
2017
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Poppy and Pierre Salinger Foundation, Avignon, France.
HUMAN, exhibition of nine women artists at the German Ambassador’s Residence, London.
2016
D-Formes, Monte Arena, Montaren-et-Saint-Médiers, France.
Totem, Poppy and Pierre Salinger Foundation, Avignon, France.
Sixty, Lubomirov/Angus-Hughes Centre for Contemporary Curation, London.
One and Three, KPMG London HQ, Canary Wharf.
12@Menier, artist-led group exhibition at Menier Gallery, London.
2015
Wandering, awarded the Public Choice Prize of the British National Sculpture Prize, Broomhill Sculpture Park, North Devon, UK.
Berlin–London: Contemporary Art by Women, group show in collaboration with the Penz Art Collection Berlin, German Embassy, London.
Press & Features
“Sculpting Myth & Metamorphosis” — Feature in IRK Magazine
“Uta Tiggesmeier - INTERWOVEN” - Exploring Womanhood, Mythology & Artistry in the works of Uta Tiggesmeier
Interview by Mia Macfarlane & Julien Crouïgneau - Shot by French Cowboy in the Human issue of IRK Magazine
