BRYNLEY ODU DAVIES: ARTIST PORTRAITS

“The reason I find artists so interesting is because they create their own universes.” - Brynley Odu Davies

Brynley Odu Davies has been on a three-year mission across the UK to capture artists in their studios, in the thick of their work, paint-splattered boiler suits and all. “These people are in a space of solitude, but photographing them while there helps to draw them out of it a bit.”

Since 2020 Davies has spent time with more than 200 artists around the country. He travelled from the south of England to the north coast of Scotland, determined to thoroughly document the best of Britain’s artistic talent. The result: a sprawling archive of Bright Young Things, from Elsa Rouy’s subversive takes on sex, motherhood and femininity to Trackie McLeod's nostalgia-fuelled explorations of Scottish patriotism, via Christian Quin Newell's sci-fi-esque canvases.

As we see in the South London-based photographer’s work, some artists mimic their work, even blend into it slightly – as Davies sees it, it was important for him to bring the humanity behind each piece to the forefront.

Words: Jade Wickes