About the Artist

Lauren-Marie Haywood is a black British painter, sculptor, and illustrator, based in London. The shared physical features, histories and material reality experienced by black women are the core themes of Haywood's fine art practice.

About The Artist

Lauren Haywood is a black British painter, sculptor, and illustrator, based in London

The shared physical features, histories and material reality experienced by black women are the core themes of Haywood’s fine art practice. Her body of work consists of thought-provoking paintings, sculptures, installations, and even performances, each of which offer powerful insight into the intersection between blackness and womanhood. Drawing upon her personal history and rich Caribbean heritage, she works to generate meaningful critiques regarding the unique issues of identity experienced by British West Indians. These issues stem from the forced migration of Africans to the British West Indies throughout the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the voluntary migration of generation Windrush (to which her grandparents belong) from the West Indies back to Britain.

The unique injustices her ancestors/relatives were forced to endure are acknowledged and honoured within her practice. The continued dehumanisation and oppression of contemporary black British women, and the 400 years of history in which this suffering is rooted, are her primary theme of focus. However, elements of empowerment and even hope permeate her practice to its very core. The visual experiences that Haywood creates are designed to expand existing perceptions of black women, and are delivered in the form of interactive workshops for KS2/3 children as well as full scale gallery exhibitions for the remainder of society.

Incorporating materials ranging from chocolate to marble dust into her work, she is able to create wondrous (and sometimes edible) experiences that uplift black women, while also capturing the struggles of constructing a contemporary, black female identity post-colonialism. Equipped with powerful storytelling techniques, and experience spanning a wide and unusual array of media, Haywood is able to create playful, striking and – at times – unsettling works of art. While maintaining a sense of seriousness and dignity for the subjects depicted in her work, she expansively uses humour to interrogate the situations in which many black women find themselves on a daily basis. Her work seeks to celebrate the intellect, habits of mind, and spirit that has survived within these women across borders and generations, rendering them immortal in pieces which will hopefully enrich many generations of black women to come.

To download a copy of Lauren’s CV, click here

Lauren Haywood graduated with honours from the university of Westminster in 2020, having achieved a First Class Degree in Fine Art Mixed Media. Her degree show piece won first prize in the Roy’s Art Fair Degree Show Competition, and her work was featured in both AN Magazine and Artplugged as a result. Her work has since been showcased at The Brick Lane Gallery, The Smith and Partner Gallery, No. 20 Arts, and more. She has been featured on numerous notable news sites, such as Black History Month UK and Buzzfeed UK, and was even interviewed on national television for a Sky Arts show called Unmuted.

DETAILED CV AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

Featured Interviews and Articles

Sky Art’s Unmuted, Episode 1: a buzzy magazine-style show exploring the best of art trends and cultural events. Comedian Mo Gilligan, artist Lauren Haywood and podcasters 3 Shots of Tequila all feature. (1 of 4)

https://www.sky.com/watch/title/series/cdcbe39b-b3a0-49a7-96ac-dbbbdbda70b7/unmuted/episodes/season-1/episode-1

Art Plugged: a contemporary art platform, inspired by our relationship with the wider arts communities, and our passion to showcase.
https://artplugged.co.uk/lauren-haywood-roys-degree-competition-prize-winner/

She Curates: a platform of exclusive art world interviews with women and non-binary artists and professionals
https://www.she-curates.com/interviews/artists/lauren-haywood/

AN Magazine: the largest artists’ membership organisation with over 25,000 members
https://www.a-n.co.uk/feature/class-of-2020-lauren-marie-haywood/

The Brick Lane Gallery: The Brick Lane Gallery exhibits an eclectic variety of contemporary and street art by British and International artists, focusing mainly on exhibiting emerging and mid-career artists. Their description of the artist is as follows, “Lauren Haywood is a multidisciplinary artist who explores themes of race, cultural identity, empowerment, popular culture, inclusivity and division, with a powerful yet playfully nuanced visual idiom.”

https://thebricklanegallery.com/art-in-mind-2-2/

Black History Month UK: black History Month 2020 is a time to look forward and celebrate the here and now – and the future possibilities. In years gone by, October has been the only time of year when the UK talks about the achievements of Black people in Britain.

https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/listings/region/hackney/black-supersheroes/

Smith and Partner Gallery: A contemporary fine art supplier and gallery, specialising in selling limited-edition framed art prints. Our flagship store, located in the heart of South Kensington, London is home to our most popular collections and locale of our art fairs and exhibitions.

List UK: A what's on guide to arts & entertainment in the UK. Event listings, gig guide, cinema times, restaurant reviews, tour dates.

https://www.list.co.uk/article/96487-the-best-of-black-history-month-in-london/

Hackney CVS (#FairerHackney): focused on tackling inequalities in Hackney, working with community groups, charities and voluntary organisations to help local residents.

https://hcvs.org.uk/event/black-history-month-2017-black-supersheroes-exhibition/

In Your Area UK: Discover local news and information near you with InYourArea, the UK's leading local news, information and community ... We are the only service that gives you a 360 view of up to the minute updates on your area.

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/how-to-celebrate-international-womens-day-in-east-london/

Buzzfeed UK: BuzzFeed is the world’s leading independent digital media company, which leverages data and innovation to reach hundreds of millions of people globally.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/dionnegrant/7-things-you-should-definitely-do-this-first-week-of-black

SadGrads 2020 Zine, Volume 2: Some scanned images from the SADGRADS2020 zine volume two designed by Ruben Buffery. 52 contributors featured in this volume from across the U.K., from various specialisms and with £420 raised in total and split between @s_lawrencetrust and @blackmindsmatter.uk. Sadgrads is a community-building platform to support 2020 sad grads across the U.K created by artist Jody Mulvey.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEmD34hlXBW/

The Rafiki Gallery: The gallery’s ‘Works on Paper With Friends’ exhibition took place online from the 22nd of November to mid-December 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic. Haywood’s portrait entitled, “Emergence; Awakening” was featured in this affordable exhibition, and sold for £98. All pieces showcased were under £100.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH5r23ClNoG/?igshid=jqj28rex1q2a

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIP2ZRQFw3_/?igshid=15pt4c9rlm3cc

Shiver Arts Gallery: Shiver’s core mission is to create an inclusive space within the art world that supports emerging artists and offers a range of affordable artwork available for everyone. Since the Gallery’s launch in December 2019, Shiver has brought together a talented collective of artists from varying artistic backgrounds and mediums.

https://shiverarts.com/pages/lauren-marie-haywood

SCTR.co.uk

SCTR is a platform for the future generation of content creators. It will offer grass roots talent an access point into the industry at a time when it will be harder than ever. SCTR content will always be original and bespoke, offering an insight into culture topics that young people will not get anywhere else – as a brand we will be focussed on the quality of content not quantity. SCTR will include all in our community, especially creatives from underprivileged backgrounds, the SCTR platform will be an unbiased level playing field.

https://sctr.co.uk/ftrs/lauren-marie-haywood-create-to-change/

No. 20 Arts — Around the Table Exhibition

No 20 Arts is delighted to present AROUND THE TABLE, a group show featuring artworks by Camilla Hanney, Lauren-Marie Haywood, Januario Jano, Jocelyn McGregor, Anna Perach, and Loreal Prystaj. From kitchen counters to the dining room table and home decor, this exhibition brings together a group of artists who have found inspiration in domestic spaces, within which we have all spent many long hours over the past year. In the artworks presented here, boundaries blur between the body, the space it inhabits, and the food it consumes. Lauren-Marie Haywood is a British artist based in London. Drawing on her personal history and Caribbean heritage, Haywood creates artworks which seek to celebrate dark skinned individuals, while simultaneously reflecting upon the historic and contemporary struggles of British African-Caribbean communities.

https://www.no20arts.com/lauren-marie-haywood

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/589b1783a5790a7f834bd8e5/t/608d7443f785c64f459c53b7/1619883087940/Around+the+Table+-+Press+Release.pdf

Islington Gazette — Home, body and food – exhibition explores the new domestic life

'Around the Table' is the latest show at No 20 Arts, in Cross Street, and features artworks by Camilla Hanney, Lauren-Marie Haywood, Januario Jano, Jocelyn McGregor, Anna Perach, and Loreal Prystaj. Lauren-Marie Haywood draws on her personal history, celebrating her Caribbean heritage, while reflecting on historic and contemporary struggles. In 'The Blacker the Berries', resin blackberries in hanging baskets carry "stereotypically Black" features.

https://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/news/21222958.home-body-food---exhibition-explores-new-domestic-life/

SCTR — The Creative Journey
Lauren-Marie Haywood is a multidisciplinary portrait artist from East London. Her work involves creating pieces that explore the intersection between womanhood and blackness. She specifically addresses the struggles that affect black women in London today and throughout history.

https://sctr.co.uk/ftrs/the-creative-journey-persistence-integrity/

WNOL – Serving Young Londoners

From drawing to sculpture: an artist who leaves an imprint, written by Daniele Kieraite.

https://wnolondon.net/2021/03/29/from-drawing-to-sculpture-an-artist-who-leaves-an-imprint/amp/

Broadway Gallery — Breaking Bread Exhibition

Breaking Bread reflects upon eating in many forms, exploring the linkages between consumption, history and memory. Collectively, the works interrogate a series of oppositions: eater and eaten, self and world, inner and outer space. Ranging from the suppressed histories of food producers to ‘edible’ bodies, from digestion to expulsion, the exhibition shows how we consume narratives and how they, in turn, consume us. Just as we must eat to stay alive, so must we consume the past in order to make sense of the present. For Lauren-Marie Haywood, eating is used to celebrate the transmission of knowledge within the different communities of the global African diaspora.

https://www.broadway-gallery.com/whats-on/breaking-bread/

Hamish Brown — Featured Archive

Hamish Brown is an award-winning photographer whose talent and style have secured him shoots worldwide for many of the top names in celebrity, music and sport. Happiest with a camera in hand, Hamish has shot a diverse range of celebrity talent from Jay-Z, Ricky Gervais and Nicole Kidman to Sir Elton John, Samuel L Jackson and Steve Coogan. Haywood has been shot twice by Brown in her career thus far.
https://www.hamishbrown.com/featured/