about
andrew martyn sugars creates work that often begins with curiosity and the pull of particular interests — a rhythm shaped by their experience of neurodivergence. for years, the making was simply about following through a question or an idea; the process itself was the focus. they followed threads of fascination that sometimes led to outcomes so elusive they were barely recorded. honouring this openness — and the tendency to overshare — remains central to their practice.
they arrived at this way of working after a career in production, realising the ideas of others. stepping into the challenge of developing their own has been a difficult transition, marked by repeated attempts to connect and be commissioned, and by the realisation that the most sustaining spaces are those shared with people who offer support. their neurodivergence came to light through this period of transition.
their practice sits in a hinterland between outsider art and contemporary art — a place that feels both isolating and generative. they describe this as a kind of paradox: the sense of not getting anywhere, viewed through a perfectionist and neurodivergent lens, contrasted with a deep need to keep exploring. because the act of making is what brings meaning and presence.
as a mature student in higher education, andrew explored societal concerns such as peak oil and migration. today, they are drawn to ideas of presence, community, and play — an activity that resists hierarchy and skill, offering a level plane for interaction. for them, play creates a way of being with others free from bias and agenda, a space where awkwardness dissolves and connection becomes possible.
2022 ma arts (fine art pathway) university of derby
2016. forest school leader
2009. ba(hons) fine art, university of derby
2025 shelter, outside in national open exhibition: my friends house featured in digital slide show.
2023 pursuance, lancaster jazz festival.
2022 pursuance, marsden jazz festival, marsden.
2022 crosspoint. ma group show, artcore, derby.
2022 viable, stryx gallery, birmingham.
2021 mina film festival, china, new zealand and australia
2021 beyond the curve international film festival, paris
2018 mina film festival symposium presentation, melbourne australia via video and online q&a
2016 re-imagined snee snaw part of figment festival, derby silk mill museum
2014 middle eight, artsmith live gallery, derby
2011 belper art trail, belper with the snee snaw
2010 future focus, quad, derby.
2009 east midlands finest, surface gallery, nottingham.
2009 derby university, fine art degree show, derby.
2009 on cdos and double clubs, august gallery, london
2009 r/evolution, quad, derby.
2008 wltm harrington mill, long eaton
work from the practice has also been shown in london, melbourne australia, new york, paris, boston, malmo, vienna and belper.
they have work on permanent display in the museum of making in derby. the digital work maps the altering spaces of the museum as it under went the work to become the museum of making. andrew’s approach was socially engaged working with those undertaking the building and museum infrastructure work to create the content. the work is presented to the museum audience as a non linear interactive documentary that invites the generation of a version of story of the mapped spaces. a spin off work from this project can also be seen in the railways revealed gallery, where we see the model railway from a ‘drivers’ and ‘guards’ point of view.
2026 hounorable mention at experimental forum film festival, los angeles.
2022 selected student residency by banks mill studios.
2021. two short films were best in their categories at the beyond the curve international film festival in paris.
2010. future focus bursary and exhibition at quad, derby.
2009. selected for east midlands finest exhibition, surface gallery, nottingham.
