Sue Tompkins

Sue Tompkins (born 1971 in Leighton Buzzard, England) is a British visual and sound artist known for her inventive approach to language and performance. After studying painting at the Glasgow School of Art, she graduated in 1994 and has made Glasgow her creative base ever since. In 1997, she co-founded the artist collective Elizabeth Go with fellow artists Victoria Morton, Sarah Tripp, Cathy Wilkes, and her twin sister, Hayley Tompkins, marking an early step in her collaborative and experimental career.

Tompkins first captured wider attention as the vocalist for the cult indie band Life Without Buildings, active between 1999 and 2002. The band’s only album, Any Other City (2001), has since become a touchstone for its singular sound, largely thanks to Tompkins’ unique “talk-sung” vocal delivery. Her lyrical style, often described as fragmented, rhythmic, and almost stream-of-consciousness, draws comparisons to literary figures like Gertrude Stein and the raw energy of post-punk music.

Following the band’s breakup, Tompkins returned fully to her solo art practice, using language as a central material. Her performances and installations often explore how everyday speech can be reshaped into poetic, emotionally charged works. She has exhibited internationally, with solo shows at places like The Modern Institute (Glasgow), the Contemporary Art Museum (St. Louis), and Spike Island (Bristol). In 2011, she was honored with the prestigious Paul Hamlyn Award for Visual Artists.

Today, Tompkins continues to live and create in Glasgow, remaining a powerful and influential voice in both the visual and performance art worlds.