ABOUT
I'm Yvadney Davis, I studied Fashion Design at Central Saint Martins and I live in South London, where I work from my home studio.
My art practise is a love-letter to my British Caribbean heritage, through figurative portraiture that delves into intricate questions of nostalgia, identity and belonging. I acknowledge the duality of home being both the terraced houses of the UK and the hills and rivers of Jamaica. My works delve into memories, folklore and the intricate question of identity and home as a second generation immigrant. The subjects are loved ones, sometimes myself and everyday members of my community; they are characters from folk stories, carnival and songs my ancestors passed down through the generations.
Working from my garden studio, my artwork focuses on the surface with layered paint strokes, chrome ink, linen canvas, and the distinctive textures and patterns of vintage mid-century wallpaper. This not only honours the iconic aesthetic of Windrush interiors but also connects the past with the present in a dialogue of displacement and home.
EXHIBITIONS:
- '100 Black Women Who Have Made a Mark' Serendipity Institute at Leicester Gallery Opening October 2024
- 'A Woman's Work' Yellow Dot at Genisis Gallery, 2024
- 'Together We Thrive' Sotheby's Institute x Cultural Leaders at Gallery OCA, Cromwell Place 2024
- 'Gather Around the Story Tree' Plurality Now at 198 Gallery 2023
- 'Proverbs of the Windrush Child' Black Cultural Archives 2023
- 'Sounds & Stories of the Windrush' Peckham Levels 2023
- 'Where Are You From From?' University of Canterbury 2023
- 'Black & Bold' M&C Saatchi x Harrods 2022
- 'ING Discerning Eye' Mall Galleries 2022
- 'Some of Us Are Brave' Casild Art 2022
- 'The Marks We Make' The Curator's Salon 2021
- 'Presentations: A Celebration of Black Art' Hammersmith BID 2021
- Portrait Artist of the Year - Semi Finalist Sky Arts 2023
- Evening Standard and The Independent Artist Creates Portraits as a Love Letter to the Windrush Generation September 2023
- Women United Art Magazine Special Edition Spring 2023
- Colours of Art School Situationship Spring 2023
- The HUTS Magazine Issue 7 February 2023
- Women United Art Movement Honouring the Past, Embracing the Present with Yvadney Davis Episode 52 December 2022
- Art Seen Summer Issue May 2022
- Women Who Rebrand Uncovering the Creative Genius of Yvadney Davis - Episode 15 March 2022
- Evening Standard 'Homes & Property' February 2022
- Create Magazine Issue #27 October 2021
PRIZES & SHORTLISTS:
- John Moores Painting Prize Exhibition Shortlist 2023
- Art United Painting Prize 1st place winner - 2022
- ING Discerning Eye Shortlist 2022
- Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Shortlist 2022
- Wavertree Art Prize Shortlist 2022
- Black British Art x Wilkie Farr & Gallagher Private Exhibition 2023
- Road Chef Black History Month 2022
- Casild Art x Harbottle & Lewis Private Exhibition 2022