Alana Lake

Alana Lake: Visual Artist and PhD Researcher at Manchester School of Art

'Towards a Pathology of Desire' adopts an autoethnographic practice-led approach to research, to investigate the relationship between addiction and desire. Observed from the perspective of a queer female, the project focuses on materials, specifically glass, ceramic, and expanded drawing, to explore whether addiction can be regarded as a disease or instead a biology of desire.

Lake doesn't just research; she's a storyteller, sharing her personal observations and experiences. Glass is a key component in her work, symbolising gender fluidity. Its cold, crystalline nature and transparent qualities, accented by delicate hues, invite contemplation on the intricate dynamics of intimacy, vulnerability, and the complexity of human connections.

Lake graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in 2009 and has been awarded the Andrew Stewart Artist Award (Sculpture) 2023, a Research Scholarship from Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa in 2022, the Studio Funding Award from Atelierbüro im Kulturwerk des BBK, 2021-2024, the NEUSTART Stipendium (Digtal) by Deutscher Künstlerbund e.V., 2021, the Project Space and Initiatives Award (for GSL Projekt) from Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Europa, 2018, the Dunoyer de Segonzac Award at the Royal Academy of the Arts, 2009, the Michael Moser Award, Royal Academy of the Arts, 2008 and the Hines Photographic Scholarship, Royal Academy of the Arts, 2007-2008.