For years, Graham Little painted beauty as its own subject. Now the Dundee-born artist is looking at what surrounds it, and his new work shifts attention from the figure to the context around it.
Little builds each painting in his studio before he paints it. He gathers paper, objects picked up on the streets near his home, and friends who pose for him. The finished works show that process. Small items from the edges of daily life come forward, while the figure slips toward the background.
Like Little, Clotilde Jiménez builds meaning from scraps and fragments, using bold mixed-media collage to uncover hidden family stories. Chicago Collages Uncovering Hidden Family Narratives shows how everyday materials can carry personal history.
Little finds encouragement in the natural world. He notes that societies make many overcomplicated and destructive choices, yet flowers and fruit return every year. For him, that persistence suggests a form of care that exists outside the systems people build.
Early Influences Behind graham little paintings
Little grew up in Scotland, where contemporary painting was scarce. He made up for it by visiting galleries in Edinburgh, where he would spend hours looking and forget to eat or drink. He also drew constantly. When friends stayed indoors, he sat with them briefly before going home to finish a drawing.
Fashion photography has long shaped the work of this graham little artist. Little builds on that influence by widening what counts as beauty. In his work, cracks, blemishes and ordinary details often take precedence over polished perfection.
As a child, he wanted to understand the editorials and adverts he saw and to immerse himself in them. Those images still inform his practice, but he now makes his own versions. He admits he remains uncertain about beauty, asking whether it is “a mirage, projection or a hope.”
Little’s uncertainty about what beauty really is also echoes in Tang Shuo’s self-portraits, which reshape ancestral stories into something personal and present. Tang Shuo’s New York Exhibition of Ancestral Self-Portraits is worth a look for its equally searching approach to identity.
The exhibition Graham Little at Alison Jacques, London, until 14 November 2026 gives visitors a chance to see how he treats beauty as something found in the margins of ordinary life.
Source: wallpaper.com
Frequently asked questions
How does Graham Little create his paintings in his studio?
Little builds each painting in his studio before he paints it. He gathers paper, objects picked up on the streets near his home, and friends who pose for him.
What does Graham Little focus on in his new paintings?
His new work shifts attention from the figure to the context around it. Small items from the edges of daily life come forward, while the figure slips toward the background.
How does Graham Little define beauty in his work?
Little widens what counts as beauty, so cracks, blemishes, and ordinary details often take precedence over polished perfection. He admits he is uncertain about beauty, asking whether it is “a mirage, projection or a hope.”
Where can I see the Graham Little exhibition at Alison Jacques?
The exhibition Graham Little is at Alison Jacques in London, running until 14 November 2026.
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