Ava Grauls
Ava Grauls (born 1982) is a South African/Belgian artist based in London. Her work explores nationalized legitimacy, cultural legacy, and the environmental influences on identity through a geographic perspective. Her practice primarily encompasses painting and performance. She is an RCA graduate, class of 2023.
Grauls’ formative years were marked by significant geographical shifts. Born in South Africa during apartheid, she later moved to Belgium as a child, and subsequently relocated to a British asbestos mine in Eswatini. These experiences have profoundly shaped her practice, prompting her to question the forms of influence and education that manipulate public memory. Her paintings are abstracted interpretations of the cartographic traditions that have historically dominated social and political worldviews.
Grauls’ paintings and films have been exhibited in London, Scotland, Lisbon, and Japan. Her work is held in the permanent collection of the Royal Scottish Academy. Upcoming group exhibitions featuring her work include Tatha Gallery in Newport, Scotland (March) and Upsilon Gallery in Mayfair, London (April), both focusing on emerging abstract painters.
