Vanessa Raw

Raw describes herself as an expressionist/'expressive colourist',^[2][6] with a figurative element. She describes her landscapes as self-portraits, and has stated that she is not 'overly concerned with realism' and that she likes to work with the 'physicality of paint'.^[2] She cites Lucian Freud, Jenny Saville, Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and Marlene Dumas as influences for portraiture, and J. M. W. Turner and Vincent van Gogh as influences for landscapes.^[2]

Some of her works, known as 'psychological landscapes', have been described as an exploration of phantoms, encompassing elements such as dreams, individuals, and locations. Her work attempts to the interplay between the present, the hidden subconscious, and the spaces that lie in between.^[7]

In 2021–22, she held a solo show in Margate, displaying ‘I Dreamed I Touched the Land You See’ , which involved abstract dreamscapes.^[8]

In September 2022, Raw's artworks depicting the nude female body were displayed at an exhibition called “Behind Closed Doors” at Berlin Art Week.^[9]

In 2023, Raw was one of the artists selected for the Artist-to-Artist initiative at the Frieze Art Fair. She was proposed by renowned artist Tracey Emin for a solo exhibition at the fair. Her paintings on display were both an exploration of issues surrounding the male vs the female gaze, sexual identity, and desire, as well as a personal journey of self-discovery.^[10]

Raw's artwork has been displayed in multiple art galleries in London and Margate, including at the Fitzrovia Gallery, the Flowers Gallery, and the Woolff Gallery.^[11][12][13]