Keith Grafton
A contemporary artist who uses photographic elements to create surrealist and geometric abstract works.
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Keith Grafton's love affair with photography started with his first Polaroid at the age of 10. Initially self-taught, he later trained in modern photography, image manipulation and mixed media painting at Central Saint Martins University of the Arts in London, transitioning to a studio practice after more than 30 years working as an IT systems architect for major investment banks in the City.
Grafton's aesthetic is a dance between the classical, the contemporary and the future. He uses photography, photomontage, and photo painting to create bold photographic conceptual abstractions with an edgy surrealistic quality that plays with metaphors and symbolism. His work explores how fashion, commercialisation and technology impact the way we live; while also investigating how love, hope and desire influence the way we feel. He depicts the complexity of human relationships, the passage of time, our multiple identities, and the impact of gender in society.
His camera is his colour palette; he has built an extensive collection of imagery, which he reinterprets, manipulates, repositions or crops. The use of high contrast patterns, sharp defining colours, playful elements, and the integration of the human figure within everyday objects, text, and urban elements, create compelling imagery that beckons viewers into the scene with a futuristic outlook. His intention is to shift perceptions on relationships and contemporary issues by creating a space to reflect and make visible what is often overlooked.
In 2020, together with his partner Maite Baron, co-founded Baron Grafton Arthouse, an art studio and online gallery where they showcase their works to global collectors, art lovers and trade members. He received a Certificate of Artistic Merit from The Pinacotheque Museum of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg for the 2020 - 2022 editions of the Luxembourg Art Prize. Grafton’s work can be found in private residences in the UK and abroad.
© Copyright Keith Grafton and Baron Grafton Arthouse, All Rights Reserved.
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