Poppy Whitfield

The Party Upstairs is a series of visual reflections exploring past experiences, memories and emotions that I have pushed aside and am now ready to revisit. Using painting as a form of self-expression and healing, I create an illustrative world filled with characters, details and personal narratives that communicate feelings I sometimes struggle to put into words.

My paintings draw on fragments of memory, incorporating people, environments, objects and colours that hold personal significance. Through my interpretation of self-portraiture, I explore my experiences of sexuality, femininity and developing confidence in my own voice.

Sculptural frames made from tactile materials such as concrete, recycled textiles and paper-mâché represent feelings of restriction, mental paralysis and self-protection. They reflect the barriers I have experienced within my mind, body and surroundings, as well as my desire to push beyond them. The contrast between these physical materials and my playful, illustrative painting style brings emotional experiences back into a place of reality.

Each work becomes a visual journal, allowing me to uncover new perspectives, embrace vulnerability and continue discovering myself through art.