My paintings are the contrast of light and dark, both in their making and in their subject. The paintings evoke the melancholic vibe of Victorian Gothic, combining elements of horror and romance. Steeped in history, it is dark and disturbing, yet very beautiful. Reframing ugliness and pain into beautiful utopian scapes, I look at painting as an embodiment of feeling or circumstance, whether this is a personal or collective experience. The characters inhabiting each scene tap into cultural anxieties and uncertainties yet are distanced from reality through their dreamlike setting.

Throughout history, we have a plethora of paintings depicting dark scenes. Depicted through shocking narrative and storytelling, with many of these visible practices extinct, we seek a more veiled representation. Each painting is grounded in an elaborate narrative, taking reference from mythology, history painting and folklore. I depict quixotic characters that redefine the aesthetics of darkness.

Paint naturally strays beyond its assigned plane on the canvas. Glazes, drips and bold gesture evoke powerful and visceral emotion, working back towards primitivism. Unlearning the historical compositions and established systems of painting and unveiling the process by which the art is born in its natural, unrefined state. Areas of light and dark are extreme; compositions aggressively spotlight the subject as if pulling them out from the darkness.

Born 1995, Anna Kenneally is an Artist based in London. Predominantly working in the medium of oil, she makes large-scale figurative paintings. Anna studied Fine Art at Bath School of Art & Design, graduating in 2017. Prior to this she gained a Distinction from Kingston University. Since studying she has worked for artists such as Damien Hirst and Dale Chihuly. In 2018 Anna was also part of Mall Galleries ‘In the Studio’ programme and selected for multiple awards including The Ashurst Emerging Art Prize, Carpenters Wharf Residency and the ACS Studio Prize 2018. Anna has recently been selected for Unit 1 Gallery & Workshop’s Radical Residency.