Graceland London

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 cultural 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 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.

Humour is a major outlet for Graceland London’s creativity. Motifs such as a woman smoking a cactus and a smiling teddy bear that happily waves to us with the words ‘F**k You’ written on its paw demonstrate this particularly potently.

The artist revels in the irony of capturing bleak dystopian worlds in playful candy colours and motifs. From a distance, our expectation is that her paintings are full of joy and optimism, but on closer examination, traversing her sinister landscapes and taking meaning from an eclectic range of symbols, her paintings are imbued with a sardonic tone.

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