My Favourite Contemporary Artists

Unskilled Worker

London-based creator, Helen Downie, specialises in whimsical portraiture and overflowing fairytale scenes. What I love most about her work is her incorporation of magical symbols, emblems and bursting floral spreads. Her paintings often include images of bees, snakes, fish, butterflies, reptiles, eyes, flags/banners, storks, bows and playing cards. Whilst some of her more recent artworks, particularly those commissioned for Gucci campaigns, are vibrant, maximalist and dense with detail, her early works were much more subdued, quiet, and reflective. This evocative style seeps through the faces of her subjects- rosy, plush cheeks of women and dripping emerald eyes of boys. I especially love her single portraits, where just one figure is the focus. Many of these are commissions of celebrities and musicians. I have her gorgeous, ghastly, gothic portrait of Bjork hanging above my bed.

Polina Osipova

Inspired by the forgotten treasures and traditions of her Chuvash heritage, Polina Osipova brings the decorative world of her culture into an experimental, digital space. Her work is sculptural and ornate, threaded with appreciation for the tactile crafts of her ancestors. Polina herself is often incorporated as a central feature of her clever ensembles, such as the wearer of an oversised heart headpiece, or the puppeteer of a pearly tap-like contraption. I love the anatomical motifs of her works, and the delicate way themes of love, digitisation, family and connection are conveyed. I first heard of Polina through her interview with The Violet Book, and since then, I have never found an artist that produces work quite as unique as her. I would like to have every piece in my house.

via @polinatammi on Instagram

Lee Jaeheon

Korean artist, Lee Jaeheon, breathes wisps of life into ephemeral dreamscapes and ghost-like portraits. His works are like recollections of supernatural encounters through a lens of gilded glamour. His figures, blurred and distorted, contain just enough defining detail to give the impression of a human, but not enough to be fully discernible. Thus, his subjects exist on the threshold of reality and dream; life and death. His style, though abstract, portrays women in a whimsical and ornate way reminiscent of the works of Gustav Klimt, while his transparent application of oils reminds me of Marc Chagall’s fairytale-like abstracts. Despite containing aspects of his predecessor’s, Jaeheon’s work is so undeniably unique and contains an almost unsettling contemporary flare that makes them feel like lost memories, abstracts of intangible thoughts.

Via @white.castle.motel on Instagram

Matt Helders

British photographer Matt Helders may be better known as the drummer behind Arctic Monkey’s iconic rock medleys, but that doesn’t mean his photos are any less evocative. He works with film point and shoot cameras, more specifically his Leica M6 using Portra 400 film. This gives his shots a crisp, timeless feel, where his subject matter is largely contemporary. He catches the mundanities of afternoon light on street corners, bright lights in dim doorways, lovers moving through town, and of course his life, boarding planes with the band. I think I like his photos because they don’t try to be something they’re not- they are stripped back, simple, and catch a playfulness that slips between the cracks of routine. He focuses on symmetry, private moments and forgotten alleys. Love.

Andrea Zanatelli

There is so much I could say about Andrea Zanatell. I find myself so entranced by his embroidered treasures. Based in Milan, Zanatelli creates ornate, beaded squares often revolving around a poem, a story, or an emblem such as a heart or cross. His art is heavily influenced by the Victorian ‘Lover’s Eye’, and the decorative visions from the Rococo period. Adorned with lace, pearls and jewels, Zanatelli creates mystical, gothic keepsakes, reminiscent of medieval memento mori’s. I recently purchased his new poetry book, Love is Enough, which combines poems from seminal authors such as Coleridge, Bronte and Shakespeare, with matching artworks which reflect the depths and trials of love. The foreword, written by Florence Welch, who he has worked with during several of her album promotions, is beautifully composed and prefaces the Zanatelli’s work with much deserving praise and sincerity.

Via @andreazanatelli on Instagram

Sara Robinson

I once despised my Instagram explore page, reserving it for the cringiest memes I would be embarrassed to show even my grandma, but recently Sara Robinson changed that for me. I came across her film/ polaroid photography and immediately felt drawn to her work. I love how she experiments with overlays and deep, rich hues of blues and blacks. It feels like I’m walking through a gothic garden, where ghostly wisps of a woman lingers through blurs of fuchsia flowers. She varies her levels of perspective and point of view, and sometimes it feels like we are observing her ambiguous subject matter from behind a foggy, indistinct glass. This makes her photos feel spooky and ominous. I love the flowers she captures, and would love a stroll through this garden of secrets where the creation of her work takes place. She also has a precious skill for drawing little birds- so enchanting and talented.

Via @sararobinson on Instagram