Iona Kewney

Iona Kewney went to Art School at Duncan of Jordanstone in Scotland and graduated with BA Hons in Fine Art Printmaking, but it was also there where she first started a few experiments in performance art and installation with inspirations from regular visits of Stelarc, Franko Black and Gina Czarnecki. The body and its capabilities, tests of extremes, limitations and mental endurance was already of great interest in her life of sport training and playing tennis competitions and gymnastics. Kewney was accepted to The Slade, London to do a Masters in painting, but declined to go. instead she started training in dance at SNDO in Amsterdam where the real wonder world began. The emotional, physical, sweat, totality in performing rather than just the visual, the physical of figurative painting. Her first international performances were in Improvisation theatre scene in Amsterdam and New York St. Marks church, working always on stage with musicians and sound artists that influenced her; ADD N to X, Eavesdropper, Trio AAB and others.

Iona used night clubs in Scotland as a place to practise dance all night amongst the clubbers while continuing to perform solos in UK and Europe. She performed shortly with some UK companies until she was invited to work with Wim Vandekeybus -Ultima Vez in Belgium with whom she toured some years. The need for more than just dance, and the hunger for the flying and risks of gymnastics lead her to the circus world where she trained at Cirkuspiloterna in Sweden. Later she left to work and tour with Alain Platel of Les Ballets C de La B for some years. Then continued with art and creating own solos together with musician Joseph Quimby. As director of Knights of the Invisible company her works have been performed around Europe and beyond at major International Dance, Performance Art and Circus festivals.

Currently, she likes being involved in diverse physical projects and works in between with painting