Portraits from the Attic

by Oscar Wyndham Lewis

A free exhibition of original work by Oscar Wyndham Lewis.

“In 2017-18, I lived in Normandy in an old dilapidated house and converted the leaky attic space into a make-shift art studio. I was living in solitude in a tiny little village disconnected from everything, a response to a tumultuous time living in London following my MA. I was struggling with my mental health and feeling a strong desire to escape and, I suppose, hide.

I was in my late twenties and stayed for almost two years. These are some of the pictures I created while living there.”

Oscar Wyndham Lewis is a Welsh artist and animator currently based in London. He graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2016 with a Masters in Animation. His graduation film ‘The Waves’, an oil paint on glass animation, was selected by over 20 international film festivals and won the Scottish Mental Health Arts Prize in 2017 as well as being shortlisted for a BAFTA in the same year.

Since then, Oscar has continued to make work on the subject of mental health, focusing on expressionist portrait painting at a studio in France for 18 months. He returned to the UK in 2018 with a large body of work which was exhibited in both group and solo shows in London. He went on to co-found the artist collective Booth Haus in Whitechapel, which put on a series of exhibitions between 2018 and 2020 exploring the theme of mental health, raising money for mental health charities and gaining some media attention in the process.

In 2021, Oscar directed the animation for the short film ‘Something terrible happened to Joey’ which explores the subject of childhood trauma. Produced by New York-based company A Closer Look, the film is currently touring the festival circuit.

Portraits from the Attic is Oscar’s latest solo show. Works are available for purchase with free collection from Crystal Palace, West Norwood or Dulwich. Delivery can be arranged through the artist.

All sales proceeds support the artist and Figuration, a community-centred social enterprise in South London.