Damian Elwes

At first, Elwes only depicted the studios of living artists. However, following the advent of the internet, he was able to access online imagery of the studios of celebrated 20th century artists, such as Picasso and Matisse. Discovering a love for research and detective work, Elwes viewed these old images as puzzle pieces, putting them together to create comprehensive depictions of a moment in these artists’ lives. Elwes’ representations are always born from his desire to know more about a particular artwork and he highlights the connection between the artwork and its surroundings. For example, in Matisse’s Studio, La Regina, Nice, Matisse’s large canvas, La Musique (1939), is central to the composition. Perched on an easel, the colours of the painting seep into the surrounding room. Even the leaves in the painting’s background are echoed in the houseplant that Elwes has included behind the canvas and in the foliage outside the open French windows. Equally, in an image of Damien Hirst’s studio, spatters and speckles of multicoloured paint from Hirst’s brushwork are mirrored in the colours of the River Thames flowing in the painting’s background.

Through his depictions, Elwes also reminisces about his own history, specifically his time spent in New York during the 1980s. It was there that he encountered Keith Haring who encouraged him to become a painter. Elwes’ depiction of Haring’s studio includes a nod to their close relationship. Amongst Haring’s cans of spray paint, boom boxes and painted urns, two empty green chairs face each other, representative of the long conversations that Elwes enjoyed with the artist during that time.

Through Haring, Elwes became acquainted with Jean-Michel Basquiat. In Studio Visit, the artist depicts Basquiat’s studio on Crosby Street. Elwes recalls visiting the studio space in recent years, which is now occupied by a family. After being invited inside, Elwes noticed their little daughter painting on an easel in the exact corner in which Basquiat used to work. Perhaps the most intimate artwork in the exhibition, Elwes’ depiction of Basquiat’s studio unfolds from the large piece Mitchell Crew (1983), which leans against the wall. All existing photographs of this space are hazy and hard to decipher. However, after getting to know Patti Astor, who exhibited Basquiat’s artworks at the infamous Fun Gallery in the 1980s, Elwes was put in touch with numerous friends of the artist. He began to reimagine Basquiat’s studio from the memories of these friends and the blurry photographs came to life through their stories. The painting is littered with numerous objects and knick-knacks, including an image of the Mona Lisa that Basquiat drew on for a portrait of his art dealer, Mary Boone, and even a tray of sushi that, according to friends, the artist often enjoyed for lunch. These paintings, conceived of memories, research and real-life observations, become highly intimate representations of an artist’s experience in a particular moment in time.

A similar process of reimagination takes place in the depiction of Frida Kahlo’s studio. Elwes was able to visit and sketch the studio in person. This room at the Casa Azul is now completely empty, devoid of all the objects that we see in Elwes’ painting. Combining his sketches and existing photographs of Kahlo’s studio, Elwes has been able to put everything back into place. Numerous carved Mexican statues gifted to Kahlo by her husband, Diego Rivera, perch on wooden shelves. Kahlo’s self-portrait, The Two Fridas (1939) hangs on the wall behind her easel and above the many religious icons and postcards that inspired her. Many of Elwes’ paintings therefore amount to a process of recovery, comprehensively recreating spaces that no longer exist as they once did.

In particular, the artist’s portrayal of Yayoi Kusama’s New York studio becomes an important act of restitution. Kusama used the studio in her 20s and very few of those who visited it are still alive today. Having depicted Kusama’s studio several times in gouache, Elwes felt that he had not yet captured the essence of this particular creative space. However, he came across a publicity image of Kusama in the studio surrounded by the unique furnishings she adorned with sewn objects. A thorough investigation of the objects in the background enabled him to identify the elements in Kusama’s studio, creating a complete composition. As such, Studio Visit offers access to spaces that might otherwise be forgotten or lost to time.

Studio Visit consciously considers the importance of human creativity, offering an alternative narrative to the destruction that we see in the news each day. Elwes does not only convey the mental and innovative landscape of iconic artists, but he reminds us of our universal capacity to create.