Graceland London is a British artist born in London. She developed a passion for drawing and painting from a young age. Her fascination for art led her to study a BA in Fine Art and History of Art at Hampstead Fine Arts. It was here that she developed a passion for Italian Renaissance and 15th century Flemish paintings. This passion would have a massive impact on her practice and remains with her to this day.
After concluding her BA, Graceland London went on to study 3D Digital Design and Animation at Greenwich University. This experience was also significant in developing her practice and many of the characters and unique motifs that frequently feature in her work were invented and realised in 3 dimensions during this time. This includes a character that she refers to as a ‘squeegee’. This colourful character is represented with a stubble, symbolic in animations of being unkempt, and a melancholic expression. She explains this figure represents the ‘ego’ and the ‘shadow’, the part of a person that wants to act in self-destructive ways.
Graceland London has exhibited in many prestigious galleries and art fairs, both in the UK and internationally. In 2019 she exhibited at Art Basel Miami and in 2023 she exhibited at Art Basel in Switzerland.
Graceland London's original paintings are created using acrylic paint which emphasises the flat surface of the canvas; the complex worlds that she creates are represented in a 2-dimensional universe. However, in stark contrast, she employs oil paint for the representation of certain motifs, rendered with a sophisticated use of shading and patient attention to detail. These motifs appear to be in stark contrast to the rest of the scene, seemingly in relief from the canvas.
Graceland London has also developed her practice through the digital medium, creating NFT’s. Stylistically and conceptually, these works are consistent with her canvases. Her approach to representation, which emphasises outline and blocks of colour, is effectively represented through digital painting on an iPad.
Her artwork is created to be explored and dissected. The worlds that she creates are furnished with a vast array of objects, characters and phrases that are full of associations to stimulate the imagination of the viewer. Generally, her approach to composition is to fill the picture plane, taking inspiration from old master painters such as Jan van Eyck, Luca Signorelli and Hieronymus Bosch whose paintings are a treasure trove of details and characters.
A consistent theme that runs throughout her oeuvre is a scepticism towards contemporary Western culture. Featured across her paintings are references to the contemporary social and economic climate. Her paintings include Gucci logos, Donald Trump rubber ducks and references to QAnon (a far-right conspiracy theory and political movement). The fried eggs which feature in many of her works is a particularly poignant expression of her cynical outlook towards the state of the world. Whole eggs have been represented throughout the history of art as a symbol of optimism and new life. Graceland inverts this tradition by representing the egg as fried to symbolise, in a playful way, ‘when you come to this life, you are already doomed...because of how many things are wrong with this world’.
Castle Fine Art’s sister gallery, Halcyon Gallery opened an exhibition of a stunning collection of Graceland London’s original works. The Halcyon Gallery exhibition is open until Sunday 6 October at 29 New Bond Street, London.
Now Castle Fine Art is proud to announce Graceland London has joined our artist portfolio. Launching on 20th September, the new collection Spotlight on the Shadows includes four limited editions.
Stay updated on the latest Graceland London news and be the first to know about new arrivals, plus other subscriber-only benefits by subscribing to our mailing list!
Drawing on her knowledge of art history and fascination with symbolism, Graceland London's work presents images of decadence and vice in the contemporary world; what she describes as the ‘darker side of the human ego’.
Through playful candy colours and an aesthetic that takes inspiration from animation, she captures sinister worlds and explores consumption and mental health themes. Her bright use of colour and playful treatment of form is associated with optimism, yet in contrast her subject matter evokes a cynical tone.
'I try to make something visual that bridges tradition and modernity, highlighting the dark aspects of our experience to emphasise the importance of introducing balance for life to be meaningful.'
Graceland London is fascinated by the Old Masters; her vast knowledge of Art History significantly shapes her creative oeuvre. In particular she is drawn to the rich symbolism represented across Renaissance paintings, captivated by the fact that during this time, and throughout the Middle Ages, the primary function of art was to deliver complex religious narratives and messages to a predominantly illiterate audience. This historical significance and the study of symbolism play a pivotal role in shaping her artistic expression.
Her compositional approach, filling the picture plane with diverse elements, mirrors the techniques of revered Old Masters such as Jan van Eyck (1390-1441), Luca Signorelli (1441-1523), and Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450-1516), albeit with an Americana twist.
Symbolism is a cornerstone of Graceland London’s artistry, manifesting in objects and characters laden with profound culture significance. In many cases, the objects that she represents are derived from art history such as candles and a skull, both of which were frequently captured in religious art. Other objects invert traditional symbols in satirical ways, creating new layers of meaning.
The fried eggs we see take their starting point from the representation of eggs in Renaissance art – as symbols of new life and optimism. The ‘fried egg’ is symbolic of the artist's view of contemporary life: ‘when you come to this life, you are already doomed… because of how many things are wrong with this world’.
Other symbols are distinctly contemporary, alluding to the current social and economic climate, human vices and consumerism. Her paintings are littered with logos – Gucci, Chanel, Dior, Donald Trump rubber ducks and references to QAnon (a far-right conspiracy theory and political movement).
After concluding her BA, Graceland London went on to study 3D Digital Design and Animation at Greenwich University. This experience was significant in developing her practice and many of the characters and unique motifs that frequently feature in her work were invented and realised during this time.
This includes a character that she refers to as a ‘squeegee’. Iterations of this colourful character feature in almost all her work. They are represented with stubble, symbolic in animations of being unkempt, and a melancholic expression. She explains this figure represents the ‘ego’ and the ‘shadow’, the part of the self that wants to act in self-destructive ways.
Graceland London’s original paintings are created using acrylic paint which emphasises the flat surface of the canvas; the complex worlds that she creates are represented in a 2-dimensional universe. However, she employs oil paint for certain motifs, rendered with a sophisticated use of shading and patient attention to detail. These motifs appear in contrast to the rest of the scene, seemingly in relief from the canvas.
Graceland London has also developed her practice through the digital medium, creating NFTs. Stylistically and conceptually, these works are consistent with her canvases. Her approach to representation, which emphasises outline and blocks of colour, is effectively represented through digital painting on an iPad.
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