Keeping her finger on the pulse of endurance sports, London-based artist Lydia Merrett brings the empowering spirit of long-distance runners to life on her canvases.
In these captivating snapshot compositions, Merrett skilfully blends her passion for motion with the expressive power of paint, inviting viewers into a world where the boundaries between stillness and movement are blurred.
“I ask her why she is so interested in motion? She responds that she finds movement exhilarating. She has set herself the difficult task of capturing movement in a medium that is more suited to the still life and the static pose. And yet, Merrett succeeds in pinning down on canvas the split-second moment that allows the viewer to inhabit the motion of her figures.”
Chibundu Onuzo
Merrett’s largest and most ambitious work to date, Moving As One dominates the presentation with its crowd of runners charging forward, their faces gradually distorting as they recede into the background.
The work expertly captures the paradox of solitude within a community, serving as a visual metaphor for the shared yet isolating experience that often characterises individualistic sports undertaken en masse. The moving crowd becomes a backdrop against which the individual’s internal journey unfolds, magnifying the solo nature of the pursuit of personal excellence.
Lydia Merrett
Moving As One
2024
160 x 220 cm
Lydia Merrett
Grinding It Out
2023
29 x 40 cm
Lydia Merrett
Long Distance Runner (1)
2023
168 x 66 cm
Lydia Merrett
Long Distance Runner (2)
2023
168 x 66 cm
Lydia Merrett
Striking
2023
171 x 150 cm
Lydia Merrett
Afterglow
2023
183 x 152 cm
Lydia Merrett
When Summer Comes In
2023
29 x 40 cm
Lydia Merrett
Finally, A Moment of Stillness
2023
40 x 29 cm
It's really important to me to represent women being physical, taking up space in the world, working really hard and not always looking beautiful, but being real.
Lydia Merrett
At the heart of Merrett’s artistic practice lies her dedication to drawing, a daily routine that serves as both warm-up and foundation for her larger paintings.
These drawings, executed with speed and an intentional lack of erasure, may initially seem disposable yet, within them, the artist discovers motifs that undergo repetition in order to become fully realised paintings.
The throughline in Merrett’s diverse thematic interests is her examination of womanhood in contemporary society, which is often intertwined with her autobiography. The collective silence and concentration within group paintings echo the mental stamina and resilience needed not only in sports but also in daily life. As you navigate Merrett’s world, you can feel the energy, witness the rawness and experience the profound parallels between dedication and the relentless pursuit of excellence in both sports and art.
Merrett begins her paintings with sketches. In her notebooks, you see her confident draughtsmanship. The strokes are strong and clear, and a few lines convey motion and energy. She sketches to understand what lines are necessary and then only the strongest, most important lines are transferred to the canvas. It gives the final paintings a sophisticated economy.
Chibundu Onuzo
By Chibundu Onuzo
Lydia Merrett
Read Chibundu Onuzo’s essay discussing the breadth of Merrett’s practice, and the body of work created for her first solo presentation with Unit.
Lydia Merrett lives and works between London, Manchester and the South of France.
She graduated in 2023 from Slade School of Fine Art with Distinction, alongside winning the coveted Almacantar Studio Award. Merrett was also awarded the Terence Cuneo Memorial Trust prize for painting upon entering the second year of her MFA, a prize geared towards nurturing final-year students with an interest in painting as a specialty. Merrett’s practice examines womanhood in contemporary society, through the lens of physical activity.
The artist graduated from Goldsmiths with a BA in Fine Art in 2016. She has exhibited within the UK and has her first international solo presentation in early 2024, taking place in Seoul, South Korea. Her work is held in collections internationally, across the UK, France and the USA. Merrett is also a part-time lecturer in fine art, teaching drawing, painting and printmaking.
Chosen Charity
Mind
Over the past 75 years, Mind has transformed public attitudes and the quality of mental health support. The focus of their strategy is on supporting the people disproportionately affected by mental health issues: people from racialised communities, young people and people living in poverty. Mind’s services continue to provide life-changing support for millions of people each year, while its campaigning work holds the government to account in a wide range of policy areas, from the Mental Health Act to welfare reform.