Tori McLean​
Tori McLean
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Why? What if? How come? Can I? Should I?
The persistent questions of childhood - curious, fearless, insistent - form the foundation of Tori McLean’s interdisciplinary artistic practice. Working across print, sculpture, and installation, McLean channels this spirit of enquiry into a material-led exploration of value: how it is assigned, perceived, and felt, both personally and culturally.
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Her work sits at the intersection of thinking and making. Printmaking, for McLean, is not merely a method of reproduction but a dynamic, conceptual space - an active, thinking partner. She uses its textures, repetitions, and processes to reflect on themes such as identity, gendered experience, female agency, and the often-unspoken forces that shape who we’re allowed to become. This way of working transforms the medium from passive surface to participatory encounter, inviting viewers to challenge conventional assumptions and reflect more deeply on what they see and feel.
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Rooted in experimentation and material curiosity, McLean’s practice draws on the joyful language of childhood play - the tactility of toys, the delight of invention, the instinct to question everything. Her works are often playful on the surface, but layered with emotional complexity. Playfulness, nostalgia, and charm become points of entry into more uncomfortable ideas and weightier subjects. The interplay between surface charm and psychological depth is a recurring strategy in her work, used to question how value is constructed and perceived.
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Bio
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McLean is currently undertaking a print MA at the Royal College of Art. She has a PhD in Marketing & Applied Economics (Solent University), BA in Fashion and Textile Design (Winchester School of Art), BSc in Business and Information Technology (Kingston University) and a FdSc in garden design. Alongside her art practice, McLean works as a freelance surface pattern designer.
Her work is held in the public collections of the V&A and Hamsphire Cultural Trust and private collections in the UK, Europe, USA and Australia. She is an elected member of the Society of Designer Craftsmen, a member of the Printmaker’s Council , East London Printmakers and Ochre Print Studio.
McLean has won several awards including the International Grand Prize at Designext, New York, the B&Q/Elle Decoration British Talent Search Textile's Award and the Society of Designer Craftsmen Distinction Award. She has worked on commissions for Hampshire Cultural Trust and the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, in conjunction with The City of London Corporation.
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CV
Tori McLean
Born 1969, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Resides and works in Winchester, United Kingdom
Education
2024-2025: MA Print, Royal College of Art, London
2011-2014: BA Fashion & Textile Design (1st), Winchester School of Art
2007-2010: FdSc Garden Design (Distinction), Portsmouth Uni./Sparsholt College
1993-1998: PhD, ‘Analysing Compeitive Markets Through Consumer Choice’ Nottingham Trent/Solent University.
1988-1992: BSc Business Information Technology (1st), Kingston University
Training
2016-2017 Diploma in Printmaking, Red Hot Press, Southampton
2015-2016 Foundation in Printmaking, Red Hot Press, Southampton
2012-2025 Print Masterclasses with Dale Devereux Barker, Paul Catherall, Sarah Campbell, Mary Dalton, Kate Dicker, Fiona Fouhy, Akiko Fujikawa, Dan Heath, Jason Hicklin, Ali Lanya, Angie Lewin, Ann Norfield, Suzie Perry, Trevor Price, Heike Roesel, Jane Sampson, Susie Turner, Charles Shearer, Liorah Tchiprout, Sue Timney and Sally Tyrie.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2025, Pattern & Progress, City Space Gallery, Winchester
Select Group Exhibitions
2025, RCA Summer Show 2025, RCA Battersea, London
2025, InBetweens, Southpark Galleries, London
​2024 InVisble, Hockney Gallery, London
2024 Designer Craft at Bankside, Bankside Gallery, London
2024 Small Wonders, Jack House Gallery, Portsmouth
​2023 Festival of Print, The Art Pavilion, London
2023 Royal Society of Marine Artists, Mall Galleries, London
2023 Portsmouth Printmakers, Jack House Gallery, Portsmouth
2023 Wonder, Oxmarket Contemporary
2023 Portsmouth Printmakers, Imagination Refinery, Portsmouth
2023 Hot of the Press, Hillier Gallery, Romsey
2023 Ochre Print Summer Exhibition, Adam’s Gallery, Reigate
​2022 Festival of Print, The Art Pavilion, London
2022 Cowprint 10th Exhibition, City Art Gallery, Southampton
2022 Transformations, Bankside Gallery
2022 Cutting a Fine Line, God’s House Tower, Southampton
​2021 3 Printmakers, Oxmarket Contemporary, Chichester
2021 Mayflower 400, God’s House Tower, Southampton
2021 Open Art Exhibition, Red House Museum, Christchurch
2021 Derby Print Open, Online Exhibition
2021 Open Art Exhibition, Allen Gallery, Alton
2021 Red Hot Press Printmakers, Hillier Gallery, Romsey
2021 Flower Power, Yellow Edge Gallery, Gosport
​2020 Vivid, Oxmarket Contemporary, Chichester
2020 Beyond four Walls, Oxmarket Contemporary
2020 Mayflower 400, Inky Hands Gallery, Massachusetts, USA
2020 Open Art Exhibition, Gosport Gallery, Gosport
2019 Summer Exhibition, Oxmarket Contemporary, Chichester
2019 Red Hot Press Printmakers, Hillier Gallery, Romsey
​2019 Inspired: Creative Collections, City Space Gallery, Winchester
2018 Hand of the Maker, Triangle Gallery, London
2018 Inspired: Creative Collections, Willis Museum, Basingstoke
​2017 Pots & Prints, Oxmarket Contemporary, Chichester
2017 Journey Through Print, City Art Gallery, Southampton
2017 Red Hot Press: Making A Mark, Rum’s Eg Gallery, Romsey
2017 Red Hot Press Printmakers, Hillier Gallery, Romsey
2016 CityMade, Rivington Street Gallery, London
2016 Neo:Print Prize, Gallery 23, Bolton
2016 25th Design Crafts, Mall Galleries. London
2016 Red Hot Press Printmakers, Hillier Gallery, Romsey
2016 Red Hot Press Foundation Show, Corn Exchange, Southampton,
2015 Designer Crafts, Mall Galleries, London
2014 Wood & Fibre, Walford Mill, Wimborne
2014 Designnext, New York
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Selected Collections
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Hampshire Cultural Trust, Winchester
Selected Commissions & Collaborations
RHS Chelsea Flower Show & City of London Corporation
Hampshire Cultural Trust
British Museum
Royal Collection Shops
David Watson
B&Q
Awards & Recognitions
2016 Hillarys Design Award (Finalist)
2015 Society of Designer Craftsmen Distinction Award
2015 Society of Designer Craftsmen New Licentiate Award
2014 Designext International Grand Prize, New York
2013 Purvaai Textile Design Award
2013 Textile Award, B&Q/Elle Decoration British Talent Search
Lectures
2025, Guest Lecture, University for Arts, Norwich
2025, Guest Lecture, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham
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Professional Memberships
​Printmaker's Council, 2025
Society of Designer Craftsmen MSDC, Elected Member, 2015-2025
East London Printmakers, 2021-2025
Ochre Print Studio, 2021-2025
Artful Collective, Selected Member, 2022-2023
Portsmouth Printmakers, 2022-2023
Cowprint Artist's Group, 2016-2023
British Print Making Society, 2016-2021
Red Hot Press, 2016-2021
Trustee/Council Member of Soc. of Designer Craftsmen, 2016-2019
Member of Textile Institute, 2014-2018