Overview

“I experience painting as the literal physical extension of my body where I undergo continual birth and rebirth into the world." - Lydia Makin

In her process, Lydia seeks out and responds to moments of discovery as they arise on the canvas. As she intuitively hones in on spontaneous discoveries, she works with the application of various glazes which again can shift the entire dynamic of the image. Through keeping the surface wet, she remains free and loose to make my brushstrokes with unhesitating confidence. 
 
Many of the seeds of her current practice derive from a visit to Rome three years ago. She was instantly drawn to the theatricality of old masters such as Caravaggio and Raphael in addition to embodiments of female spiritualism: goddesses, saints, demons and witches. These permeate her work through a variety of different channels: the sensual, the structural, the psychological and the symbolic.
Biography
Lydia Makin (b. 2000) received her BA in Fine Art at The Slade School of Fine Art, UCL in 2020 and is currently based in Nottingham. She has recieved multiple awards including the UCL East Provost Art Prize (2020), The Dean's List (2020), The Slade Prize (2020), The Hix Award Shortlist (2018), The Faculty Scholarship of Excellence Award (2017), The Richard Ford Award (2017) and The Painters Stainers’ Company Scholarship (2017). 
 
Recent selected solo exhibitions include: Catharsis in the Flame, (STUDIO WEST, London, 2023), Introducing, (Gallery Rosenfeld, London, 2022), The Reality in Whytch you Create, (STUDIO WEST, London, 2022), Circa, (Piccadilly Lights, London, 2020), Drawn Together, (Unit London, Online, 2020) and Gift, (ATP Gallery, London, 2018). 
Exhibitions
Works