Born in London in 1994, Yearwood-Dan studied at the University of Brighton, where she developed a practice which viewed painting as both a visual and spatial medium. The artist builds layered compositions which draw on a wide range of references, from Black and queer identity, to literature, music and nature.
Defined by fluid, gestural marks and richly saturated colours, her paintings often incorporate handwritten phrases that evoke both a sense of intimacy and expansion. Her wide-ranging materials — from oil and acrylic, to collage and ceramics — extend the language of painting beyond the flat surface and instead emphasise tactility and process.
In recent years, Yearwood-Dan has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally. The Practice of Liberation at The Whitworth presented the artist’s paintings and ceramics as part of a multidimensional installation, while her 2022 public mural for Queercircle in London extended her practice further. Yearwood-Dan's painting Love me nots (2021) was sold at Christie’s for £730,800 in 2023.
Balancing formal experimentation with a deeply personal iconography, Yearwood-Dan continues to push the possibility of painting. Creating works that intertwine the personal and the political, she has carved out a space as one of the most distinctive voices working in British contemporary art today.
MICHAELA YEARWOOD-DAN (B. 1994)
Love me nots
MICHAELA YEARWOOD-DAN (B. 1994)
Tell 'em 1 time
MICHAELA YEARWOOD-DAN (B. 1994)
Stone Rose
MICHAELA YEARWOOD-DAN (B. 1994)
Saturn’s Return
MICHAELA YEARWOOD-DAN (B. 1994)
Let’s just take a breather
MICHAELA YEARWOOD-DAN (B. 1994)
Breathe
MICHAELA YEARWOOD-DAN (B. 1994)
Give She Life
MICHAELA YEARWOOD-DAN (B. 1994)
Sentiments for D