Somaya Critchlow

Somaya Critchlow

Somaya Critchlow

SOMAYA CRITCHLOW (b. 1993, London) lives and works in London. She obtained her BA in Painting at the University of Brighton before joining The Royal Drawing School, London, where she earned a Postgraduate Diploma in 2017. In April 2023, Somaya Critchlow: Paintings and Drawings, the artist’s first institutional show in North America, opened at The FLAG Art Foundation in New York, USA. Previous solo exhibitions include Afternoon’s Darkness at Maximillian William, London (2022); Blow-Up, Galerie Gregor Staiger, Zürich (2021), Underneath a Bebop Moon, Maximillian William, London (2020) and Sincere for Synonym at Fortnight Institute, New York (2019). Recent group exhibitions include The Soul As Sphere, curated by Critchlow at The Lightbox Gallery and Museum, Woking (2022); Women Painting Women, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas (2022); The Soul as Sphere, Maximillian William, London (2022); Drawing Attention: Emerging British Artists, British Museum, London (2022); Sweet Lust, White Cube, Paris (2022); Get Lifted!, curated by Hilton Als, Karma, New York (2021) and Mixing it Up: Painting Today, Hayward Gallery, London (2021). Critchlow’s work is featured in public collections including the Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland; LACMA, Los Angeles; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; RISD Museum, Providence; ICA Miami, Florida; The Pallant Gallery, Chichester; the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Art, Norwich; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; and the Arts Council Collection, London.

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SELECTED WORKS

EXHIBITIONS

PUBLICATIONS

PRESS

May30
ART IN AMERICA
ART IN AMERICA

Somaya Critchlow profiled by Barry Schwabsky

May 2023
May17
THE NYTIMES STYLE MAGAZINE
THE NYTIMES STYLE MAGAZINE

‘The Artists Depicting the Power and Strangeness of Breasts,’ by  Zoë Lescaze

May 2023
Jan11
BALCONY
BALCONY

‘A hard reflection,’ Somaya Critchlow and Katherine Angel walk through the British Museum

January 2023
Jan03
ARTSY
ARTSY

‘Rising Artist Somaya Critchlow on Her Shared Sensibilities with Lucian Freud,’ by Charlotte Jansen

January 2023
Dec03
VAULT
VAULT

‘Out of Darkness’ by Hamish Sawyer

December 2022
Nov26
THE GUARDIAN
THE GUARDIAN

Somaya Critchlow profiled by Chloë Ashby

November 2022
Nov03
PURPLE MAGAZINE
PURPLE MAGAZINE

Somaya Critchlow is included in Purple Magazine’s 30 year issue.

November 2022
Oct28
FRIEZE
FRIEZE

‘Somaya Critchlow’s Women Know Something We Don’t’ by Melissa Baksh for Frieze.

October 2022
Oct25
THE SUNDAY TIMES
THE SUNDAY TIMES

‘Painting is Having a Special Moment’ by Waldemar Januszczak for The Sunday Times.

October 2022
Oct20
FRIEZE
FRIEZE

Frieze reviews Somaya Critchlow’s work as part of Very Private? at the Charleston Trust.

October 2022
Oct13
ART NEWS
ART NEWS

‘8 Shows to See in London During Frieze’ by Elizabeth Fullerton for ART News

October 2022
Oct13
APOLLO MAGAZINE
APOLLO MAGAZINE

‘Frieze week highlights’ in Apollo Magazine

October 2022
Oct13
TIME OUT
TIME OUT

‘Somaya Critchlow: Afternoon’s Darkness’ four star review by Eddy Frankel

October 2022
Oct10
ARTSY
ARTSY

8 Must-See London Shows during Frieze London 2022

October 2022
Oct08
ANOTHER
ANOTHER

Somaya Critchlow in Conversation with Alayo Akinkugbe.

October 2022

RELATED CONTENT

Mar17
Somaya Critchlow: Paintings and Drawings
Somaya Critchlow: Paintings and Drawings

‘Somaya Critchlow: Paintings and Drawings’ opens at The FLAG Art Foundation, New York, on 1 April 2023. Opening reception: Saturday,…

March 2023
Jan07
Panel Discussion: Lucian Freud and The Soul as Sphere
Panel Discussion: Lucian Freud and The Soul as Sphere

Panel Discussion: Lucian Freud and The Soul as Sphere The Lightbox, Woking Thursday 23 February 2023, 7 – 8 pm…

January 2023
Nov26
Somaya Critchlow: Lucian Freud and The Soul as Sphere
Somaya Critchlow: Lucian Freud and The Soul as Sphere

The Lightbox presents two adjoining exhibitions: The Soul as Sphere, curated by artist Somaya Critchlow and a presentation of works…

November 2022
Nov09
Somaya Critchlow: When They See Us
Somaya Critchlow: When They See Us

Somaya Critchlow is part of the group show, When They See Us at the Zeitz MOCAA. This exhibition explores Black…

November 2022
Oct26
Somaya Critchlow: Pallant House Acquisition
Somaya Critchlow: Pallant House Acquisition

We are delighted to announce that Somaya Critchlow’s Untitled, 2022, has been acquired by Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.

October 2022
Oct25
Somaya Critchlow: Purple Festival
Somaya Critchlow: Purple Festival

Somaya Critchlow is included in Purple Festival. This event celebrates the 30 years of the magazine. Conceived as a festival…

October 2022
Sep13
Somaya Critchlow: The Story of Art as it’s Still Being Written
Somaya Critchlow: The Story of Art as it’s Still Being Written

Somaya Critchlow is included in the group exhibition The Story of Art as it’s Still Being Written, an exhibition based…

September 2022
Sep13
Somaya Critchlow: Very Private?
Somaya Critchlow: Very Private?

Somaya Critchlow is included in the group exhibition Very Private? at the the Charleston Trust, Lewes. Exploring themes of sex,…

September 2022
May28
Somaya Critchlow: Women Painting Women
Somaya Critchlow: Women Painting Women

Somaya Critchlow is included in the group exhibition Women Painting Women at the Modern Art Museum, Fort Worth, which brings…

May 2022
May12
Somaya Critchlow: Fire Figure Fantasy
Somaya Critchlow: Fire Figure Fantasy

Somaya Critchlow’s Small Fire, 2020 is featured in Fire Figure Fantasy: Selections from the ICA Miami’s Collection, the most comprehensive…

May 2022
Apr30
Somaya Critchlow: Walter Sickert
Somaya Critchlow: Walter Sickert

Somaya Critchlow has contributed a text ‘On Sickert’s Reframing of the Nude,’ to the exhibition catalogue which accompanies ‘Walter Sickert,’…

April 2022
Mar15
Somaya Critchlow: Drawing Attention: Emerging British Artists
Somaya Critchlow: Drawing Attention: Emerging British Artists

Opening 17 March 2022, Somaya Critchlow is included in the group exhibition Drawing Attention: Emerging British Artists at the British…

March 2022
Mar10
Somaya Critchlow: Sweet Lust
Somaya Critchlow: Sweet Lust

Opening 4 March 2022, Somaya Critchlow is included in the group exhibition Sweet Lust at White Cube, Paris, curated by…

March 2022
Feb26
Somaya Critchlow: Luncheon on the Grass
Somaya Critchlow: Luncheon on the Grass

Opening 19 February 2022, Somaya Critchlow is included in the group exhibition Luncheon on the Grass: Contemporary responses to Édouard…

February 2022
Feb02
Somaya Critchlow: (Nothing but) Flowers
Somaya Critchlow: (Nothing but) Flowers

Somaya Critchlow’s painting ‘Small Fire’ features on the front cover of Karma’s forthcoming ‘(Nothing but) Flowers’ , with text by…

February 2022