10 Jul 2021 – 23 Dec 2022
Caroline Walker, Filing, 2018 © the artist and GRIMM. Courtesy the artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam/New York. Photo: Peter Mallet
Caroline Walker, Filing, 2018 © the artist and GRIMM. Courtesy the artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam/New York. Photo: Peter Mallet
Caroline Walker’s paintings portray women’s lives. Fascinated by the way in which the female realm has been depicted by male artists, she aims to re-present this from a female perspective. Recently, her focus has shifted from imagining the lives of privileged housewives to depicting refugees and ‘invisible’ working-class women. Home (2017) a series of portrays asylum seekers in their temporary accommodation in hostels and shelters, a psychiatric ward and a church basement. ‘Making these works really opened my eyes to the idea of invisibility, of those overlooked lives in the city around us,’ Walker has said. This ignited an interest in women working in service industry jobs, in kitchens, hotels, offices and shops, where their work is often taken for granted or intended to be unseen.
Caroline Walker (born 1982, Dunfermline) lives and works in London. Walker studied at The Glasgow School of Art and the Royal College of Art, London.
Caroline Walker, Joy, 11.30am, Hackney, 2017 © the artist and GRIMM. Courtesy the artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam/New York. Photo: Peter Mallet
I’m interested in challenging the position of the viewer, particularly in relation to my female subjects. And the paintings are very large, so there’s a sense that you could almost step into the scene. I want you to feel like you’re involved or implicated in what’s going on.
– Caroline Walker
Caroline Walker, Abi, Midday, Brixton, 2017 © the artist and GRIMM. Courtesy the artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam/New York. Photo: Peter Mallet
Caroline Walker, Rebecca, 2020 © the artist and GRIMM. Courtesy the artist and GRIMM, Amsterdam/New York. Photo: Peter Mallet