Iona Kewney
Born: April 27, 1973;
Died: February 28, 2026
IONA Kewney, who has died after a period of illness at the age of 52, was a remarkable visual artist, dance performer and teacher. Her artistic works were widely exhibited and her abilities as a dancer received enthusiastic critical praise.
“Iona Kewney”, said one dance critic, “is awesome – there’s no denying it. Her physical, visceral, shamanic performance is an extraordinary blend of contemporary circus and radical dance….”. Another spoke of her “feral, mesmerising performance - somewhere between dance, improvisation and ritual”. A third observed: “There are few originals in any art form...dancer Iona Kewney has the unique combination of skills and experience to count as one of them”.
Her dance performances were shown in 22 countries, in hundreds of theatres and international festivals of contemporary dance, circus, performance art and theatre. She taught at dance and circus schools and universities across Europe and regularly taught art classes at The Art Department in Paisley, inspiring people with her passion for art and energetic style of teaching.
She also collaborated and performed with a diverse range of musicians, bands and visual artists, and she had to her name a long list of awards and residences.
Among those paying tributes to Iona have been her fellow members of the Brussels-based contemporary dance company, Ultima Vez, with whom she worked.
They praised her skill and physicality. “She was wild and free …Iona was and always will be one of most special people and performers I have ever met”, one colleague said. “She taught me so much from her world, and she was a person who would always come out of her shell to meet and reach people in a heartfelt way. When she asked you questions, she really cared, she genuinely wanted to know what you had to say”.
Another colleague, addressing Iona, declared: “To work with you was like travelling inside a tornado and arriving in an unknown area, where you transformed yourself into a never-before-seen creature. You were always busy, knew what happened in the art world and chose preciously your collaborators whom you cared for like sisters and brothers. You could listen to people and add your own admiration with a generosity that people never forget”.
Iona Jane Kewney was born in Irvine, Ayrshire, on April 27, 1973, the first child of Peter and Win Kewney, and was raised in Troon. Her brother, Justin, was born two years later. She was educated at Troon Primary School and the town’s Marr College.
Growing up, she was sporty and artistic. Her first love was gymnastics, which she performed to a high level, taking part in various competitions and winning many medals. She and Justin joined Troon Tennis Club, which played an important part in both their lives. Iona went on to win the club championships on several occasions and represented the club at county level, at the Ayrshire Championship. They enjoyed the club’s social aspect and made many lifelong friends.
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Iona’s artistic talents first began to flourish when she was at primary and then at secondary school. Her Grandpa Peter, himself a keen artist, encouraged her to take up painting. She was just ten years old when she did her first oil painting, of a small house. Her inspiration came from diverse sources, as was the case when, while in her latter years at Marr, the family visited Kenya’s Massai Mara National Reserve. They went on safari and met a number of Maasai tribespeople. Iona was inspired by the vibrant colours, the tribespeople’s physicality and their closeness to the natural environment.
After leaving school, she attended Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design in Dundee, where she studied Fine Art and Printmaking, leaving with a first-class honours degree. Her main interest in art related to anatomy and she liked to work on a large scale and make highly detailed drawings of bodies and their inner structures, which in turn linked to her keen interest in dance and movement. The body, physicality and nature were central themes of Iona’s work.
Switching her attention to dance, she travelled to Amsterdam where, at the School for New Dance Development, she completed the equivalent of a Master’s Degree. Her unique, contemporary style owed at least something to her previous gymnastic flair.
She made her way to Sweden, joining the Cirkuspiloterna Circus School, where she developed new skills and ultimately specialised in the strict discipline of hand-balancing.
She then embarked on her dance career, working with the noted Belgian choreographers Wim Vandekeybus and Alain Platel. Reviewing her work with Platel in 2006, the Daily Telegraph described her as a “real live ‘wild child’ whom Platel has learned not to harness” and who “contorts herself like a crab in a straightjacket, the bendiness of her limbs paradoxically suggesting spasticity”.
In collaboration with the musician Joe Quimby, Iona established, in 2009, Knights of the Invisible, a radical dance company that set out to create ‘visionary worlds of live art’ and which went on to tour internationally. They had met each other while Iona was working as a bike messenger in Glasgow.
A Herald reviewer at the 2009 Fringe was present at Iona’s show Self-Interrupted Exhibition, in which Quimby played guitar while Iona danced. The review said: “Kewney ricochets across the floor like a human ping-pong ball. She ties her tiny body in rubbery knots, holds fierce hand-stands and compresses herself into a cardboard box. It’s an ‘expect the unexpected’ piece where Kewney’s penchant for raw, immediate, seemingly impulsive, action thrills some and alienates others. It’s a bit like sticking your fingers into an electric socket: it’s a jolt that leaves the brain cells tingling”.
Some ten years ago, Iona met, via a mutual friend on a badminton court, Cameron Miller, who would become her partner. On one of their first dates, he took her climbing across the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe. Thereafter, they climbed no fewer than 76 Munros together, including the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the Isle of Skye.
Both keen cyclists, they took part in cycle sportives including the Etape Caledonia, Ayrshire Alps, Oban Sportive and Isle of Mull Sportive. Iona also took part in the Mull Half Marathon and Kyles 10 Miles and enjoyed many parkruns across Scotland.
Iona became close to Cameron’s family, including his sister Susan and especially his mother Wendy and father Peter. They accepted her into their family and during her last few months, were instrumental in allowing Iona to be cared for at home.
She had also remained close to her and Justin’s nine cousins.
Summarising her qualities, her partner Cameron and her brother Justin alighted upon ‘free spirited, creative, caring, loyal and mischievous’.
RUSSELL LEADBETTER
At The Herald, we carry obituaries of notable people from the worlds of business, politics, arts and sport but sometimes we miss people who have led extraordinary lives. That's where you come in. If you know someone who deserves an obituary, please consider telling us about their lives. Contact garry.scott@heraldandtimes.co.uk
