Artist Statement

Grace Mattingly’s paintings imagine scenes of dynamism and possibility, where something is either about to happen or in the middle of happening. 

Rendered in bright, soft tones in oil on canvas, or watercolor or acrylic on paper, these events often feature movement, transformation, or discovery. Figures, animals, and the occasional hybrid roam and mingle in misty landscapes, sometimes encountering recurring motifs such as shoes, candles, and fruit.

Inspired by surrealism, the works explore themes of gender and sexuality, play and improvisation, and fantasy and the unconscious. Reference material includes fairytales, classical mythology, prehistoric art, and “girly” 1990s-2000s pop culture explored through a feminist and queer revisionist lens. The artists Marie Laurencin, Gertrude Abercrombie, and Joan Mitchell are key influences.

Bio

Grace Mattingly (b.1991, Chicago) is a London-based artist whose work has been shown internationally in solo and group exhibitions. 

Solo exhibitions include: Dancers, Haricot Gallery (London, UK, 2025), Sundown, Goldfinch Gallery (Chicago, US, 2024), Monster Party, Arusha Gallery (Bruton, 2024), Untitled Miami, Huxley Parlour Gallery, (Miami, US, 2022), Yellow Horses, Taymour Grahne (London, UK, 2022), and Secret Sunshines, (Arusha Gallery, Edinburgh, UK, 2021).

Group exhibitions include: Drunken Boat, Haricot Gallery (London, UK, 2026), PAPER, Huxley Parlour, (London, UK, 2025), Neon Jungle Nocturne, Lychee One (London, UK, 2024), Luminous Terrain, Atipografia, (Arzignano, IT, 2023), New Mythologies II, Huxley Parlour, (London, UK, 2022), Four Painters & A Photographer, Grove Berlin, (Berlin, DE, 2022), Intimacy, Taymour Grahne Projects, (London, UK, 2022), and Internal Weather, Sid Motion Gallery, (London, UK, 2022). 

Mattingly has been featured in artist publications such as émergent magazine and Art Maze Mag and is a recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields grant. She holds a BA in philosophy from Columbia University (2014) and an MA in painting from The Slade School of Fine Art (2021).