Rosalynd Aranel Byass Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
Rosalynd Byass is a modern surrealist born in South Shields, England working primarily in oils. She aims to visualise her mental reality with a focus on her experience with her mental health day-to-day, which includes anxiety, depression, OCD and PTSD, creating surreal narratives with her own library of imagery.
Currently, Rosalynd is an artist in residence at Newcastle College working on her first solo exhibition that will happen in mid-2026. She is also acting as a mentor for the first year students of the degree she achieved back in 2022. Commissioned by the UK music artist Mr. B the Gentleman Rhymer, she created the cover for his album "National Treasure” released in November 2023. Notable group exhibitions include the North-East Artists Open Call at The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (2021), THE BIZARRE exhibition at Fox Yard Studio in Stowmarket (2024) and the EROS exhibition at Pineapple Black Gallery as part of Middlesborough Pride. Her work has been featured in multiple publications, such as The Unfold Project book by Lonely Stone Press (2024). Two notable achievements of 2024 so far was being shortlisted in the VAA International Exhibition & Scholarship Prize with her piece “This woman does not exist” (2024) and receiving the Summer Biscuit Factory Foundation Artist Grant 2024. She has begun to give talks about her work, and so far she has been a guest on ‘Jo’s Art History Podcast’ and a finalist in the SkillUp Awards North East where she used her knowledge to educate and inspire.
I'm Rosalynd, but you can just call me Ros. I am a fine artist, oil painter and modern surrealist. I aim to visualise my mental reality with a focus on my experience with my mental health, living with disabilities, and my queerness, creating surreal existential narratives with my own library of imagery. After graduating in 2022 with a Fine Art degree from Newcastle College, I have focussed on creating art, specialising in oil painting, that represents a direct dialogue between my unconscious mind and the canvas. In particular, I am passionate about creating visual stories of feelings that are difficult to describe. This leads my works being dark in nature, showing the complexities of trauma, living with depression and anxiety, and my awareness of the existential dread that comes with living as a human being.
What is a MODERN SURREALIST? Surrealism was an art movement that began in 1920s Paris, and the main aim of it was to unlock the unconscious mind and capture the true function of thought - in other words, to express what is truly going on inside our minds past all the walls of judgement, worry and sensibilities. My mind has always been cluttered. I have anxiety, OCD, depression and trauma that I have lived with for years. I have also faced illness, chronic pain and living with my disabilities. Surrealism is my way of expressing all of this to declutter my unconscious mind. Our unconscious is always filled with things - where do you think your dreams come from? I personally believe historical surrealism demonstrated the importance of mental health far before it was broadly recognised, and so I declare myself a MODERN SURREALIST to continue the movement and not only help myself feel lighter, but to hopefully make people like you feel like you are not alone.
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EDUCATION:- Newcastle College, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2022 | Newcastle College, Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, 2019
EXHIBITIONS:- 2025 Group Exhibition, 'EROS', Pineapple Black Gallery, Middlesborough | 2024 Group Exhibition, 'SPIRALLING', Online | 2024 Group Exhibition, 'THE BIZARRE', Fox Yard Studio, Stowmarket | 2024 Group Exhibition, 'Art As A Response To Mental Health', Doncaster Art Fair, Online | 2024 Group Exhibition, 'White Hole', Ex-Libris Gallery, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne | 2024 Group Exhibition, 'Visual Artists Association International Exhibition and Scholarship Prize Shortlist', Visual Artists Association, Online | 2022 Group Exhibition, 2022, 'Support The Arts', Online | 2022 Group Exhibition, 'Fine Art BA HONS Final Exhibition', Assembly House, Newcastle Upon Tyne | 2021 Group Exhibition, 'Baltic Open Submission', Baltic Centre For Contemporary Art, Gateshead
PUBLICATIONS:- The Unfold Project (2024) Lonely Stone Press | Shaw, R. and Foster, R. (eds.) (2023) Scribbles: Uncanny, Issue 13 [zine] Scribbles | Ferry, N. (ed) (2022) Folio Magazine - NCUC School of Creative Industries End of Year Annual [zine] Newcastle College University Centre
COLLECTIONS:- Private Collection, Leipzig, Germany | Private Collection, Stoke-on-Trent, England | Private Collection, Lans, Austria | Private Collection, Fairfax, VA | Private Collection, Kensington, MD | Private Collection, Sunderland, England
Artwork
Throbbing and Burning, I Move Forward, Oil paint on canvas, 2025, £480
Dreaming of Corpses in Tight Spaces, Oil on canvas, 2024, £400
What would you do if I said I hate you?, Oil on canvas, 2024, £800
The Abstract Concept of You, Oil on canvas, 2024, £1000
National Treasure, Oil on canvas, 2023, £400
I Will Never Be Without You, Oil on canvas, 2021
The Body of Someone Who Was Hurt I, Oil on canvas, 2023, £240
The Body of Someone Who Was Hurt II, Oil on canvas, 2023, £50
AB AETERNO, Oil on canvas, 2023, £150
A version of me went with you, Oil on canvas, 2023, £150
The Prophecy, Oil on canvas, 2023, £750
Let Me Leave This Place, Oil on canvas, 2022, £560
The Lady Searching For Her Missing Right Arm I, Oil on canvas, 2022, £1340
The Lady Searching For Her Missing Right Arm II, Oil on canvas, 2022, £1030
The Soup of the Unconscious is Eaten by the Woman I Desire, Oil on canvas, 2022
This woman does not exist, Oil on canvas, 2021, £900
Weird and Ashamed I, Oil on canvas, 2020, £100
Weird and Ashamed II, Oil on canvas, 2020, £100
Weird and Ashamed III, Oil on canvas, 2020, £80
There is nothing there, Oil on canvas, 2024, £480
Projects and exhibitions
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'EROS' Exhibition by OUTOUT as part of Middlesborough Pride27/09/2025 I advertised this exhibition on my socials: 'Come see an exclusive preview of my solo exhibition that will be happening in Newcastle next year at the “EROS” exhibition @pineappleblackarts on 27th September 2025!! I will be presenting art about my life after I lost my mam, showing my grieving process and changes in my life that have... [Read more] |
Pineapple Black Gallery, Middlesborough | Details |
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'SPIRALLING' Exhibition05/08/2024 — ongoing "This exhibition showcases a diverse array of surrealist artworks that challenge everyday perceptions and inspire imagination, taking you on an interesting yet sometimes unsettling visual adventure into the uncharted territories of creativity." - From the Phantasmal Gallery website. My piece "What would you do if I said I hate you?" is on... [Read more] |
https://www.phantasmalgallery.com/spiralling | Details |
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'THE BIZARRE' Exhibition19/07/2024 — 27/07/2024 Fox Yard Studio IG - "Featuring artists who push the boundaries of Contemporary art with thought-provoking works from different styles. The exhibition @foxyardstudio will showcase various paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographic and digital works. Come and delve into the works of THE BIZARRE to enjoy the peculiarities and vast expressions... [Read more] |
Fox Yard Studio, Stowmarket, Suffolk | Details |
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'Art As A Response to Mental Health' Doncaster Art Fair Online Exhibition & Competition03/06/2024 — 17/06/2024 An exhibition focussed on how mental health is explored in art. Hundreds of artists were exhibited, and there was a competition aspect. I submitted two artworks; "There is nothing there" - a piece about the conflict of anxiety and depression, and "Let Me Leave This Place" - a piece about OCD. |
https://www.instagram.com/p/C9cZ_h6Iv6_/ | Details |
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WHITE HOLE Exhibition13/02/2024 — 16/02/2024 Organised by the BFREAK PROJECT, a group of creatives of different disciplines came together to demonstrate the power of creativity. |
Ex-Libris Gallery, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne | Details |
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Visual Artists Association International Exhibition and Scholarship Prize 202415/01/2024 — 08/02/2024 This prize is annual, and I was shortlisted with my piece "This woman does not exist". I was one of 30 artists chosen. |
https://visual-artists.org/vaa-scholarshipexhibition-shortlist/ | Details |
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Album Cover for Mr B. The Gentleman Rhymer, "National Treasure"01/05/2023 — 08/09/2023 A commissioned piece for Mr. B. the Gentleman Rhymer's album, "National Treasure". It is a portrait of him with imagery inspired by the themes within the songs and his persona coming from his head and swirling around him. It is 51 x 51 cm and was £400. |
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzOa60DCv18/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== | Details |
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Supporting Arts Exhibition | 202201/09/2022 — 30/09/2022 I exhibited my piece "The Soup of the Unconscious is Eaten by the Woman I Desire" as a part of the Supporting Arts "2022" exhibition, which was an annual exhibition created as a way to support artists through/after the pandemic. |
IG: supportingarts_ | Details |
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Fine Art BA HONS Year 3 Degree Show10/06/2022 — 15/06/2022 This was the final exhibition of my degree. I displayed various pieces from my portfolio together, the central piece being my self-portrait "The Soup of the Unconscious is Eaten by the Woman I Desire". For me, it represented how far I had come despite the struggle of the pandemic. |
Assembly House, Newcastle Upon Tyne | Details |
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Open Studios 12 | Fine Art Degree Show Year 209/07/2021 — 12/07/2021 The final exhibition of the second year of my Fine Art BA HONS degree. I exhibited my piece "This woman does not exist", which was my final piece of Year 2. |
IG: fineart_ncuc | Details |
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Baltic Open Submission 202119/05/2021 — 05/09/2021 Over 150 North East artists exhibited together as part of this exhibition. I submitted one of my older pieces "The Valley of the Untouchable Fantasies" (2020, Oil on canvas). |
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead | Details |
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New Myths | Fine Art Degree Exhibition Year 231/03/2021 — 10/04/2021 An online exhibition to show the work we had created so far in our second year. I exhibited "Weird and Ashamed I, II & III", a piece I made at the end of 2020. |
IG: fineart_ncuc | Details |
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Relations and Reflections | Fine Art Degree Year 225/03/2021 — 17/04/2021 Everyone from my fine art cohort created a piece under the theme of "Family", a theme poignant because of the pandemic. I created a piece about myself and my twin brother, "I Will Never Be Without You". |
vane.org.uk | Details |
Open Studios 11 | Fine Art Degree Year 101/12/2019 — 20/12/2019 An exhibition to display the work of myself and my peers that we had created in Year 1. |
Mandela Building, Rye Hill Campus, Newcastle College, Newcastle Upon Tyne | Details | |
UAL/Newcastle College Foundation Diploma in Art & Design Final Exhibition01/06/2019 — 15/06/2019 The final exhibition of my Foundation Degree in Art & Design. |
Mandela Building, Rye Hill Campus, Newcastle College, Newcastle Upon Tyne | Details | |
New Myths | Foundation Degree in Art & Design07/01/2019 — 14/01/2019 Exhibiting the work I created that year so far in my Foundation Degree in Art & Design. |
Assembly House, Newcastle Upon Tyne | Details |