Whitney McVeigh

McVeigh is the daughter of Pamela Osborn and Charles McVeigh III, an American banker.[1] She attended Bedales School from 1980 to 1985. Whilst studying for a BA at Edinburgh College of Art from 1995 to 1998, McVeigh ran a funk, reggae, and rare groove night club named 'Chocolate City' with her then boyfriend Jamie Byng,[2] publisher and managing director of Canongate Books, whom she married in 1996 and with whom she has two children, Leo and Marley.[3] Byng and McVeigh separated in 2001.

She has travelled extensively to carry out her practice and has held residencies in India, Mexico, China and the Nirox Foundation in South Africa.[4] McVeigh considers herself an autobiographical artist.[5] Exhibitions include Plato in L.A.: Contemporary Artists' Visions at the Getty Villa, Los Angeles [6] Inventory: Invisible Companion at St Peter's Church, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge.,[7] solo project at the Gervasuti Foundation for the 55th Venice Biennale Hunting Song.[8] and New Work at the A Foundation, London (2009).[9]

McVeigh made a film-based artwork during a trip to Syria to create Sight of Memory, screened in Icastica Arezzo 2013.[10] In 2015, she produced a film in collaboration with Pulse Films.[11] 'Birth': Origins at the end of life' shown at the Reynolds Room at Royal Academy [12] as part of an annual event with St Christopher's. McVeigh exhibited Language of Memory at Summerhall Arts Centre, Edinburgh in 2015–16.[13] In 2009 she was featured in BBC Four Where is Modern Art Now.[14] From 2014-2019, McVeigh was Fellow in Creative Practice at London College of Fashion.[15]