Brynley Odu Davies' ARTIST PORTRAITS

The exhibition offers a unique and intimate glimpse into the lives of artists and features a collection of Brynley's never-before-seen portraits of artist studios captured between 2020 and 2023. 

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Brynley began his photography career capturing live events, bands, and album covers in the music industry, and he became well-known for his photographs of South London's emerging musicians. The pandemic forced a change in his career, leading him to meet South London-based artist Conor Murgatroyd while taking a lockdown walk in Peckham. This meeting sparked a project that would consume most of Byrnley's time for the next three years, and he travelled around the UK, shooting at least five times a week and travelling across the entire UK. To date, Brynley has photographed over 200 contemporary artists in their studios.

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“After I took images of Conor, I thought this might be an interesting direction, so I reached out to Marcus Nelson. Suddenly, I realised how amazing this was, all I had to do was go to an artist’s studio and there was all this brilliant artwork and an amazing space just waiting for me.” – Brynley Odu Davies

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Brynley’s project aims to platform all young artists equally and deliberately reflect the ethnically diverse nature of the UK's emerging art scene. Many of the artists he photographed have become close friends, and Brynley consistently follows and supports their careers.

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Brynley has created a distinctive and outstanding archive through his images, capturing the UK's dynamic emerging art scene of the 2020s and the artists who will become well-known in the future. Recognising Brynley's remarkable commitment and the exceptional talent of the featured artists, it will be exciting to see his ambitious project at STUDIO WEST. 

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Cover image: Brynley Odu Davies, Daisy Parris, Croydon, South London, 2021. © Courtesy of the Artist and STUDIO WEST

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