229. Celia Mora - Glass Held I

2026
Oil on canvas mounted on board
17.8 x 17.8 cm

The artist’s practice explores how visual archetypes shape the perception of images, particularly in representations of the male body. By reworking art historical codes and using their partner as both model and muse, the work reverses conventions traditionally associated with femininity, instead interrogating constructions of masculinity. Themes of love, submission, intimacy, and vulnerability run throughout the practice, examining the shifting boundaries between comfort and consent, love and control, and the private and the public.

Objects such as vases, bowls, and marbles recur as metaphors for the male form. Their fragility, emptiness, or opacity evoke the instability and fluidity of identity, while also drawing attention to objects and meanings often overlooked or dismissed. Working with thin layers of oil paint, the artist gradually builds images through abstraction, gesture, and subtle shifts of colour. This slow and deliberate process allows forms to emerge fragmentarily, reflecting a desire to remain within ambiguity and suggestion rather than fixed interpretation.

The artist studied at Turps Art School, UK (2023–2024), following an MA in Fine Arts at the Royal College of Art, London (2022–2023). They previously undertook an Erasmus scholarship during a BA in Painting at the University of the Arts London (2018), completed a BA in Fine Arts at Complutense University, Spain (2013–2018), and a BA in Advertising and Public Relations at Rey Juan Carlos University, Spain (2009–2013).

Recent exhibitions include A line has time in it with Carta Magna at The Green Pop Up Shop, London (2026); Enchanted Gardens at Gillian Jason Gallery, London (2026); The Muse Residency 2026 Winter Group Show at The Muse Gallery, London (2026); Beyond the Prize at Mall Galleries, London (2025); The Eve Principle at Norito Gallery, London (2025); Startled at Lychee One Gallery, London (2025); Vessels at OHSH Projects, The Bottle Factory (2025); Boundaries at Outhouse Gallery (2024); A Room of One’s Own at Irving Gallery (2024); Creme Fraiche at ICA Museum (2023); and Unlady-like at D Contemporary (2023).

Awards and residencies include The Muse Residency at The Muse Gallery (2026), selection for The Hari Art Prize (2025), the Soho Revue Residency (2025), the Zsuzsi Roboz Scholarship at Morley College (2025), and being shortlisted for the ACS Studio Prize (2025). The artist also received both the first and second Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grants (2022–2024). Their work is held in collections including Morley Gallery, London; Rihai Hotel, Shanghai; and the Four Seasons Hotel, Madrid.